Failed Night Out

With Abuela in town for only a few more nights, we planned on taking advantage by sneaking out for a dinner alone. No highchair, no stroller, no variety of toys to distract Kaylani, and no having to move silverware away from her until finally giving in and letting her play with them. We had planned on heading to our favorite restaurant, Sotto in downtown Princeton, to celebrate Mommy's birthday a day late. We even had a plan for our plan that involved putting Kaylani down by 8pm so we could eat sometime before 9pm and be back well before 11pm. We planned on enjoying our dinner without having to look at a monitor or listen to see if Kaylani was crying. What we didn't have was a plan for when everything went differently from our plan.

I got home from work around 6:30pm which was during Kaylani's dinner time. Word on the street was she was being a bit fussy today, so after struggling to get Kaylani to eat all 4oz of her dinner tonight, it was time for bed. By 7:15pm, Mommy was ready to nurse Kaylani, and by 8pm, Kaylani was passed out and ready to be put into her crib. So far, our plan was going perfectly. But that's as far as we got. After 15 minutes, Daddy went in to check on Kaylani for the 2nd time. With a little bit of gentle forehead stroking, Kaylani was practically asleep, but not asleep enough to get out of the room without her making a stink out of it. Literally. Kaylani got so upset that she pooped.

Poop is the one thing that gets Daddy to give in and pick her up after she's been put down for the night. So after changing her and some gentle swaying, back into the crib she went. The crying commenced immediately, and after another 30 minutes and 2 trips in, things were looking grim for our hopes at dinner. At 9pm, Daddy went in for the 5th time tonight and tried to calm her down so she would fall asleep. And just like the other 4 times, she would quiet down, close her eyes, and try and get comfortable as long as Daddy had a hand on her. But once the hand disappeared, the crying came back.

At 9:15pm, Mommy and Daddy pulled the plug on our night out. Besides the fact that Kaylani still wasn't asleep, it was also too late for us to go out because we're old and lame. Instead, we headed down to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers and settle in for our nice dinner "alone" in the kitchen while staring at the monitor and listening to Kaylani cry, just like every other night. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as we sat down to take our first bite of food, Kaylani fell asleep. Just like we planned.

I'm convinced Kaylani knew we were trying to go out. As calming and reassuring to her as I tried to be to get her to sleep, apparently she saw right through me. She cried for 1.5 hours, and kept staring at the door and the monitor to make sure we knew she was looking for us. She calmed down only when I was there, and cried all the way until we sat down for our dinner. She knew. She had to. Why else would she have been crying?

Anyways, we're planning on trying again tomorrow night. One thought is to put her in her crib by 7pm, but knowing our luck, she'll pass out right away and wake up at 4am like she did 2 days ago. Hopefully tomorrow night will go better. If not, tomorrow will just be failed night out #2.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is Mommy's 34th birthday, and I'd venture to say it's the best one she's ever had. Even though Daddy had to work today and couldn't be with her all day, it was the best ever. Even though Kaylani didn't take her afternoon nap and is a bit cranky tonight, still the best ever. Even though her birthday came on a Tuesday and we'll end up staying home and eating dinner instead of going to a fancy restaurant, it's still the best ever. And it has nothing to do with the great gifts that Daddy bought her (pajamas, flowers, and a cupcake), or the gifts that Kaylani bought her (a "mother" picture frame and flowers), or even the gifts that Abuela bought her (lots of clothes). It has everything to do with the one present that's not even 8 months old yet.

Just like on Mother's Day, Kaylani makes every day, and every occasion, more special. I won't even try to put Mommy's feelings into words, but I know having Kaylani in our lives now made today different than all the other birthdays Mommy and I have spent together. For one, it made me feel less guilty about having to work today. Previously, Mommy would have been left all alone on her birthday and I'd only get to spend a few hours with her. But this year, Kaylani spent the entire day with her, and no matter how moody she may get at times, she still puts a smile on Mommy (and my) face just by being there.

The other great thing about having Kaylani around is that it allowed me to do a bunch of things "from Kaylani" instead of just from me. Things like putting post-it's all around the house saying how much Kaylani (and I) love her, or just getting her an extra gift "from Kaylani" instead of a bunch of gifts just from me. Sure it may sound like I'm just using Kaylani to go a bit overboard, but I don't think Mommy will complain!

Wellw it's about that time and Kaylani is almost asleep. That means it's time for us sit down for Mommy's birthday dinner, a glass/bottle of wine, and some dessert. Tomorrow night, Mommy and Daddy are going to sneak away for dinner while Abuela watches Kaylani sleep, but until then, Happy Birthday Mommy! We love you! And as a special treat for everyone else on Mommy's birthday, here are pictures from the last 2 days. Check out Kaylani's 2nd ever haircut that Mommy did yesterday, and some pictures from today as well! Enjoy!