To sleep...

If I didn't start moving, I would have collapsed. As M. napped upstairs, still in a daze from a late night, R. happily squirmed and wiggled - almost as if he didn't care that his parents were too tired to see straight. So, to keep R. happy and me upright, I strapped him in his stroller and set out for the bumpy sidewalks of our neighborhood.

Maybe I hoped the movement would lull him to sleep or maybe I needed the fresh air to clear my head, but not-so-deep down, I wished I were sound asleep. 42 minutes later, we rounded the final corner and headed for home and I watched R. begin to nod off, closing his eyes against the afternoon sun; as I carried the stroller up our four flagstone steps, his eyes shot open and he looked at me with a smile. I realized that a nap - for either R. or me - was out of the question, as he hadn't been lulled to sleep - but at least my head was more clear.