Ahh, Friday night

It's Friday night. I'm wearing my pajamas, drinking milk and eating cookies. And I was just thinking maybe I'd treat myself to some brainless TV. And I'm really happy about all this. Now, if it were 1am and I were just coming home from some bar, that would be one thing. But it's 8:30pm! What's wrong with me?!?! Oh, yeah, that's right. I'm a parent.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that Sam shoved a washcloth so far down the bathtub drain that I can't get it back? I've tried a coat hanger and the vacuum ... the most creative suggestions I've gotten from two sources who shall remain anonymous. I refuse to call a plumber on the weekend (especially during summer season on the Cape) to have a washcloth removed from a drain pipe. So I guess we're without a bathtub for a couple of days!

What a scorcher!

Ever been tempted to sleep in your basement? No? Me neither. At least not until last night. We are in the midst of a serious heat wave. It was 80 degrees in the shade by 8am yesterday and today. Those vaunted Cape Cod sea breezes have helped us avoid the 100+ temps hitting some parts of New England. Still, it's REALLY hot. For reasons of personal preference (mostly his), Sam's been sleeping with me while Jed is away. Last night that became utterly necessary since I can only find one fan in our whole house! But when I went down to the basement to retrieve some laundry, it was blessedly cool. For a few seconds, I actually contemplated grabbing Sam and maybe even a light quilt from upstairs, pumping up the air mattress, and sleeping in the basement!

Small miracles

A brief disclaimer ... parents of children who sleep may find this pathetic.
Sam gave me the most wonderful gift last night. He's teething insanely (molars!) and woke up almost every two hours. But at 2am, when waking up was really painful for me, he did something we've quite frankly been hoping for ... he got out of his bed, came into our room, asked to be lifted into bed, gave me a big hug, then rolled over and went to sleep. I never even had to sit up! He woke up again at 4am to nurse (the usual) and was up for the day at 6am, but again, he softened the blow. I woke up to the sound of demonic giggles followed by a full body hug that would have been a tackle if I weren't already laying down. Really, what mother could resist that?

Let the games begin

I'm supposed to be telling you how cute it is that Sam has not only learned to toast, but thinks it's so much fun that he'll double-fist milk and juice in order to have more cups to go chink-chink with (it really is adorable). Instead, I feel compelled to share the poop story of the day. After dinner and before bath each night comes a time that Sam cherishes - naked time! Only sometimes, I don't do totally naked time ... I take off the pants, socks, and diaper but leave the onesie. That way, his bum gets some air time but he stays warmer. That was the plan tonight, and I'm still not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It kept the mess off the floor, but probably made clean-up much more complicated than it would have been otherwise. Yep, that's right. He pooped in the onesie. And it was a total stealth poop ... no pause in play, no grunting to alert me to what was going on. He just wandered over to give me a hug smelling rather rank and wearing a VERY droopy onesie. This is Day 1 (of 9) of my first solo parenting adventure (Jed's in France). I have to wonder what else is in store!?!

Bounce house

Sam passed an important milestone yesterday. He experienced a moon walk (bounce house, whatever you want to call it) for the first time ... and he LOVED it! He went in three different times. I was really impressed at his ability to walk and even run around in it. Running and then flinging himself down (or into the mesh walls) was a favorite activity, but by the end he was starting to do some real jumping. And, of course, there was a lot of demonic laughter and squealing. I wish we had photos or video to share, but no such luck. This event was part of an otherwise low-key backyard party at a neighbor's house and we didn't think to take a camera of any sort.