My Day Was Kind of Nice

I stayed home from work today.

Sadly, it was not a sick day for me. I was almost going to take a sick day today, just because the boss is out of the office and I have 24 sick days saved up and I never take them. My definition of sick day, here, is me not actually being sick but getting to lie around all day on the couch while my kid is at daycare. But Trombone, who has been half sick for a while, trumped me by getting fully sick yesterday and this morning woke up with his eyes swollen and watering, his nose gushing and his smoker’s cough even more “productive.” Doesn’t that sound positive? It’s a productive cough. It doesn’t sit around and whine about how much it hates its life.

Anyway, today is a daycare day but this child was not going to daycare, so I stayed home. It was sort of fun. I fell back into the thick molasses-time of a day at home with a small child. 7:30 am and all is well. Let’s eat crackers. 8:15 is too early for a walk. How about a bubble bath? 9 am: get your coat on and let’s go swing on the swings. A quick trip for applesauce on the way to the park. Gosh only 11:30. We’ll read 7 more books and then it’s nap time.

Unsurprisingly, he only napped for an hour. However, I napped for half of that time, which was good. Sometimes I forget I’m pregnant. Why am I so tired and hungry and out of breath and holy crap my pants are tight? Anyone?

After his nap we argued about a diaper change for a while. His position was a firm NO and mine was: but you smell bad.

Then, to our drug dealer, the library.

Last weekend, when the big snow came and I was feeling less than energetic, I remembered that the library has a VIDEO TAPE section. I went and selected three video tapes: Shari Lewis and Lambchop, the Wee Sing Train and Fisher Price Musical Baby. The first two were tolerated but the Musical Baby video absolutely captivated my son’s heart.

From the first, stirring notes of “baa baa black sheep” as sung by a young girl who sways back and forth as though in a trance through to the “games to play with your playgroup” activities at the end, the tape was a goddamn hit. For Trombone, it’s like The Godfather, Citizen Kane and Office Space rolled into one 40 minute package.

Trombone’s favourite part is the trio of puppets named Ta, Dee and Ed. They frolic and do puppet things. I don’t think they’re particularly awesome but hey, I saw the Doodlebops today on television and holy shit that’s scary to me, but apparently popular and I need to get a tinfoil hat apparently.

OMFG! VIDEO TAPES ARE DUE BACK IN 7 DAYS. Ours went back on Sunday and since then, (has it only been 2 days?) Trombone has been embarrassing himself with love for the video, having abandoned his collection of complex words and sentences for one solitary word: Ehhhh. That means “Ed.” Ed the puppet.

Yesterday’s car-ride home:

“Where are we going, Trombone?”
“Ehhhhh.”
“We’re going home.”
“EHHHHH.”
“No, Ed had to go back to the library, remember?”
Silence.
“Ehhhh?”
“Ed is gone.” resist saying “ed is dead.” must resist.
“Ehhhh.”
“Ed is gone. Do you want to read this book/play this game/ eat this food / DO ANYTHING ELSE?”
“Ehhhhhh.”

After a full day of this conversation, today punctuated by snot and tears, I weakened and we went back to the library and THANK GOD there was the video because otherwise, dudes, I would be in little pieces floating downriver right about now.

I also picked up 50 minutes of LIVE Sharon Lois and Bram. Trombone loves him some SL&B.

And I made dinner. I have missed making dinner. Since going back to work I think I have made dinner (where dinner involves more than one pot or pan at a time) three times. It was good; good to make it and good to eat it and we ate early enough (7 pm!) that now I am considering a snack. I love snacking – but we usually end up eating at 8 pm and since I go to bed at 9, where is the snack supposed to fit in?

Right?

I tried to picture myself having this day with two small children but I couldn’t do it. My only hope is Ed. DEAR UNIVERSE: SEND MORE ED.