I started to write about Kayleigh’s wonderful sleep habits. And then I switched to writing about how horrible they had become. And then it was about how she had snapped out of it and started sleeping well again. And then, just in case you couldn’t guess, it was back to the bad. That would be a short synopsis of how things are going – they change constantly.
So let me focus on what really matters right now: Kayleigh honestly becomes more wonderful everyday. In spite of any setbacks with the sleep routine or eating (does she really need to throw half the banana on the floor), her beautiful smile and sweet disposition overshadows everything. Yeah, I’m gushing – but that’s what us dads do. And the biggest reason for me to gush these days? She really loves me, too.
You see, for a while there Kayleigh got wrapped up in my role as the Bringer of Bedtime. When I got home from work, fun time was over and I was just going to rock the dickens out of her until drowsiness took hold and she lost another night of playing with Mom. Coupled with her separation anxiety (which now only applied to The Woman) this meant that my return from work was greeted with a brief smile followed by wailing and gnashing of teeth at her impending fate. Never mind the fact that most times I wasn’t rushing her off to bed – logic need not apply to babies! All that mattered was that I was linked to her most hated part of the day.
But like everything else, that changed. One day I came home, she flashed a HUGE smile, said “Daddy!” and reached out for a hug. And unlike before, she was actually excited to come to me and be held. No rushing off to hide from Mommy or distract her with a video. She stayed in my arms willingly – even while standing next to her preferred parent. And now our routine has expanded to include a nice walk around the neighborhood to ease into bed time.
Oh those walks! Nothing but big smiles and pointing out all of the words she knows – tree, dog, car. We say hi to the neighbors and watch birds fly over head. She lets me munch on her neck and blow raspberries and toss her up in the air. This is becoming my favorite part of the day.
Somehow her congeniality even extends into the morning routine. When I pick her up out of the crib she says, “Hi Daddy, nice” and then proceeds to gently pet me. And she even happily comes with me after that first nursing, to spend some quality time with Dad, running around in circles on her toy while I throw things at her. It’s the little things…
I better wrap this post up before she wakes and forces me to add another paragraph about her new bad habits. Expect some more pictures in the coming days – she’s just too cute to resist.