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Disappointment, Thy Name is Night Sleep
We were thrilled in vain this week when Merritt’s first upper incisor broke through the gums. Kira and I collectively breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps teething pain was to blame for Merritt’s fitful nighttime slumber.
Alas, ’twas not so. In fact, he squirmed and screamed in bursts about every hour, forcing us to get up with him in shifts. Even sleeping between us in our bed, which usually tranquilizes him, was ineffective.
I have wondered for some time whether he is just uncomfortable in his bed (a travel crib, for the sake of size), which seems very stiff to me. Our bed is much softer, which may be why he prefers it. In a completely unexperimental approach, I put together his crib and rearranged some furniture to make it fit. The mattress to his crib is much softer, so I thought perhaps lying thereupon would squelch some of his night discomfort. Last night was the first trial, and he did very well…until about 3 a.m., at which point he joined us.
Kira has had high hopes of making a sip or two of lemonade out of our lemony summer, so she arranged for us to head to some sand dunes in Indiana yesterday. The Fates determined that such was not our destiny, for Hakan came down with a fever and sore throat the night before our excursion. As it was the same night that Merritt kept us up for most of the time, we resigned to staying home with some relief. Still, Kira took the older two kids to see the movie adaptation of one of Avey’s favorite book series, Captain Underpants. They enjoyed it thoroughly, so the day was not a total loss. We plan to try the dunes next weekend, but don’t tell any bacteria our plan.
Hakan is feeling much better today, although he still sounds like a chain-smoker. He should be back to his usual self in another day or so.
While I’m complaining, I should point out that the battery to my laptop died abruptly this week, making working at the library more challenging. I have to find a good spot and stick to it, because I can’t move again without shutting off my computer. The new one is in the mail.
Today, while I was managing the two younger boys at home, prepping Merritt for a nap, I went to find his pacifier. Usually, when it is not in an obvious place, it can be found on the floor near his favorite playing spots. After about 30 minutes of searching and re-searching, its location still eluded me. I was on the verge of panic, as he is not likely to sleep without it, but he did eventually accept an older model we had stored away. We still do not know where his original is, so this is the mystery of the decade. Perhaps it has gone where all of the sock mates go.
Carver has an odd new habit lately. Kira or I will ask him a simple “yes or no” question, and rather than simply answering with a single word, like parsimony would suggest, he comes up with a set of signals with which to broadcast his decision. For example, yesterday I asked Carver whether I could interest him in some food. He looked at me for a moment, and then instructed me, “If the answer is yes, then I will make this signal [sweeping his arm up and to his left]. If the answer is no, then I will make this signal [sweeping his arm horizontally].” He then made the corresponding gesture, and I had to not only try to remember how it was interpreted, but also what my question was in the first place.
Needless to say, after a week such as this one, Kira is looking forward to her solo trip to Utah.