The Tickle Monster: part book review, part regular old post

Baby received a very nice birthday present today: a book (The Tickle Monster), which comes with a pair of tickle gloves.  The gloves are shaped like big, furry, cartoon hands with holes for your fingers (for ease of tickling, of course).  I read the book to Baby while my husband wore the gloves and tickled Baby at the appropriate moments in the storytelling.  

Baby loved it.  He loved it so much that as soon as I finished the story and closed the book, he demanded a second read - immediately.  

(Many thanks to our pals in Oregon who provided the vehicle for the joy tonight.)

Sleeping With A Baby Elephant

A few weeks ago, two nights before his birthday, Baby started waking up at night and crying, and he has continued to do so off and on since then.  We have gone to him almost every time.  One night, after about a week of his new (old) routine, we let Baby cry it out.  It felt about as awesome as it did the first time we "sleep trained" him (i.e., he and I both cried it out that night).  Every other time he has cried in the night, we have gone to him, and he ends up sleeping on one of our chests or between us in our bed.  (One morning, my husband looked across a sprawled-out Baby and said, "Sleeping with him is like sleeping with a baby elephant.") 

Post-Bedtime Glass of Wine Demographic

In an article I read about the woman who started net a porter.com, she noted that there was an obvious uptick in sales around 8 - 9 p.m. in time zones around the world.  Her explanation?  The post-bedtime glass of wine.

Just now, I put Baby to bed and walked into the kitchen where my husband was making dinner.  Exhausted, I asked if I could just veg out on the couch while he continued without me.  No problem, of course.  I turned on E! for the comfort of meaningless babble and a little fashion schadenfreude.  What were the first two commercials I saw within five minutes of turning on the television? 

One: Weebles for preschoolers.

Two: microwaveable brownies.

Apparently the woman at net a porter is not the only one who knows about the post-bedtime glass of wine demographic.