The Stories of our Lives

My first day back at work is now finished. Generally, in many regards, it was oddly as if I never really left, more so than it was like starting a new job. It ended up that my desk was in the same spot it was when I left – I was supposed to move to another office initially – and, even if I spent part of my morning installing software on my new machine and if the main service I was in charge of was shut down during my leave, the tasks I accomplished today were the same kind I was doing before, so the transition went without any major mishap.

Regarding fatigue, it seems it did me good to enter again a work schedule – which it sort of what I had been hoping for, while apprehending the as-likely possibility that the reverse become true. In addition to the new schedule – and the fact that working sitting at a desk all day is a quieter activity than running behind a one-year-old toddler – I think the A.C. helped a lot too. It was sort of cold at the office, but at least the paralyzing heat wasn’t weighing in on my fatigue and nausea.

As for our new routine, well everything fell into place. We could almost hear the “cluck” of each element of our day slotted into its place. We have now achieved a level of routine never-before-seen : we get up and get ready > we get Xavier ready > we drop Xavier off at the babysitter > we go to work > we have lunch > we go back to work > we go back to pick up Xavier > we prepare dinner and eat it > we play with Xavier and try to finish off some chores > we give Xavier a bath > we put Xavier to bed > we enjoy a little free time > we go to bed. (repeat until the weekend, except on wenesdays)

Xavier, on his part, was a little irritated when François left him with the babysitter – he’s starting to realise we’re going and leaving him there for the whole day now – but apparently it was short lived. Jinny says he has not cried at all the whole day, that he even had himself a great nap of two and a half hours in the afternoon. When I went to pick him up he was quite busy with a toy – too much, even, to notice his mommy had come for him.

He was pretty upset and crying during bathtime : it’s probably due to his little behind, which is all red, poor baby! With his nose running as well, we’re strongly suspecting his molar teeth of starting to show the top of their crown. We applied loads of the appropriate cream, which seemed to soothe him, and he went to sleep in my arms without a peep after his bottle.

Frank is gone to the grocery store, and I’m going to bed with the first tome of “His Dark Materials” (Northern Lights) of Philip Pullman, which I’ve picked back up for reading recently, after finding out there will be a movie out soon. In fact, I’d be due to jot down my last reads soon, less I forget what they were.

I’ll leave you with a picture (which I’ll be trying to turn into a new tradition). It’s Xavier on the first morning he went to daycare/babysitter.