There are few things sweeter to parents than those moments after all the children are nestled, all snug in their beds...

depending on the child, this could be only 15 minutes, or all night. Mine are somewhere in the middle. Last night was the first night in a string of several nights proceeding it, when i did not sleep airplane-style in the livingroom on the futon with Liam on my chest. When babies have colds, you do not sleep even if you feel great. Course that great feeling is only the first day before the first night when you do the airplane thing. After that night you catch bare glimpses of your eyelids between hacking baby coughs and snuffling baby noises and rocking frustrating, crying sad baby. After that night, though you still may be healthy, you no longer feel great. You feel like shit, more sleep deprived than usual and conflicted: mad as hell at baby for not sleeping, and sad and compassionate for baby because clearly, he would also prefer to be sleeping and just can't.

anyway, last night Liam managed to do about 90% of the night lying down and so therefore today i feel more or less like a wonderwoman with all the sleep i got in comparison. And the great thing about having a second child a few years older is that you have living proof that in fact, the baby will grow up and sleep for hours at a time, lying down, even when ill. It just makes it all a bit easier to bear.

Despite the fact that its' looking like i'll get another better night's sleep, i am still aiming to be in bed by 8pm. that gives me 31 minutes to finish this blog, surf a few sites, brush teeth and go to bed. I'm solo until next Thursday, as Kevmo is at New Job Boot Camp. Raelin and i have made a mini calendar of the next 9 days and posted it on her door. Every night she makes an "X" on the day's square to count down to Daddy's return. This is a much easier concept for her to grasp since we've just done the whole Christmas Advent thing. And counting down to Daddy's return seems to, in fact, be a much better reward than Christmas :) It would be even better if the calendar gave her a little present for each day like the Advent Elf did. Preferably of the chocolate variety.

Sor-Ry!

The other thing that makes me feel like Wonderwoman is taking care of 2 kids by myself from dawn till dusk without maiming/injuring either (by accident or negligence, of course) or making either cry because of my loss of temper (which has happened on previous solo weeks. of course, we're only on day 2, but i'm going for 10).

Yeah, there's something about having 2 small lives entrusted in your hands and then doing pretty well at it all by one's ownself that feels good. I thought taking care of one was worth mentioning- hey, i got two now! And all hail the mama's with more than 2, but, you know, we're talking about me right now...

I remember when Raelin was born and my midwife left to go home a few hours later after we were all checked out pronounced Good.

I was like, um, where are you going? This is a HUMAN BEING! A NEW ONE! I think i'd only held a newborn (new within like a month) maybe twice in my life. I was not much of a babysitter and as a teacher, had no interest in spending my days with any kid younger than 11. Dude, hormones make you do *crazy* things like moon for a baby when you feel the way i did. So, sudddenly having the full responsibility of this new life was pretty, uh, daunting to say the least. But, not only do those hormones make you want to have the baby, they bring their side kick- Biological Instinct- and bam! you are suddenly all, " you have to hold her this way and that cry means she wants to nurse and i think she has gas and ....." its' like crazy hidden knowledge in there. Ok, so _The Baby Book_ by Dr. Sears helps *alot* but still... you Know.

Course, it all gets a bit less straightforward when you actually have to parent them as in guide and discipline and educate and so forth- hence the sense of accomplishment at caring for not one, but two, successfully, by one's self. but i certainly would not want to do this for longer than 9 days. Ok, maybe 12, but longer than that.....ugh.

all hail single moms. (bowing.)

Ok. 16 minutes and i have a few more sites to visit. Hope you all had a happy and fun New Year. I think it was New Year's anyway... i was in bed.

By 9.

Sleeping airplane style.