Today, we:

– dropped HRH off at work

– stopped by the pharmacy

– napped for two hours in the car seat, then ate

– went to the bookstore (a first for Owlet), ate

– picked up our mei tei with the hiboux on it

– went to the library (another first; I am set for new reading for a while)

– napped in the car seat again, ate

– met the boy at the bus stop with the new mei tei in operation, and we love it

– picked HRH up at work

And during those naps, I got two and a half loads of laundry done, one load folded and put away, cleaned out the fridge, baked bread, and did some spinning for the first time in ages, because I was waiting for her to wake up. I also had two meals, which was two more than I’d had a day or so ago by that time. The day wasn’t without its obstacles: there was a meltdown in a toy shop after glancing at a wall of Lamaze toys (fixed by sitting outside on a damp bench, cuddling and rubbing her back till she dozed) and another in the line at the bookstore. But we got through them without resorting to nursing, which I consider a huge stride forward.

Let me tell you, we were overdue for a fantastic day after several less than stellar ones. If Owlet naps, things are pretty much okay. If she doesn’t nap, then she doesn’t eat properly, and everything is a downward spiral of shrieking and doom. On those days I can’t put her down; she’ll doze in my arms but nowhere else, and she’ll snack on and off all day but never have a proper fill-the-tummy-tank meal.

I think part of the key is going out in the car. She fusses at getting into the car seat, but passes out pretty quickly if she’s already tired. And once she’s asleep in the car seat I don’t take her out, because goodness knows she desperately needs her sleep, and taking her out wakes her up and she won’t fall asleep again. And it’s good for me to get out, too.

I suspect she’s going through a developmental thing. Her physical digestive system seems to have settled, thank goodness; this seems cognitive, like she’s hit a new level and needs to work things out. Visual stimulation suddenly seems to be overwhelming for her; the high-contrast busy stuff babies usually enjoy looking at makes her cry. There’s a lot of comfort nursing happening.

This week her social insurance card and her Medicare card arrived in the mail, as did the provincial confirmation that she’s been formally added to our government family allowance payment, complete with retroactive funds. Now we’re just waiting for the federal allowance to be calculated.