How did I get so lucky?

Not only am I crazy about my son, but I am totally enamored with my partner Devin. Yes, enamored. We have of course waded through our share of relationship muck over the past 12 years, but it just keeps getting better. At least once a day I wonder what awesome thing I must have done in a past life to deserve him . . . . . seriously. I must have been pretty amazing, actually. I must have saved a whole school of children from a fire, or thrown myself in front of a bullet.

How else could you explain why Devin will help me with Curran in the middle of the night? That he will stay up until 2am helping me clean the night before company arrives? That he will work from home once a week, scoop the litter boxes, take out the trash, say nice things to me regularly, change poopy diapers, pick up his dirty socks, encourage me to go out weekly with the girls, rub my back or feet every night, do the grocery shopping, load the dishwasher, take the kiddo so I can sleep in every single weekend AND randomly send me flowers? Oh, and did I mention that he busts his ass for a gigantic corporation every day so that I get to stay home with our son? I am in awe of my luck.

The twiddling is slowly driving me insane . . . .

I have something to confess.  Curran is a twiddler.  If you don't know what twiddling is, I'm not going to tell you, but I will say it isn't what you think.  If you have ever nursed a baby or have been partners or family to someone who has, you will undoubtedly know what I mean, and can sympathize.  Now if you ARE on of the latter and you are planning on telling me some anecdote about how you simply told your babe that he wasn't allowed and that was the end of the issue, BITE ME.  My kid is incredibly stubborn, and no argument against the practice will sway him.  I've tried suggesting that big boys don't twiddle.  That twiddling isn't worth his time and effort.  That there are far nicer things to do than twiddle, but he will hear none of it.  

So Curran twiddles, and it's my fault.  I thought that a little twiddling wouldn't be a big deal.  In the beginning he used to periodically do it while nursing, and it really didn't bother me.  Plus I'd heard that it's good for your supply so I thought, how bad can it be?  He had this sleepy sort of distracted way of doing it, and it was kind of cute.  Sometimes I didn't even notice, really.  

Now he throws an ever-lovin fit if I intercept him.  He MUST twiddle.  And did I mention he has eternally long fingernails???  He is nursing for longer periods, and therefore twiddling more and more.  I swear I am going to go insane.  I try deep breathing.  I form pictures out of the cracks in the ceiling.  I count backwards from one hundred.  Nothing works.  I have fantasies of making a little baby straight jacket for him, but fear that then CPS would be breaking down my door for SURE.