So how do you feel about relaxing? It's pretty important, right? If you don't find a way to relax yourself you'll end up all hunched over your computer screen, tense and knotted with a big ol' migraine throbbing behind one or both eyes and that little vein bulging out on your temple. You know the one I mean. Personally, I call it the Mommy Vein.

My Toddler did NOT want her nap today. This is not a new thing; I've gone on about it at great length ever since she was born. Somewhere along the way I started giving the Boy a daily Nap Report. Instead of the noontime national news, I type little progress reports and shoot them over to his desk (many miles away, behind chainlink fences, beyond the security gates and their armed response teams...)

He wonders why I feel the need to do this.

I always thought it was obvious why I felt the need to do it. First of all, he's stuck at a desk working and thus "missing" most of the Toddler's daily activities. As his firstborn, he's naturally inquisitive about things like her first steps, her experiences with food and drink, the fine quality of both smells and substances that are daily extruded from her body. I figure the Nap Report is the most "clean" and semi-humorous part to include him on. Secondly, he's away so damn much of the time. That second point doesn't come into play as much these days. Shore duty is great for that. But sea duty? Every sixth night spent onboard, periodic Away-weeks/months/(gulp, years?) You don't just miss the day to day junk, you miss out on life. Life moves real fast for infants and toddlers. I always felt that if I included him as much as possible they weren't strangers to each other when he came home.

I'll admit to feeling a definite pride that when he returned from last year's deployment, my daughter did not mistake anyone else for her Daddy. There was a standard reacquainting period, but after that it was back to giggles and tickles again. Pretty quickly. And he knew what she looked like- quite different from the limp little baby he left that spring, sick with flu and miserable about it.

I make a point of working the relaxing bits into my life when possible. It's pointless to stress until I'm snapping at everyone and cranky at the Toddler and so wound up that as soon as she's in bed for the night I'm sitting alone too wired and upset to do anything but sit in a chair and stare at the wall. Today I was stressing and forgot to drink enough fluids. That ended in mild contractions for about an hour. I know they were, because they were so bleeping regular and consistent, just like I had around this time last pregnancy. And once I sat down and got the fluids back up they stopped. But it's sure another thing to stress over; one I don't exactly need this week.

I'm ready for good times again. So ready.