Daniel Day

Today was a Daniel day.

Hopefully, the first of many. The boys enjoyed themselves!

Jessica, Daniel's mom, needed to recover from a doctor's visit. She asked Carrie if she would be willing to watch Daniel after the boys woke from naps. Carrie said, "Yes!" and a play date was formed.

I got home from work shortly after Daniel was dropped off. 

Energy abounded. The boys ran up and down the main floor. I had them kicking and chasing balls up and down the basement stairs. Then we went upstairs and they jumped around Shane's room until I wore out!

I did my best to stall and keep the boys as active as possible until dinner. Carrie was cooking a "Not-a-Jambalaya." The goal was to wear out the boys enough beforehand that they'd sit still and eat. Daniel and Shane were breathing hard from vaulting and soaring through the air, so I managed to get them to sit and read a book with me.

Once they recovered, we went to the basement to play with trains.

I was ready to turn on the TV and eat when dinner came. I felt like I earned the respite! It's tough watching two extremely high energy boys. I had to constantly monitor for tugging wars and sharing crises.  

When Mike, Daniel's dad, arrived he was shocked to see Daniel eating rice. We didn't get much in him, but it was a welcomed step towards being a less picky eater. Carrie beamed.

It wasn't a flawless babysitting performance, though. Daniel's recently potty-trained, but Carrie and I aren't Daniel trained. We were slow to recognize the warning signs and he started to poo before we got him on the toilet early on. The rest of the payload was dropped successfully. It's weird being responsible for a child not your own. You don't realize how accustomed you are to how you do things and how adjusted your child is to the shared routine. Shane was all sorts of curious about Daniel's bathroom endeavors, too.

It was a fun night. Shane is sleeping super-soundly. He was exhausted. I know how he feels! I almost fell asleep after Carrie tucked Shane in. I rallied to write, but now that's done. It's time for a rest!