Daylight Savings, You SUCK!

Sunday.  The day that spring daylight saving's time's deviousness comes to pass with a night that's all too short.  OK, Chloe awoke at 4:30AM.  I went ahead and got her a bottle and changed her and sent her back to bed.  I did this since Cora usually gets up in the middle of the night, and it only seems fair I should do it once in awhile.  Chloe lasted awhile!  I got up because I could not sleep any more.  She lasted until the clock on my computer said 7:25AM.  I thought, WOW!  She lasted quite awhile!  Still, I could not figure out why I was so tired until I looked at the clock on the microwave and remembered Daylight Savings.  Damn it.  It was only 6:30AM.  DAMN IT!

So Chloe played while I attempted to inhale some caffeine.  The play yard we got allows us to block off her access to places like the kitchen and the laundry room.  These are places of great interest and potential danger.  1.) we have a bi-fold door that separates the kitchen from the laundry room.  This is a great place for fingers to be guillotined off...or that's what I visualize every time she reaches for the door.  (And SHE DOES! ALL THE TIME! no matter how many times we say no or refocus her attention elsewhere!) and 2.) there is a dog door in the laundry room which allows our truly patient hounds access to the great outdoors and their mode of escape from Chloe.  She aims to follow them whenever possible.

Before the play yard, one moment you could see Chloe busily playing with her cardboard box or whatever non-toy she had chosen for the day, the next you would turn to fold a piece of laundry and then you would hear the thump-thump-thump of a speed crawler taking off for the kitchen.  She would stop half-way to see if you were watching.  If you said stop, come back, she would pause a little longer and then flop over as though laying on the kitchen floor was ALL she was planning to do.  If you didn't say anything, she would tear out, leaving little puffs of smoke and head for the bi-fold to cut off her fingers, or if that was open, she would head for the dog door.

Retrieval, by me, usually ended up with me grabbing the front of her pajamas and carrying her back to the front room like a small, lumpy, and wiggly suitcase.  I would sling a pillow onto the floor and drop her gently onto it.  This entire series of events seemed to bother her not one bit!  In fact, I think she liked it.

So, now she walks.  She also runs when things are not in the way.  The play yard has stopped her escape attempts and mitigated our own tripping over toys and near decapitation in trying to reach her before she heads out the dog door.  All we have to do now is keep her on the same side of the wall as we are, which, given our extreme athleticism, does not change often.

The way it works is to slow her down.  Given time alone she could surely find her way out, but since we don't let her on her own unless she is in her crib, well, that doesn't happen...unless she is digging out of her crib and dumping the dirt from secret bags rigged in her pants, a la American Prisoners of War in Germany.  To the best of our knowledge she is NOT tunneling out and has not made any overt attempts on the play yard wall, so all is well.  Also, we have the baby monitor, and we have not heard any tapping, so she is not communicating with other prisoners.

Today we went to town and used a few gift cards we have accumulated.  She got some Little People, toys she seems fond of and we kind of like, too.  We also went to lunch.  She loves refried beans and rice!  She also did not mind trying the quesadilla we got her, too.  I devoured my pombasa, but managed to give Chloe a few bites of her own food, while Cora ate her own lunch.  Despite my attempts to help, Cora is, by far, better at feeding a child AND herself.  I have to pause too long for my own stomach.

Chloe managed to stay awake the entire time.  We got home and her eyelids were dropping.  We knew she was ready for a nap, so with nary a peep, she went down for a nap.  About 40 minutes later she awoke with tears and cries.  I went in and comforted her and put her back down, but she cried even louder.

I eventually gave in and, after trial and error, realized she would not go down unless I went with her.  I rocked her and she fell asleep, and I slowly edged myself into a horizontal position where I could be comfortable, too.  I swiftly lost consciousness and only awakened when Cora checked on us an hour later and told me it was about time for Chloe to get up.

I lifted the blanket on her and she woke up, looked at me, glared, wiped the sleep out of her eyes, cried a little and then positioned her head on my chest and went back to sleep.  I know when I'm beat, and managed to slip her around onto my arm where she was more comfortable.  I then reached over and grabbed Cora's kindle and read one of my books on it until Cora came back in and got Chloe about 15 minutes later.

I made dinner, a sort of alfredo chicken, and Cora got Chloe ready for bed.  Tomorrow is a BIG day.  Cora goes back to work and Chloe goes to daycare.  I am wondering how Cora is going to do tomorrow.  I am sure that Chloe will do fine, she's going to Nana's, but Cora might not fare too well.

Chloe is definitely gaining on the nutrition and health part!  We are feeding her as much as we can to make up for what she had before!

We are also making sure she has the chance to look her best.  Cora's grandmother (Grandma Lemaster) managed to get Chloe a boa that she absolutely adores!  The child is a girlie girl! Even if she doesn't always wear all of her clothes!

It was a good day.  It is good to be Daddy.