Hush little baby, don't say a word...

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.

~Leo J. Burke

---

11.28 PM:
As it nears midnight here, I am hoping and praying that I hear no nocturnal emanations, um, emanating from upstairs.

The past four nights have seen the boy up just after midnight, crowing like Gollum after a wet, wriggling fish.  This then has led to the two of us trying to settle down out on the living room sofa where coughing, crying, clinging, (crapping), consoling and, eventually, calming, finally have resulted in two somnolent humans round about 3 AM.

Dex does this Frankenstein Monster stiff-legged gait around the living room in a few circles (after worming himself off the sofa), dragging his sucky blanket like a plush, dog-hair infested bridal train, until he finally decides to back himself into the corner between the sofa and the loveseat.  He then just stands there, staring blankly straight ahead, until it freaks me out way too much and I pick him up and haul him back to the sofa, under the quilt... only to start all over again.

Then the dog starts barking in her kennel like a fucking alarm clock at 8.08 AM.  Every morning, same time.  I am actually somewhat impressed by this - somewhere deep down under the seething, killing rage I have managed to hold in check for going on several months now.

I'm already looking forward to Daylight Savings Time when, as we 'spring ahead', she won't start barking until 9.08 AM.

Amy, bless her heart, already said that if Declan gets up again tonight she'll be the one to stay up with him.  This may be a little unfair since she's already got one writhing human to contend with on her insides (T-minus 66 days for those keeping track), but I doubt I'll spurn the offer at this point.

*****

Plus, with a sick toddler, pregnant wife and two rather less than accommodating dogs, we've decided to strip the carpet out of two bedrooms, repaint one of them, fix the wallpaper border in the other, and then install laminate flooring in both.  (200+ square feet purchased this afternoon.)

(NOTE to self: when one takes holiday time off work, be sure to take it AWAY FROM HOME next time.)

I've never installed laminate flooring.  The dude at the home building centre made it look easy and I got a cool 15-minute video to watch that came with the installation kit. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Amy said I can do all the sawing since she doesn't want to lose any fingers.

All this should be done before Monday.

Please?!

(There will be before and after pictures here, oh yes, there will be.)

Just heard a barking cough from upstairs.  I will sit here and hope it was a one-off emanation...

Comments

[Hazel Hazel]

Hey, good luck with that flooring. And maybe you should make yourself a doctor appointment. Anyone with that agenda over a short Christmas vacation needs his head examined ;-)
Happy New Year to you and yours!

[Linda]

I got a taste of the late-night entertainment when the JuJu's were here for the Holiday. It's funny unless you're a player in the scene, I know. The baby is at her absolute cutest and most entertaining after she has been asleep for 3 hours and then wants to play at midnight. But I would go back there in a minute if my kids miraculously became babies again.
Good luck with the flooring. We're coming down off the remodelling of two upstairs rooms, 98% complete. You will never be the same, I promise you. DIY is for loonies ;-)
Your writing is fabulous, do you know that?

[BOB]

Grab me for help Simon, I put in the flooring in our whole house, along with several others by now.

It really is easy, easier than training a dog ;)

[Paula]

Kevin's done it too - he says to tell you the key is a good subfloor. But about finishing your renovating plans this week....I hope you really don't have any other plans for the next few weekends :)

[Mark]

Been out sick, but glad to see I didn't miss too much on your blog. After the dog's frozen piss problems you've had, I'd say ripping up carpet sounds like a good idea. The whole DIY thing? Well, that's another topic. I hope it goes well, and I so look forward to the pics.

[Tasha]

As someone already said, make sure the floor underneath is good. And by that, I mean level. Otherwise, look for a seam in about 3 months. Good luck!

[wil]

Question: does the dog bark every day or just most days? Is there a neighbor with an electric garage door opener or particularly low, throaty exhaust sounds to his/her truck?

I'm just asking, cause that was the reason why one of my dogs got squirrely every weekday morning but not at the same time on weekends...

Also, better make that a "month of Sundays" before all remodeling has been completed, you overly optimistic numbskull... ;D