...but the cats just aren't very savvy when it comes to outside skills. I think they'd survive for a while, but with the coyotes, hawks and who knows what else out there, I imagine Diesel and Tippy would have a hard time adjusting. But still, this morning they were very, very, very close to finding shelter from the snow. (In fact, Diesel is reminding me by scratching the carpet off the steps right now. Grr.)
So, at 3 this morning, Gabey woke up sounding more lively and cranky than he has the last few nights when he's whimpered and fallen back to sleep. I decided that, since it was, after all, my night, I would suck it up and actually get up with him since it seemed like he meant it. I went up with a bottle, checked his diaper which was deceptively non-puffy where I grabbed it, and just shrugged instead of changing him first. He ate most of the bottle and flipped himself over quickly for a snuggle. Being instantly calmer, I assumed he was ready for the crib, but his frantic cries and tossing and turning the instant his head hit the sheet told me otherwise.
He drained the rest of his bottle, and I left him screaming in his crib while I got more formula. Oh the betrayal. Poor guy. I could almost hear his little heart breaking. But all was well when I came back to rescue him from the crib for the third time in 20 minutes. I checked his diaper on the off chance it had gotten puffier, and of course, noticed that it was obscenely puffy and needed a change. Should have been obvious, but I'll say I was too tired and groggy before to notice. Yeah, not lazy, tired, that's it, tired and groggy.
I changed the offending diaper, which he was surprisingly cool with, and then fed him almost all of the new formula. The boy's a real hog some times. Anyway, he again violently flipped himself onto my chest, crunched up into an impossibly tiny baby ball, and went back to sleep. Until I put him in the crib, when the screaming began immediately. Used to this, I picked him right up, and he shut right up and snuggled in for a few minutes of rocking on the Poang. I then decided, based on how long I had been keeping myself from strangling him back to sleep, that it was time for tough love. I plopped him in the crib. (Well, gently laid him down, mentally plopping him because anything less than gentle really isn't cool, obviously.) He screamed, tossed, flopped, whined, writhed under the warm, warm blanket. He was so mad.
Coincidentally, I was mad that my already shoddy night of sleep was by this point completely ruined, so I left. The minute I closed the door, a miracle happened. He stopped moving - my keen mommy ears can hear his wiggling through the door - and he stopped, probably instantly falling asleep like tired babies and toddlers can do.
I however, went downstairs, plopped myself into bed (most definitely more plopping than gentle lowering into bed) and tried to fall asleep. Jeff was a mix of snoring and wiggling not unlike Gabe, and I was awake. Really awake. Then, the cats started. Diesel scratched at the door. Which was open, so I have no idea why the scratching, except that she knew it was 3:30 now, and almost time for the humans to wake up.. In her mind, anyway. Then Tippy was growling at Diesel.
Lots of movement and noise, tapping of claws on the floor, jumping up into Jeff's coat for warmth and general annoyingness later, they were kind of quiet. Then Jeff suddenly realized that it was time for him to get up. So he tried, presumably though I didn't see it, to turn off the alarm, succeeding while also knocking the clock onto the floor. It's still there, but I digress. He goes to the bathroom for a shower, leaving the door cracked because Diesel always accompanies him. She pushes the door open just enough for me to get a face full of light, then he closes the door most of the way. Not all of the way, so she can escape. I guess.
He does his morning things while I struggle for sleep, and then it's dark and quiet. Diesel pops up on the bed next to me, too close to me, and who knows where Tippy is. Oh wait, a little while later I know because she's on the stool that wobbles and bangs whenever they jump on it. And she's circling around on it to get comfortable. Wobbly banging the whole time. Aaaaaaand, I'm totally awake, suddenly realizing that I need a shower and need to get the house cleaned up for playgroup.
So, I've been in various stages of awake since 3, the cats have been actually quite reserved in their annoyingness, and though the house is clean, it's snowing like winter's not over or something. But hey, it's Friday, Jeff's night is tonight (Gabe will likely sleep the night through, but Jeff's had his fair share of wiggly nights with him, so I'll allow it) and maybe playgroup will come despite the snow. In the meanwhile, the basement is only mostly clean, so I should get cracking.
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