The cold and rainy days

Today has been one of those days.

You know, the kind of day that is cold and rainy. The kind of day that starts at five am (45 minutes before your alarm) because a poopy diaper woke your daughter up from her peaceful dreams. 

The kind of day where the first nap starts at 6:30 because everyone is exhausted, but then ends at 7:30 because of yet another poopy diaper. And it's still cold and rainy. 

There are a few metaphorical rays of sunshine in such days... Lunch from Panera generously delivered by a friend who wants to talk about cloth diapers. A FaceTime date. A quick visit with the neighbors to drop off a recipe and admire their week-old babe. That same poopy diaper girl grinning from her crib. Some fun play times with new toys. A good Christmas play list on Pandora. And more. 

But the day is still cold and rainy. And the second nap only lasts an hour. And half of it is spent on the phone with various companies figuring out confusing details of miscellaneous sorts. And the second half is spent researching how to make sloppy joes from scratch and wondering whether it's possible with current pantry supplies but without that important little can of sloppy joe mix. 

And then a third nap is required because of the early morning start, but then gets delayed by yet.another.poopy.diaper. Which results in your baby screaming in her room because even after a diaper change she isn't interested in snuggling down in her warm cozy crib for a nap. Which results in offering to nurse, which of course settles her right down, but then spending the next 10 minutes worrying about how she will ever wean and whether you are ruining her for life by nursing her to sleep at ten months of age. 

But then the day turns into one of those days where you get to hear your baby breathing slowly and feel her body relaxing and see her eyelashes flickering as you slowly place her into the crib. Where she stays asleep. Miraculously. 

It's still cold and rainy. But the day can be considered successful because the precious girl is safe and healthy and cared for. She knows she is loved and she loves in return.

There will be sunshine some day soon and an occasional warm front will blow through and more metaphorical rays of sunshine will appear tomorrow, too, and the day after that. And the baby will grow and learn and play. And this (mostly terrible) cold and rainy day will mostly blend together with the rest of the days, cold and rainy, or warm and sunny, or whatever the case may be.