Good Day

Today was a good day. It saddens me to think that's a rarity. I'm hopeful we've turned a corner, and many more "good days" are coming. Ellen slept from 10pm-5am and again until 8:30am!--which means we also slept a good chunk of the night! After feeding the babe, Kyle played with her and then put her down for a nap so I could run. And boy, howdy, how good it feels to move the body, breathe the cold air, praise God for whatever I see or think of, pray my heart's frustrations and desires and questions with each pounding step, meet a wandering dog along the route, and find myself back home in record time (which means tomorrow will be a "sore day"). I learned from my grandma that dishes can be washed and put in the dishrack without the painful rinse cycle that I've done for years--how good a clean kitchen feels! I now feed Ellen in the same spot each time, with the space heater warming us both, a reading lamp offering the perfect amount of glow, and my Kindle enabling me to follow Father Tim and Cynthia around Ireland with minimal effort. Not wanting to be tied to the house in the midst of sleep-training, we opted to be flexible parents and take Ellen to the mall for some naps in her sling while we hunted down jeans for Kyle and shoes for me. Success on all fronts, and we found ourselves thoroughly enjoying the freedom to go to the mall on a Saturday. During school last semester, I desperately wanted these outings with Kyle on the weekends, but I knew I was stealing away his study time. With classes not resuming until Wednesday, though, I didn't feel guilty for asking him to go to the mall with me. (BTW, the mall is a great place to go if you are having self-esteem issues. So many people complimented Ellen on her beautiful eyes, her cute smile, or just the adorable picture of a dad slinging his little girl. We left remembering how incredibly blessed we are and what a joy it is to be parents!) Moving the Pack 'n Play upstairs has been so helpful, allowing Ellen to play in the kitchen while I cook dinner. Tonight, I taught her the economic value of burritos: three ingredients, and prepped lickety split. Kyle put her down for a nap as I finished up the preparations, then turned on our dinner music to make our meal of burritos, well, a little more special. We've begun a night time routine with Ellen that brings us together as a family, from bath time until the goodnight prayer, and it just feels right. And now, as I type, our little one has put herself to sleep after only 15 minutes of crying. That's quite a change from the 2 hours she (and we) endured last night! So, yes, it has been a good day.