Blinded By The Light

It had been two months, one day, twelve hours and thirty six minutes since my second daughter came into this world. Since that time, I had been apart from her approximately one hour. So I decided today it would be J-Fed's turn to play Mr. Mom. Little did I know my evening trip to the mall would prove to be an awakening of sorts for dear hubby.

You see, baby #2 names have been changed to protect the innocent has been known to cry for 12 hours straight. Coincidentally, J-Fed has never been around for one of these nail-biting episodes. When he's around, she sleeps like a baby. Just the another night, after spending two straight days at the track and then attending a party, I had to summon his home because baby #2 was inconsolable.

When he walked in the house, her crying immediately ceased much to my dismay. J-Fed didn't make a comment, but I knew what he was thinking. He returned to the party and once again her wailing began. I called for his return a second time and once again the crying stopped. In fact, she smiled and began cooing for the first time in her infant life. Was she deliberately trying to sabotage me?

Needless to say, J-Fed didn't "get" how challenging baby #2 could be at times... until last night. It wasn't longer than 10 minutes after I left for my shopping excursion that she started to "fuss" scream her bleeping head off and that continued on for two straight hours. Poor J-Fed. When I called to check on him, it sounded as if he was going to throw himself in front of a train. Would that have really been so bad?

"Are you going to be home soon?" he said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, in just 20 minutes. What would you like for dinner?" I asked politely.

"I can't even think of food," he whimpered. If Mr. "what's for dinner" couldn't eat, Baby #2 had for sure brought him to his knees.

I hung up the cell phone with what could only be described as a feeling of sheer satisfaction. Finally, he had seen the light. Finally, he knew the toll that hours of crying could take on a person.

When I got home, he flailed his arms at me in a sign of worship.

"I was only gone two hours," I exclaimed.

"Well, it felt like six," he sighed painfully. And with that, he was out the door to go find some solace and silence at the neighbor's house.

In a day J-Fed will have all but forgotten the agony. But for that one brief moment in time, he actually got a taste of what my reality.

Unhappily ever after,

Kiki