Mr Mom

Regret, mixed with a hint of humour of the “how could I have been so stupid” nature, is written all over Michele's face as she lays down on the floor, staring upwards at the ceiling. It's the quiet moment after the an action-packed sequence of events.

Kael was in crib, gregarious for well over half an hour: “What is it with these people, George? Can't they tell I don't want to sleep? I'm clearly letting the out the 'I'm not tired screech”. Grrr, my parents are so dumb!” Finally, the dialogue dimmed until it was silent. I had gone into his room stealthily to check out the situation and saw him twitching ever so slightly, eyes three-quarters closed. It is absolutely vital for him not to see you during this delicate phase of the nap process. If he does, it's game over. He's up and he's screeching with more vigour than you can possibly imagine coming from such a tiny little being. I tippy-toed back out of his room unnoticed, intending to close his door in a couple of minutes when there was no chance of a wake-up.

Unbeknowst by me, Michele reappears from our room and also decides to investigate the nap situation. She pokes her head in but cannot get a proper visual. She inches forward but still can't see as he is hidden from view at the front of the crib. She ventures further, risking much at this final stage before sleep. Suddenly, Kael perceives movement or hears something and with the quickness of gopher popping its head out of the hole, his head shoots up over the edge of the crib to see what's up. Michele panics, ducks and then lunges out of the room onto the floor as if she were an extra on A-team episode after Face had just launched a grenade nearby. Kael screams, as if to say, 'I saw you! I saw you!” “Merde”, is all Michele can say in a half-giggle/half-frustrated tone.

Later that afternoon, it's my turn to get caught. Kael has been in there about twenty minutes and there is the baby monitor expresses only the hum of the humidifier (used primarily to drown out other sounds). I sneak up to the doorway and bam! I'm dead in the water just like that. I didn't even get the chance to pretend I was a ninja tis time. It's like getting ambushed 1 minute into a paintball game. Splat! Hmm, that was fun. Kael happened to be positioned at the back of the crib, facing the doorway. In consolation, I never had a chance.