Sleep and dates and other good things.

Maiya slept four hours straight two nights in a row. I think it was four hours. All that I can be sure of is the lack of dread I felt when I heard the birds start to sing at day break. That dread was replaced by a feeling that brings profound nestalgia. What's it called again? Oh yeah. Feeling rested.

Dave and I got to go out last night to dinner and a movie. We ate our current favorite restaurant - an busy Irish place close by. During the movie, my mind wandered to calculate the number of ounces of breastmilk I left for Maiya compared to how many hours I would be away. Of course, all calculations were for naught as I have no idea how many ounces she drinks while she's nursing. So, I returned my attention to the movie. Which was great. We saw Dark Night and while I only agreed to see it for Heath Ledger's riveting performance as the joker, the whole movie kept my interest. Anyway, it was wonderful to get out with Dave and have some time alone. And Maiya was just drinking the last of the milk I left her when we got home. It all makes me wish we had a regular babysitter so this could be possible more than once or twice a year.

The night was made possible by .... my mother-in-law and nephew, Brandon, who are visiting for a couple of weeks. They teamed up to watch Maiya and Haven while Dave and I painted the town red. Their visit has been lots of fun and Haven is fascinated by his older cousin. He can't get enough of that boy. When Brandon plays the Wii, Haven takes out an extra controller and just stands next to him. See that look of admiration on Haven's face?

Now Dave and his mom are taking in a baseball game on tv. Haven is asleep. Maiya is discovering the bliss of the swing. We let Brandon loose in the kitchen with a brownie mix. I think I'll just go cut myself a nice big piece before another night begins. Here's to another 4-hour stretch of sleep!