A Day of Tears

Dom and Alex had a fussy day. This morning was marked by crying, pushing, and timeouts over toys and space. Finally, with both boys flopping on the floor in tears and the wagon (an evil source of temptation and strife) banished to the front porch, I packed up some food, slipped the boys into sandals and hats, and tossed the weepy bundles into the wagon.

As we headed to the park, the tears dried, and we even got to stop and pet a friendly Labrador who dropped his tennis ball in Dom’s lap. I chatted with Grandma, and the boys pointed out random cars, trucks, mailboxes, and trees. This morning at the Fort Natomas park the boys ran around in the toddler area, and they even took turns pushing each other in the red swing. After a while, I got daring and took them into the park section for older children. We did surprisingly well with the boys not taking off in different directions much and usually coming when I called out, “This way.” They took turns steering a large ship, rode a low-to-the-ground tire swing, laid down and held on to the tilted circle as I pushed it around in circles, carefully climbed down some really tall steps (about 2 feet high), and explored other new areas. Afterward, we found a shady spot under the tower to eat our morning snack of cantaloupe, strawberry, and leftover banana pancake–a little picnic feast before our walk home.

Alex was ready to finish his naptime at 2, and he and I had two hours to hangout and play together: cars, chases, kisses, and buzzy bees. A little after 4, I decided to wake Dom up–often a risky decision and today was no exception. After some peaceful time nursing, he was soon frustrated and crying at any provocation. I brought in the new large box of diapers (still full) to let Alex and Dom climb all over it. The only problem was that Dom didn’t want Alex on top of the box with him or to touch any of his toys…or to be near any of his toys that he might accidentally touch. I took Dom back to give him some time to play with his toys in his brother’s crib, and he was happier almost at once. After a bit, Alex came in and asked to play in Dom’s crib, and the two happily played together but separate until they started experimenting with screeching. Then I fetched the wagon and popped them in for a walk around the block right at 5. Puck came out of his office and joined us for the walk, and we enjoyed the company of two happy little boys–the joy of being out and about with my little ones.

At dinner the boys were extra hungry–especially Dom–and after large helpings, they ate a peach and half. Puck had fencing tonight, so I had the boys to myself for our bedtime routine. Fortunately, they were more prone to hysterical laughter than tears in the late evening. We read three books–the last two with Dom and Alex on my lap. Lately, at the end of the books, Dom has been turning around to curl into my shoulder and say, “Mama, Mama”–trying to call shotgun for rocking with me during the songs. Tonight, he did so again, though I had both boys snuggled on my lap as I rocked and sang. There was another round of hyper laughter during the singing, but they settled into their cribs to sleep peacefully. A pleasant end to a rather trying day. Thank goodness for the healing powers of adventures out of doors to soothe the tears and frustrations of my little fellas and to turn a day of tears into an evening of laughter.