Gavin napped fitfully this morning, going to sleep at 8, waking up at 8:30, cooing and rooing until about 9, then finally falling asleep again only to do the whole routine over at 9:20. At 10 I poked my head in to check on him and he was on his side, his back against the crib rails, facing away from me. My first thought was, "Oh, how sweet, he's sleeping." My next thought was, "But what if he's dead?" From the doorway I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not, which meant I had to enter his room quiet ninja style. The wood floors in our house are really creaky, so I'm always walking in a sort of sound minefield (when I was little I thought it was "mindfield"). I managed to make it to his crib without waking him, which only heightened my fears that he might not be breathing. I kneeled down next to him, my face just inches from his head. Perfectly still, I listened for his breath and watched his shoulders for that tell-tale rise and fall of his chest. Sure enough, he was fine. I watched him a little longer and touched the back of his head with one finger. Then like a mama monkey I sniffed his head and neck through the bars. His skin smells really good. His breath usually does, too, though I've noticed the past few days that he's got the slightest whiff of morning breath.
I was hoping he'd get up from his nap on time today if not a bit early because we had a date with our friends Channing, Ella and Maddie. At the Oakland Mall (which, by the way, has a terrible website). Because we know how to party. I met them at the kids' play area, which, similar to many play areas in malls across the country I'm sure, consists of an enclosure surrounded by benches for parents to sit while kids run rampant on ultra padded industrial carpeting, jumping and climbing on brightly colored plastic creatures filled with foam to prevent concussion. The Oakland Mall's play area features brightly colored dangerous animals, especially heavy on the reptiles. Snakes, frogs, turtles, an orange crocodile, a big pink hippo, and a giant alligator with a mouth you can climb or slide out of. I tried very hard to get a picture of Gavin in the alligator's mouth, but it was a very high traffic area, to say the least, and I abandoned the quest after deciding that it wasn't worth my son being trampled. I took a video and lots of pictures, but I've sadly not uploaded them yet. When I do, I'll post them.
Gavin was at first pretty slack jawed about the whole thing. He's never been to the mall before, let alone a "dangerous animals" themed play area with kids running about. It took a little while, but he warmed up and started to climb on some of the smaller animals. He also liked watching the kids, especially his friends Ella and Maddie. Mads is twice Gavin's age but the same size. She can walk and several times she came over to Gavin to give him a hug. She's also kind of obsessed with Gavin's strawberry. It really fascinates her. A lot of kids are intrigued by it. A little girl playing there came up to Gavin and I and pointed and said to me, "I see something on his head." I smiled and told her that it was a birthmark and marveled at how direct kids are. She was perfectly satisfied with this explanation and hopped away.
After Stacy came home from work I went out and did a little grocery shopping and when I came home a little after 7:00 I found Gavin and Stacy in the kitchen. My first response was, "What is he doing here?" as if Gavin were some kind of nemesis intruder. I didn't mean it to sound that way, it was just very surprising to find him awake. He's usually asleep before 7:00 even hits. "He won't nurse," Stacy said, and when I looked at her it was clear she'd been crying. Gavin is starting to ween himself and it's breaking Stacy's heart. Not that she wants him to stay an infant forever, but nursing is something she really likes and is something really special between them that she is going to really miss. "Well, it's not the last time he'll break your heart," I said, because I am supportive. He won't take a bottle from me any more, either. I shouldn't say "won't," because he will, for a short while, and then he crabs out. In any case, when Stacy tried to put him to bed again after I got home he did nurse and he went right to sleep. Still, nursing has become a hassle for her since he's so squirmy and easily distracted. The plan was to nurse him until he's a year, but I'm not sure he'll last that long.
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