Some pics from the Neck

tired little boy (and parents)

Here's a pic of Tyler I took on my cell yesterday afternoon at the Manassas Museum playground. Tyler woke up around 12-12:30 on Wed. night/Thurs. morn. and refused to go back to sleep until close to 3-3:30 pm. Needless to say, either Julie or I were withTyler the entire time and we were both exhausted (again) all day Thursday. Tyler's sleeping or lack of sleeping on occasion are quite overwhelming. I hope his sleeps the one night we're in the Neck this weekend...but, don't make any bets.

Moving along

The construction on our house is moving along quite rapidly. We've been very impressed. We stopped by the house last night, as you can tell by last night's pics, to check the latest progress. Our HVAC and plumbing went in last week and weekend, and our electrical appeared done as of last night - or at least very close. Our house should be inspected this week (according to my future brother-n-law, who's in the housing business), as preparation for our pre-drywall meeting on Mon. at 2:30 pm. For that meeting, we should be about 42 days (according to the project manager's schedule) away from closing. That puts us closing in late August, and possibly moving in late August as well. We'll be ready - I hope.

We've now met both neighbors on each side of us last week and last night. To our left: Torrance (evidently he's also known as "Tank"), Shannon, and their son Devon; to our right: Michael, Donna, and their daughter Emily. We also met a couple a couple doors up last night named Kelly and Tyler. Everyone we've met so far seems very, very friendly and both couples commented on separate occasions that our future 'hood likes to throw parties and socialize. It will be a very new experience compared to pull down the blinds, pull into the garage, leave me alone Trentdale.

As of this past Monday, we can lock into an interest rate. Rates have gone down since my worries of June, but they're still not as good as they were when we signed our papers to buy this house. Darn. But, they've gotten better each day this week, and we're hoping we don't screw up and wait too long to lock in and they go up again. Rates are better now because of bad unemployment numbers in June nationwide; so, the misery of others is better for us right now. It's a twisted game.

July is a busy month for us - both Julie & I have birthdays to celebrate; we're taking a weekend trip to the Neck this weekend to see my folks; and we're going to Bethany Beach, DE once again from 7/21 to 7/26. I always look forward to seeing, smelling, and hearing the ocean again and if you've been loyally reading this blog, you know Sophia's been asking "when are we going back to the beach?" since January. My parents were very nice to let us borrow their minivan most of this summer - unfortunately, we need to give it back in order to get our Camry inspected this month in Northern Virginia (damn emissions requirements). Let's hope it passes.

One last thing - you may have noticed in the pics from last night that Tyler had shorter hair. I took him to my regular barber shop on Tuesday afternoon for a haircut - his 2nd "official" barber shop cut. It was a rough experience. Lots of crying, screaming, thrashing, etc. - and no, it wasn't from me. But, we think he looks better. I can't have my son look like a ruffian or a hippie - after all, you've seen my regular hair choices, right? Short, neat, tight. I could have been a military man, for the hair styles alone.

Tues. future house pics (and the kids, too) - it's electric

What you can expect if you live with your grandkids

Some of Sophia's art from Monday. She posts pics all over Julie's parents' house. I would love to have a future artist.

the kids

It just sort of happened, but Julie & me have noticed our little baby girl is growing up. It's definitely happening physically; her legs are longer and her fuller, baby face has been replaced by the face of a young girl. Her words have always been more than one syllable; it just seems more obvious lately with full-time schooling approaching in the fall. She doesn't have the tantrums or meltdowns of a toddler anymore like she did a lot between the ages of 1.5 to around 3.5, but occasionally her emotions get the best of her (usually when she doesn't want a fun activity - like a birthday party - to end.) She has two emotional parents, so I can't fault her for her genes. Sunday was one of those days where Sophia shined - she woke up, as usual, in a bright cheerful mood. She took in a fellow preschooler's birthday party in the afternoon, and had a great time seeing some of her old preschool buddies. She reluctantly went with her parents on a grocery store run, when she would have preferred to stay home and play - but, she went and acted like an angel. When Julie & I both tucked her last night after a few books and a few kisses, we both commented on how much Sophia had changed - even just in the last year alone.

But, I still worry - just like a year ago - about attention being taken away from her by her little brother. Tyler's a handful. I won't be shy in expressing that sentiment, because we share it openly with everything else. He spends a large majority of the day crying, fretting, or screaming...with cute moments that erase it all before he resumes again. First, the positives: Tyler's very affectionate, just like his big sister. He often gives his mom and others "kisses" (the open mouth variety), and then pats his chest with a pitter-patter motion that he's been taught. He has one of the cutest laughs. He can charm a crowd - I watched him do it on Saturday night in Old Town Manassas as we were waiting for the fireworks, and during the fireworks by his excitement. It's hard to not love a little baby pointing at the sky in excitement, or clapping his hands in delight.

Then, there's those other moments. The moments like last night at Tony's NY Pizza in Bristow. Tyler refuses to sit while we eat. First of all, he won't eat or drink anything unless it's sweet to his palette (like gummies or Diet Coke - both of our faults, okay?). But, the sitting part gets to us, because it's very difficult to eat while you're being screamed at in a public place. You can't place him in the booth next to you, because he usually crawls all over you or screams until you let him down on the floor to be free. We've discovered lately a lot of other people, especially parents, giving us that "they don't know how to control their kid" glare - of course, we could simply be very paranoid, but as parents, we know. Before we left the pizza place last night, Tyler grabbed Julie's large soda out of her hands and threw it down on the restaurant floor. The last thing you want to do as a parent is clean up soda with a mass of paper towels when others stare at you. Julie & I both exchange that "we're so defeated" look to each other every time we leave a public place with Tyler. Are we being forced by the boy to never leave our house? And remember, it's not even our house...yet. That makes it even tougher, sometimes, too.

I know things will get better. Just like Dorothy's "there's no place like home", we'll keep tapping our heels with that mantra.

Seventy years ago yesterday

One of the greatest and classiest Yankees ever. MLB raised awareness and funds for combating Gehrig's tragic A.L.S disease at 15 MLB parks on Saturday. Here's an article from the New York Times about the man "suffering" (he's doing his best to fight the fatal disease) from A.L.S. who helped make that happen. Goldsmith threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

This one goes out to Thor

I think I had four or five this morning...maybe six...or more...(it was Turkey Bacon!!). We just bought Gaffigan's "King Baby" on CD this weekend. He's so darn funny, as always...

Independence Day eve pics

Some pics of the future house on the 4th

We stopped by the home site today to get an update on our house's progress. The project manager e-mailed mid-week to let me know that the HVAC was going in this week, the plumbing over the weekend, and the electrical next week. (They appear to be done with the HVAC and plumbing already.) We're set for our pre-drywall as planned on Mon. 7/13. This month's weather so far has been brilliant (low 80s and very low humidity in July - that's hard to beat), so knock on wood.

FYI: I took these pics today with my cell phone, so the quality may not be as good as our digital camera. But, I included some pics some pics of things you haven't seen before: Our future tubs, our garage door, the view from the upstairs out in the 'hood, etc. I think what's overwhelming us right now is much more room we have than we had on Thrift Lane - of course, that makes sense with a larger house and larger lot. But, we'll definitely feel spoiled at first.

Palin's decision

Alaska Gov. and former VP candidate Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor 18 months before her term ends is indeed a head-stratcher. Does she plan to run for another office at some point in Alaska? Is she gearing up already for a run at the White House in 2012? Has the unfair and biased media attention on her and her family finally gotten to her? Is she was President...would she quit that position as well if the flames got a little too hot?

We know this, more than likely: Palin's probably not going away anytime soon.

It wouldn't be a true-blue American holiday without a little good old-fashioned American politics, right?

Happy 4th of July.

The end of summer school?

The New York Times today is focusing on a disturbing trend in education: The elimination of summer school programs, at least for this summer. Locally, I know Manassas City Public Schools eliminated their program (however, some things were brought back recently) because of budget issues or a lack of funding. As a former summer school teacher of many years in PWCPS, there's definitely a need, because it does allow many students to get ahead or catch up with their academics. However, I also saw the other side: I saw many students who could have easily passed a class during the regular school year if they showed more concern and/or effort.

Of course, this also brings up another idea: Why not eliminate the concept of summer schools all together, since the "summers off" philosophy is antiquated anyway? Yes, yes, yes...I've never had a child in school full-time yet, so I don't know the benefit or the need for a child to have a summer break and I do fondly recall my own summers off. But, why is our educational system still living in the 1800s? From the Times article:

Kenneth Gold, an education professor at the College of Staten Island who wrote a history of summer learning, said that in the 19th century, many American schools offered their regular classes in summer and winter, with recesses scheduled for spring and fall to allow planting and harvesting. By 1910, however, that cycle had been largely displaced by the September-to-June, 180-day calendar common today, in which summer school is an optional addendum.

Since the 1970s, however, the value of rigorous summer school has gained increasing recognition because of research by a Johns Hopkins professor, Karl Alexander, and other sociologists showing that the academic achievement gap widens during summer vacations.

Low-income students who hold summer jobs or are idle, the research has demonstrated, forget more math and reading skills over the summer than their affluent classmates, who often receive intellectual stimulation in the summer from canoe trips, language camps or ballet lessons.

Lastly, for teachers, summer school is great extra cash. When I taught summers in PWCPS, the system paid $34-38/hour, and that was great extra money considering the low yearly salaries. Julie & I used that money for vacations, savings, and other household needs. I also welcomed the chance many summers to teach English classes I didn't normally teach to students I didn't normally teach from all over the county. Yes, yes, yes...there were moments of time-killing (many of my summer students were treated to a viewing of "The Natural" - a snoozer for high school kids - after we read a Malumud short story). But, overall, I think that summer classes can be a beneficial experience.

A couple recent cell phone pics of Tyler

Mason's non-conference is official

Mason's non-conference schedule for 2009-10 is now finalized. From the Mason website article:

"Our non-conference schedule is very challenging," said head coach Jim Larranaga. "It is highlighted by a trip to an ESPN hosted Tournament in Puerto Rico, featuring 6 BCS schools and 3 nationally televised games. With Dayton, Creighton and VMI at home to go along with GW, Tulane and Radford on the road we are going to be in a battle every night. It has to be a Top 50 RPI schedule."

The season will begin on Friday, November 13 when Mason hosts Liberty and two days later, the Patriots welcome Dartmouth to the Patriot Center. After that, the Patriots will take to the road for three nationally-televised games on the ESPN family of networks. On Nov. 19, 20 and 22, the Patriots will play in San Juan, Puerto Rico against a field that includes 2009 Final four participant Villanova, 2009 NIT participant Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Mississippi, Boston University and Dayton.

After the trip to Puerto Rico, the Patriots will travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane on Saturday, Nov. 28. The following Wednesday, Mason will make the short trip to the District to face George Washington on December 2. After playing a to-be-determined Colonial Athletic Association foe on the road that weekend, Mason will return home for three straight games, taking on Dayton on Tuesday, Dec. 8, Creighton on Saturday, Dec. 12 and VMI on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The Patriots will conclude the calendar year with a trip to Radford on Wednesday, Dec. 30.

House pics (this is just two days worth of work)

We stopped by the house tonight to check the progress, and things are looking good. We now have a roof, windows, stairs, and can walk around the inside and get a great feel for each of the rooms and their features. We should be right on schedule for our pre-drywall inspection on 7/13, or it could happen even sooner.

A decision worth paying attention to

The Supreme Court's decision on Monday to strike down the city of New Haven's decision to throw away the test scores of white firefighters was a victory for anyone who wants people to be treated EQUALLY, regardless of their race. If you're not familiar with the story - which is also playing out with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who voted with the city of New Haven in a lower court decision - New Haven threw out test scores for promotions in their city fire department because the majority of those doing the best were white firefighters. The city was hoping to better represent the department's leadership positions with diversity similar to the city itself. Despite their "good" intentions, this was still an example of discrimination according to the highest court in this country. This case proves that you don't have to be a minority to receive equal protection in discrimination cases.

Stay tuned. You can bet Ms. Sotomayor will have some tough questions during her future hearing regarding her now obsolete decision.

Congrats, Mo

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera made baseball history on Sunday night when he closed out the Mets for his 500th career save. Congrats to the always classy and future Hall-of-Famer for this career milestone. From the article:

There was no demonstration from Rivera, who described his celebration style this way before the game: “I go home. Simple as that.” He accepted hugs from all around, including a long embrace from Derek Jeter. That would do.
“We’ve played together for 17 years,” Jeter said. “He’s the definition of consistency. You can line up all the players who ever played the game. Mo’s been as consistent as anyone. He does it in the regular season; he does it in the postseason; he does it in spring training; he did it in the minor leagues. He’s pretty much been successful everywhere he’s been.”

The Yanks also closed out a great weekend by sweeping the Mets at the new Citi Field, and even got Wang his first (much-needed) win of the season on Sunday night. The Yanks are now three games behind the Sox in the A.L. East standings, with the Mariners visiting the Bronx next.

GO YANKEES.

Oh, Tyler

The boy won't let us sleep. For the third night in less than week, Tyler woke up in the middle of the night screaming at the top of his lungs. He did it to us a couple times while we were out of town visiting family, and he did it again last night - our first night back at Julie's parents since Tuesday night. He woke up last night around 1 am, and refused to be comforted unless I removed him from his crib. So, like most of the tortuous nights we've had over the last week, we've placed him in our bed where he sleeps restlessly and moves constantly - at one point last night, he wiggled his body off the bed (not sure if he was awake when he did this) and was standing at the edge of the bed begging to be brought back up. I finally was able to get him back into his bed last night/this morning around 3 am - that was a miracle in itself, since lately he's been waking up the minute you placed him on his own mattress and the screaming resumes at a very high pitch.

Wish us luck. I thought the first summer was rough, since it was the newborn period...you expect to be up with a newborn because of the many late-night feedings. Again, this is a new experience compared to our nighttime routine with Sophia. Tyler's more of a challenge.

House pics (check out the progress while we were out of town)

Crayola Factory & Easton, PA pics

NYC pics

P.S.: In case you're wondering...Tyler gave us a rough night on Thurs. night, so we took up his aunts Susan and Stacey to babysit him while we went into the city. Tyler, unfortunately, will have to make his first excursion into the Big Apple on another occasion. Sophia got to take in Times Square, the Toys R Us in Manhattan (with the Ferris Wheel), and the carousel in Bryant Park this time (I think this is her third or fourth trip to NYC in her five years).

Casey's graduation day pics in Ridgewood, NJ

house pics from Tues.

An early look at Mason's non-conference slate

From the George Mason Basketball Blog, here's an early look at Mason basketball's non-conference basketball schedule for 2009-10. As Kish points out, it's not overwhelming in terms of quality opponents, but it may be the perfect schedule for a young team that could be pretty darn good by the CAA schedule. I'm intrigued by our games in Puerto Rico, games vs. solid mid-majors in Dayton and Creighton (should have beaten both last year), and our visit to Foggy Bottom to take on the formerly decent Colonials of GW.

If you're curious about our CAA slate, check out Michael Litos' blog since he has a list of the teams we're playing once and twice in the conference this year. VCU will be coming to us this year for our one and only regular season game vs. the Rams next season...can't wait...(however, our two games vs. Northeastern, ODU, and JMU may be more crucial to our final standing in the CAA regular season race). I'm sure we'll have no worries at home once again; Mason needs to end quickly next season our Achilles heal on the road. You haven't forgotten, have you?

hypocrisy in S.C.

It's been a sucky week for the G.O.P. Even though I'm doing my best to support their candidates and party, it's hard to feel any sympathy for guys like Nev. Sen. John Ensign and now S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford. Ensign admitted to an extramarital affair last week, and now Sanford - who disappeared from the state of S.C. and his family for seven days - admitted to an affair with a woman in Argentina. Both men have been mentioned as possible 2012 contenders for the G.O.P., but those plans are now gone. Good riddance. An example of Sanford's hypocrisy from the article link above: As a congressman, Sanford voted in favor of three of the four articles of impeachment against President Clinton citing the need for "moral legitamacy".

I'm hoping someone will emerge as a viable candidate to oppose Obama in the 2012. But, honestly, the odds are looking much better in 2016.

...you may notice some changes...

Things are changing...not only in housing and jobs, but in terms of my blogging. You may notice fewer blog posts, as I adapt to a new routine at home and work. My access to the internet is now more limited at both, and things probably won't improve until we move into our new house. I'm going to try to prevent that from happening, but I did want to warn you in advance in case you visit daily and there's nothing new. Some posts may not be created until late afternoons or night, so they may or may not seem a little outdated by the next morning. I've discovered most bloggers who I know don't post on a daily basis, so my almost 2000 posts in nearly three years (as of August 4) does seem like overkill sometimes.

Please bare with me during a period of transition as I figure out a new writing routine. I know I need to tap these keys daily for my own mental health, so you shouldn't notice too much of a difference. (Some people hit the liquor cabinet, I guess I have a different vice.)

We are heading north this week for my niece Casey's high school graduation, so there may be less posts from tomorrow until the end of the weekend. But, I'll do my best to post some pics from the road since I can easily do that with our mini-laptop (which I'm using right now in the Union Mill Panera). We hope to get into NYC one day while we're up north, and we do plan to stop in Easton, PA on the way home to visit the kid-friendly Crayola Factory. I'll post some family pics as well if the Branns aren't camera shy (and they usually aren't).

Thanks again for reading. I gotta get to work now...

(another) Tragedy in DC

It was a surreal feeling on Mon. to first hear about the Metro tragedy on the Red line, a day after we took the Metro to DC to visit the Newseum. According the paper this morning, the death toll stands at six, but I think that sad number has risen to nine based on radio reports this morning. After the recent shooting at the Holocaust Museum, the DC area should could use a little good news.

The lucky few in PWCPS

Today's local paper has an article about the raises given in PWCPS to Supt. Walts and his fellow higher-ups in the county school system. It's intriguing how our local teachers aren't afforded a raise until they get one courtesy of Obama's COLA package - before it came along, they weren't going to get any increase. It's not the same for Walts and his buddies: Each of the top ten salary earners in PWCPS got a raise between 14K and 20K in the past three years. Walts will now earn 248K a year in 2009. Not bad for very little to show for it since he took over as the top guy. Of course, now that I'm three years away from teaching and about to have my own child in the county school system, I will be a VOCAL advocate for our county's hardworking teachers (of course, not if they're inefficient in the classroom) and a vocal critic of our county school's high-priced "leaders". I won't forget our school board members as well - at least I get to vote on whether or not they deserve a job.

Father's Day at the Newseum

On Father's Day today, we went into DC to visit one of the museums I've been itching to see for a long time now. The Newseum is worth a visit for anyone local or visiting the DC area, whether you're a news junkie like myself or simply a citizen of the world interested in the ample knowledge that lines its six floors. Some of the things inside that stick with you the most are above: A part of the Berlin Wall, which came down during my last year of high school, and the antenna from Tower 2 of the World Trade Center.

It was the first time Sophia had seen video footage or imagery from 9/11, and it's not an easy thing to explain to a child...the horror that happened to so many on a beautiful fall day a little less than three years before she was born. As a parent, we should do our best to hide the sadness of the past and present from our children. But, I feel obligated as well to expose them to truth, because maybe - just maybe - they can go out and prevent future sadness from occurring by the lives they will lead. Of course, maybe I'm just a dreamer.

Happy Father's Day. I had a great one with my family of four...and it ended appropriately in the city with a carousel ride by the Smithsonian and ice cream from a street vendor. How's that for happy times?

Engagement party pics

Here's some pics from last night's engagement party at my in-laws for Julie's youngest sister Beth and her fiance Dave. Their wedding date is seven months away from yesterday.

Sophia at the Reston Zoo

Sophia attended a birthday party for a preschool classmate on Friday morning at the Reston Zoo. Julie took these pics.

Tyler meltdown

I took this video of Tyler recently on my phone. He was unhappy with something I wasn't doing, or something I wasn't giving him (I can't recall the specifics). Sadly, our little baby boy is turning into a little toddler sooner than I'd like...but, hey - it's tough being a baby.

More house pics

We stopped by the home site on Thurs. afternoon to check out the latest status. Earlier in the day, the project manager had informed me via e-mail that our plumbing was in, so I wanted to check it out. Also, he mentioned that the dead tree occupying the tree line behind our house was going to be removed; we had asked for this to happen, and Ryan did their homework with the county and it's going to very soon (note the red X on the tree). Ryan will plant extra trees for us in the backyard - we're going to request that they plant them closer to the existing trees, so less of our backyard is taken up. Also, you've probably noticed that we have a walk-up basement. We had a walk-out at our house in Woodbridge, so this will be a different experience.

We're hoping the darn rain will ever stop for a few days in a row (article on the neverending rain in DC in today's paper - over 5 inches of rain already this month in the DC area), so the progress can continue. Today's afternoon focus isn't so pretty, but the first few days of next week look pretty good so far. Again, our framing will be delivered next week. We should be able to have our pre-drywall inspection as planned around that original 7/13 time frame. Stay tuned.

As for interest rates, I'll check again today - but, they've already gone done a couple times this week. Crossing fingers...

Way to go, Yankees...

Oh, Yankees. Just when I think you're turning things around...you go out and lose 2 out of 3 to the worst team in major league history (for now). Thanks, guys!

New York lost for the 2nd night in a row to the Washington Nationals, the local disgrace of a baseball team in Washington, DC (however, I would like to see the Nats sometime this summer in their 2nd-year stadium - after all, it's easy to get tickets!). After an over 5 hr. rain delay, the Yanks and Nats finally started playing ball around 6:30 pm last night...based on the Yanks' 0-3 shutout performance, maybe they should have never taken the field. Maybe it's time to start talking about the job security of Yanks' manager Joe Girardi instead of Nats' manager Manny Acta - at least Acta can use the excuse of a young pitching staff and ineffective bullpen as the reasons for his tenuous position in DC. Joe? What's your excuse? Too many guys making $25 million a year?

The Yanks are now 3.5 out of first, and only one game ahead of the Jays, who have those pesky Nats this weekend in DC. Come on, New York. Wake up.

GO YANKEES.

One of those really, really crappy nights

Ugh.

It was one of those nights at my in-laws that I quickly hope to forget.

Julie & I brought over our two sofas to their house when we moved, hoping to move them into the basement when we arrived. Well, on the day of the move, I think we were all too tired to fathom moving another damn thing, so the sofas have sat in their formal living room on top of each other for a couple weeks now.

However, they had to be moved this week because my in-laws are hosting an engagement party for my sister-n-law and future brother-n-law this Saturday, and they're getting the house and yard in tip-top shape for the 60-70 people that plan to attend. It may be more. We've been doing what we can to help, since they've had a ton to do, and we're there so we may as well be helpful.

Julie & I attempted to move our large sofa into the basement last night on our own around 8:30, to no avail. We couldn't get the sofa through the kitchen/dining door. Based on the shape of our sofa (it has a sloped back), we were wondering if we were going to be able to get it down the basement steps anyway. When Julie's folks came home, we did some measurements, and decided to return their basement sofas (which had been upstairs since they discarded their old living room furniture with plans to buy new stuff) to the basement. To make a very long story short, it was a pain in the ass. I feel sympathy for Julie's dad, who probably would love to be doing a million other things at 9:30 pm instead of removing basement railings in order to shove a sofa down a flight of steps. We finally got both sofas and a chair into the basement, and easily (go figure) moved our two sofas into their living room. Unfortunately, I got to bed a lot later than I normally do (around 10:45 pm), and then I couldn't fall asleep. I was expecting a very short night of sleep anyway.

Well, around 1 am or later (not sure - can't see the clock without my glasses), the night got worse. Sophia came crying into our room and Julie quickly jumped out of bed to comfort her and take her back to her room. Of course, Julie was trying to prevent Sophia from waking up Tyler, who's sharing the bedroom with us. No luck. Soon after Sophia's screams, he was in the crib yelling "MA!!" over and over. (I still don't know what was wrong with Sophia.)

The night went like this for approximately the next hour or more - again, not sure how long:

• Tyler refuses to sleep in our bed.
• Tyler screams when we put him back in his crib.
• Tyler crawls over us in bed, joyfully playing like it's 2 pm.
• Tyler tries many times to crawl off the bed.
• Tyler kicks me in the head repeatedly, and finds joy in it.
• I yell at my kid to "DAMMIT! GO TO SLEEP!". He cries. Angry wife follows.

Julie finally got out of bed to give him a bottle around 3 am, which she probably hoped would knock him out. At this point, we're soooo happy to be married to each other, because there's nothing that brings a couple closer than sleep depravation and a screaming child (anniversary no. 11 on 6/27, if we can make it that long). Good times. Julie brought Tyler back up and placed him in his crib...where he promptly screamed. She said she was refusing to take him out this time, so he kept screaming. Loudly.

Finally, at some point, I took him out of the crib and got him to settle down. At some point, I don't know when, he fell asleep in our bed. I awoke to my normal 4:20 am alarm in a peachy mood. I expect that mood to last all day, until I fall asleep on the sofa watching TV around 8:30 pm. Oh, I hope and pray that's what happens.

After this summer, I never, ever want to share a bedroom with a baby again. Maybe any member of my family, too, but that's a subject for another post when I'm less surly.