hair-trigger

I actually started to worry about Luke in the past 24 hours, about how he is on such a hair-trigger for meltdowns. He was starting to remind me of the kid in "Parenthood" who loses his retainer and cries his eyes out. It's been stupid stuff, like dropping the cake yesterday, or spilling some juice today, setting him off into a tailspin.

Then I realized that we are in fact living parallel lives because I'm the one on a hair-trigger for criticizing Dave, or worrying about something, or sinking into the depths of depression because of - what? Things so minor they're not even worth enumerating.

It's a good thing Luke has other role models in his life, like Dave, or like Uncle Boom-Boom, whose arrival Luke so happily anticipated that he couldn't sleep for about 45 minutes into lights-out-doors-closed nap time. Dave and I were cracking up downstairs because for the longest time we kept on hearing him from upstairs, "Where's Uncle Boom-Boom? Boom-Boom here yet?"

As much as the events of yesterday's party, and today's crowded park playdate might have set Luke into a tizzy, I'm so grateful for the things that make him really calm and happy. Like drumming. Or talking about drumming. Or looking at pictures or videos of people drumming. Or anything related to cooking. Dave and I had a good little chuckle yesterday at the party because what finally helped Luke find some peace among the chaos was a little alcove, with a bench, upon which he could "cook" some foam frisbees.

Cooking is also turning out to be our chief occupation in the mornings in place of nursing, and in the evenings, or just plain whenever. The diaper table has two shelves underneath that are perfectly slatted like a grill, and the diapers are conveniently flat enough to stand in as pizza or tortillas. The possibilities are endless.

So Dave's putting Luke to bed and he's protesting - He wants to cook. Dave says no. He says, "One more diaper, Daddy." And goes and cooks one more diaper on the grill, flips it, and then he's back in Dave's lap, ready to wind down for the day.