Vian and I started taking walks around the block in the evening. I carry him around all swaddled and he coos and babbles for a few minutes. I sing his favorite Tamil lullaby and he slowly calms down and rests his head on my chest and drifts into sleep. The awesome thing about our neighborhood is everyone I meet during the walk is genuinely happy to see us. I usually get a thumbs up from cars driving by or neighbors want to stop and take a closer look at Vian. Some of them offer up great advice about how they raised their kids. If he’s ever fussy during our walk I add a bounce to my walk. At times like that, I get a sympathetic nod from fellow walkers and one woman said “It’ll get better, don’t worry” as she was passing by.
Night time is a whole another story. Yoshi wakes up a few times to feed him. Sometimes she’ll hand him off after the feeding to change him or rock him. Those are my favorite times. He’s wide awake and giggly. He’s smiling the entire time I’m changing his diaper. Even after I swaddle him back he’s usually all smiles. I rock him on a yoga ball and within 15 mins he’s passed out again. I hold him for another 5 or 10 mins and then put him back on the bed. The best part is his sleepy grin after I put him down. His eyes are closed and he’s asleep, but he still manages to crack a dreamy smile. So I always take an extra few minutes to take in his smile before returning to sleep myself.
Even though not every night is as smooth and easy as I described above, I’m quite content with my life.