Stuff and stuff.

Ronan is quietly playing in the crib. It's still sidecarred to our bed, although he doesn't sleep over there. He wakes up less when he's warm and he's warmest when he's between us. The crib is full of the quieter toys that I grab to amuse him when he wakes up before we're ready to acknowledge the new day.

And while he wakes up less between us, he is in the midst of the 8-9 month sleep regression. For a couple weeks now, he's nursed several times through the night. He's also been waking up earlier (7am many days). The last couple days, he's only nursed once between midnight and 8am--roughly 6am--and gone back to sleep. I don't think it's over, I think this is just a brief respite as his brain gears up for another spurt.

He likes to have downtown in the bedroom each evening. He starts out by playing quietly. Then he gets fussy until we put a nighttime diaper and PJs on him. And then he just quietly coos and nurses and eventually plays with his hands or my arm until he falls asleep.

Tom just left for band practice. Ronan will hopefully be fully asleep for a couple hours by the time he returns.

Oh, goodness, he's pulling himself up. He loves to examine things while standing.

We're going to Chantilly with ez_mo tomorrow. I'll drive unless Ronan says otherwise. And he well might. I hope Ali feels well enough to take a turn at the wheel, because our other option is screaming urchin. Fortunately, the time falls right during his happy morning playtime. If he sleeps til 8, it will work out well, as he'll play quietly in his carseat and then maybe fall asleep. Maybe. If we've sacrificed to the appropriate gods. And they're not feeling puckish.