Dear J-
It has been a long Saturday back but relaxing nonetheless. We got up luxuriously late (and putting on pants this morning I noted with some sadness just how easily I put on weight during the last week), made pancakes and headed out the door for a long cooperative session of child-rearing. While I was left to the devices of the kids and their cousin along with her parents theVet took off for a baby shower. Calcifer has begun to phase out naps whether because of teeth sprouting or some unknown demon seed coming to the fore and so I spent most of the next four hours on my feet coaxing him to relax while figgy ran around with her cousin happily.
For a while, at least. We pushed our visit through dinner time when figgy was able to exhibit her dreadful table manners (running off with dinner half-finished) and the increasing irrationality that comes with lack of sleep, sniping at everyone and everything including her cousin who was just trying to get along. When nothing is right including things that just were the nap is overdue. Yet she refuses to take one with us so either we conk her over the head or put up with it. She fell asleep, heavily asleep on the car ride home but when woken up to go to bed went on a long irrational crying jag for ten minutes or so. Nothing could be done or understood except this: “You’re making me MAD!”
It has been a week, after all. Why shouldn’t I feel so rusty trying to soothe the savage beasts who roam our house? It feels like forever, it feels strangely familiar. I only hope that I can remember the patience I’ve had while this is relatively fresh before I start in on the nasty ways of our lives later.
Mike
Dear J- 