No Rest For The Wombats

Today began early for me. From 3:30 AM to 5:00 AM, Martin was inconsolably fussy, leading me to a lot of bleary-eyed pleas for him to calm down, nasal aspiration, attempts at feeing, 5-10 second stretches of successful pacifier use, and just general misery. Eventually I rocked him to sleep and it was time for Elliott.

Elliott wins the Best Baby prize for last night because when I took the gamble of not waking him to feed after Martin fed he stepped up to the plate! Normally this would result in a twelve-hour stretch of us trying to get them back on the same schedule, but Elliott took one for the team and decided for the first time ever that he'd just skip a feeding so that they ended up staying on the same schedule.

What a guy. He definitely started off the day in the coveted #1 slot. But don't worry, that wouldn't last long.


Sadly, Gregg and Nana needed to leave after lunch and a trip into town to take the boys to Tarry Market where they were able to walk around with all their boring relatives who enjoy nothing more than just going around and looking at some food.

They'll probably grow up and be really into yachting or something else that we know or care little about.


After holding Elliott for a while this afternoon Jen's dad called to me that he though Elliott was in need of a diaper change. What happened next was another verified Poopsplosion™! Great horrors were unleashed on that changing table. Entire limbs were covered in poop! Elliott needed a full change, I needed a new shirt, and even the changing table needed to be changed.

So, yes, Jen's father was correct in his assessment. So correct.


After an unprecedented two-and-a-half hour recovery nap I sprang into action to prepare some snacks for dinner. I'd thought the guests would be with us for three nights but they only ended up being with us for one, so I had some cheese to spare. I put out this Chevre Noir (Canadian Goat Cheese) from Damafro in Quebec. It was an appropriate and delicious cheese for our Canadian family and went wonderfully with some Chestnut Valley soppresata, Marcona almonds, and more of the sunflower honey from yesterday.


As I worked on making a quick dinner I poured a Humming Ale from Anchor Brewing for me and for Grandad. Apparently the term "humming" is an ancient beer term used to describe a strong, effervescent ale or just to praise a beer that was really good. This was brewed for the first time on the 30th anniversary of Anchor's location on Mariposa Street and is now brewed in the summer. It's not officially a summer beer but it's got a very nice lemony hop character that is well suited to the summer months. I'd highly recommend picking up a six pack for use after mowing the lawn.

I don't have a lawn to mow so it's even better for me!


For dinner I browned up a little garlic and onion with butter and olive oil, tossed in some arborio rice with sauvignon blanc, some chicken stock from the freezer, farm spinach and tomatoes then cooked it down. When it was just about done I tossed in the remaining dinner from last night with the grilled sweet Italian sausage, fresh sliced scallions, and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.


After dinner Grandad took one last snuggle with the guys before heading out to prepare for his long journey home tomorrow morning.


Martin was not happy about Grandad leaving and threw an enormous fuss. After trying all of my tricks (even foolishly remembering to try feeding him again) nothing worked. In desperation, I put on Ozzy's No Rest For The Wicked and within a matter of minutes he calmed down into a shallow sleep as I rocked him to the gentle sound of Ozzy's screeching vocals accompanied by Zakk Wylde's pinch harmonics.

That's what Rock and Roll's about!