My Sweet, Attentive Boy

It has been one tough week. Myles' morning out program is taking a week off between summer and fall sessions, and Myles developed a cold on Monday that includes a nasty cough, runny nose, and occasional spitting up of sticky stuff. Yuck. Simultaneously, it seems he's entered into a stage where he is so active I can barely hold him. He's constantly trying to roll out of my arms, reach for things, inch his way with butt up in the air toward an undisclosed location. Grabbing at whatever we pass by. Wow. I don't know if I'll be able to take him into work any more, as he refuses to sleep on my comfy couch at work, where he used to check out so peacefully. And he's also out of his baby car seat, which means that when he has conveniently fallen asleep in the car, he almost always is rudely awakened by Seth or me trying to get him out of his new seat and up into his crib. We have not slept much this week. Whew. Sometimes I can't help but wonder how women in developing countries do it. Or how those women who were made homeless by Hurricane Katrina (I saw tiny, tiny babies in Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke) managed to not go insane. They never tell you some of these things about parenting.

Having vented about all that, Myles did the cutest thing this week. These are the moments that save you. I am growing my hair out (or at least giving it that annual "try"), and just bought this wide, gel-ly head band. Last night I was wearing it for the first time, with all my hair pulled back and so it looks a little different than my normal 'do. Seth, of course, didn't notice a thing. But Myles kept staring up at my head and reaching for my hair with a huge smile on his face. He noticed my new headband! So I leaned my head over and showed it to him and he giggled. Today I wore it again and as we were lying down together, he kept laughing at it and grabbing for it, so I took it out and gave it to him. He looked from his hands (with the headband) to my head, and back again. This may seem like such a small thing--the first time your baby notices your hair 'do. But it was absolutely magical that I knew exactly what he was thinking about as he was smiling and laughing and I was able to let him examine what he was interested in. Oh the love. My sweet boy. If he keeps noticing every time mama changes her look, and gives me those buttery smiles in response, he will keep scoring major points! (Seth, take note.)