Year 4, Day 282

Bedtime was quite a production this evening, as Miles requested both Jaclyn and me accompany him upstairs. As we started up the staircase, Miles turned to us and made clear what he expected of us. "I'm the line leader!" he said, demanding that we follow behind him. Then, as an afterthought, "And DON'T touch my … Continue reading Year 4, Day 282 →

Year 4, Day 259

As we were trying to usher Miles to bed tonight, the haphazard appeals for a few more minutes of time downstairs started, as usual. He's always grasping at straws with his wacky last-minute requests, and tonight he suddenly decided he wanted to eat. "Can you get me cheese??" he pleaded. "No!" we answered, knowing he … Continue reading Year 4, Day 259 →

Year 4, Day 249

I came home after a show tonight to find, as I so often do, Miles already at his window, peering out and waiting for me to pull up. I hadn't even opened the garage door yet. He was just waiting. And peering. For as long as it took. But what warmed my heart even more … Continue reading Year 4, Day 249 →

Year 4, Day 232

Despite his limited experience and minimal years of existence, here and there I try to grant Miles a bit of the autonomy he so emphatically desires (and is so clearly not ready for). The most frequent opportunity for Miles to forge his own destiny comes from his wardrobe selection. Now, there's a limit to what … Continue reading Year 4, Day 232 →

Year 4, Day 209

I've mentioned this previously, but coming home from trivia to find Miles peering at me from his window is one of my absolute favorite things. I went inside and darted up the stairs. As he heard me approaching his bedroom, Miles started giggling. Once I was inside, I asked him, "Did you hear the garage … Continue reading Year 4, Day 209 →

Year 4, Day 179

Miles went through most of his infancy without really developing a tendency to cram things into his mouth. As such, it's been surprising recently to find that Miles is suddenly very interested in sucking on all of his fingers. And even though I've been paying very close attention to this behavior and have been trying … Continue reading Year 4, Day 179 →

Year 4, Day 162

For the...third?...time this week, Miles was wide awake in the middle of the night, calling for us. He was in a pretty good mood, so I, being barely conscious enough to hold myself upright, let him come to bed with us. I had hoped he'd just snuggle up with us and go back to sleep. … Continue reading Year 4, Day 162 →

Year 4, Day 159

I'm not sure if you've been able to discern this from the multitude of blog posts I've produced on the matter, but raising a toddler is really f***ing hard. When Miles is happy, he's usually running around screaming. When he's upset, he's STILL screaming. Our attention is demanded by him at all times, and about … Continue reading Year 4, Day 159 →

Year 4, Day 155

In yesterday's post, I wrote about a particularly menacing night in Miles's room. But bedtime isn't always about threats and indecision. Sometimes it is, simply, the absolute best part of the day. As we were cuddling tonight while Miles was dozing off, he suddenly threw his arm around me, squeezing me. I put an arm … Continue reading Year 4, Day 155 →

Year 4, Day 154

In his efforts to put off going to bed as long as possible, Miles will often swap out his "preferred parent" multiple times in one night. What starts as "I want Daddy!" soon becomes "No I want Mommy!" And on and on it goes. A few nights ago, things took...a turn. It started when I … Continue reading Year 4, Day 154 →