By Mommy

This post could just as easily been called A Perfect Day Part 2.  As before, I took the day off to spend some extra time with Rowan.  We spent the morning in the basement of Barnes & Noble, looking at magazine covers and having coffee.  Unfortunately, Rowan has been so well-trained that crib time is sleep time that he has taken the converse to also be true — that sleep time should only be in the crib.  Hmm, sounds like someone else I know 😉  So after two failed attempts at getting Rowan to nap in the stroller while Mommy read, she picked him up once again and for one of the very few times in the past two months, he immediately fell asleep in her arms.  There is something deeply satisfying about having someone trust you that much.  And terrifying.

After his nap, we came home and spent the afternoon with Tessa who was also not working.  She got to feed Rowan twice and help with his bath.  All those teenage years spent babysitting haven’t been forgotten, and Rowan very much enjoyed her company.  Afterwards, she commented at how well Rowan and I communicate with each other, something I always felt was a one-way street since 80% of the time it’s me guessing what he wants on the first try.  But today I learned that it’s actually a two-way street and that he had learned to read me well too:

My backup at work is out with pneumonia, so our boss called to see if I could take care of something.  I put Rowan in the exersaucer while I logged on and did some work.  Normally he’ll enjoy himself in there for about 20 minutes before wanting a change of scenery.  But this time, he sat in there quietly for an hour while I did my work.  When I looked over at him, he would be looking at me with the most worried look on his round innocent face.  He sensed that I was stressed and was patiently waiting for me to finish before agitating to get out.  I’d smile and talk with him to reassure him that it had nothing to do with him, but he would still quietly play and wait for me.  I didn’t realize until then how much babies can intuit.  I had assumed that when he smiled or laughed with us, Rowan was just imitating Daddy and me, but now I wonder if he senses how much of our smiles are pure joy, and he’s reflecting back the feeling, not just the action.  If he could sense my stress even through my attempts to reassure him, then he is much more developed than I would have believed.  It could have been coincidence, but this mother would like to think that her baby is growing up to be empathetic and caring of others.  Until undeniably proven otherwise, that is this mommy’s version of reality, and I, like Rowan, will sleep well tonight.