Baby & daddy day

Today was the longest baby & daddy day yet, clocking in around eight uninterrupted hours. We got off to a good start this morning. Madeline played the grasp-and-manipulate game by pulling up her favorite blanket.

And she even enjoyed tummy time.

More importantly, she took a good, solid, hour-plus-long nap, and she also latched onto (rather than just flirting with) her bottle for a good, solid, multiple-ounce feeding, too.

Then things got a little dicier.

After her morning nap, Madeline seemed hungry but was unwilling to eat for a while. She started to howl. Unable to soothe her otherwise, I tucked her in the wrap and took her outside. That did not go over well. I figured the next step was to do another diaper-check (Summer and I both find that diaper-checks occur a lot more frequently on single-parent days). But on the way into the nursery with my wrapped-and-howling bundle of joy, I made matters worse by accidentally bonking her head ever-so-gently on the door frame. Though actual damage was nil, Madeline did not take kindly to the shock. The howls escalated.

Some time in froglet-position on my chest, my right arm supporting her bum and my left cupping the back of her head, calmed her down. And eventually she was able to get over it enough to nap.

For fifteen minutes or so, that is. Then came more hunger-cues and howls.

But she snacked enough to quell the howls. I thought maybe she'd enjoy the fresh air, notwithstanding her earlier rejection of time outside in the wrap. So I brought out the baby, the vibrating chair, and the watering can, and Madeline watched as I watered our flourishing vegetable sprouts.

She weathered the watering well, but when I sat down to play with her she presented a big pout that meant this-is-not-what-I-want-fix-it-soon-or-I-will-howl-again. So I took her out of the seat, strapped the watering can in, and trundled everything back inside.

This time Madeline decided to cooperate as she had in the morning, and she drained her bottle. Then she had some more smiley tummy-time, this time of the propped-up-on-a-pillow variety. She seemed to enjoy the vantage.

Then there was some more fussing, smiles at the mobile in her crib, fussing again, and then a nap on me -- at this point she wouldn't tolerate being put down -- before it was time to go fetch Summer.

Probably because of the uneven naps, Madeline fought sleep at bedtime; on the other hand, though, I'm enthused at her willingness twice today to really take the bottle again. In the end, the day was a nice one with some successes that, hopefully, I can build on when the next baby & daddy day rolls around.

*** Yesterday's post is up, too -- don't miss it. ***