So that last picture of Nora was cute, right? Hanging out with Dad while he plays the guitar? It was really cute. But you know what I wish Nora had been doing instead?

Actually taking a nap.

This is something that I feel only parents - and mostly moms - will understand. I'm not trying to exclude anyone here. I mean, before, when I didn't have a baby, and I'd hear moms talking about kids and their naps, I was like, "Huh, that's really interesting. JUST KIDDING COULD YOU GET ANY MORE BORING?"

Talking about naps is boring and this is one of the things I resent about motherhood, especially my recent adventures with stay-at-home-motherhood. Rather than experiencing, say, a stressful meeting with your boss or a pay cut, your trials, once you voice them, seem rather trivial. But they're not.

Nora went through this period recently where, when I would put her in her crib for a nap, she would stand up and beat on the railings, which would lead to crying, which would lead to screaming. This wasn't like her. She's been a good sleeper for most of her months here on Earth, but the excitement of learning so many new skills in recent months, I think, made her reluctant to sleep. I mean, why sleep when you could be practicing new skills, right?! Yeah. That kind of dedication is gonna fade fast in adulthood, sister.

So when J got home, and was all, "My experiment didn't work today. I think the problem is-" I would say, "Oh, really?" and then explain, flopping on the couch like an overworked factory girl, that, "Guess what? The baby didn't take her morning nap again today! Can you even believe it? What are we going to do?" You know, like we were dealing with a drug problem. A chronic runaway.

The thing is - and I know some of you get this - it TOTALLY BLOWS when the baby doesn't take her two daily naps. I mean, yes, she's cranky if she misses one of them, and I'm not a fan of that, but perhaps even more importantly, if the baby doesn't nap, I don't get my time off from taking care of her. My time off! The part where I look for jobs on the internet! Or drink my cup of tea! Or - less fun - do the dishes!

The major problem is relating this information in a sufficiently serious manner. So it doesn't sound like I'm the most non-interesting person anyone's ever met. So it sounds like I think life is worth living and all.

Luckily, there are mom friends. "Mom friends." Jesus. I mean, can we get a new vocabulary for parents, or what?