Writing Evil Twin Betsy's diary

Jayamos

Jayamos

Farmer
15 Spring Y6
It's rainy, so it's a relief to go to the desert festival. Seb puts in an appearance first and reports that hanging out under palm trees is not his thing. He says he's still getting used to being a father—me, too, Seb, so much—but he's happy to stay home, so I'm free to go as much as I want.
And I do want. I have a great time. There's so much to do there. I lose money on Shoebiscuit, but they're pretty adorable hopping doggedly around the racecourse. I can't resist Emily's booth, even though her sense of my aura is not my sense of my aura. Mayoral suspenders? I like the hat, though... and she does give me some ideas about the next election. I take so long going around all the booths that I don't have time to take Marlon up on his challenge.

16 Spring
There was this tremendous whoosh and crash last night and before I head back to the desert I discover the pigs and cows wandering around an enormous meteorite in the meadow. So there was a meteorite headed my way. I hope this is the only meteorite involved, or if being a parent is like having a meteorite crash into my life, may it be as easy to deal with as this one.
Today I save some time to try Marlon's challenge at the desert festival. But there are so many purple slimes I think about Marlon's other goals and spend my time fighting monsters instead of heading down... which gets me into big trouble after I don't eat when I should and get attacked by serpents.
"Getting off to a quick start, I see," Harvey says drily when I come back around.
"uurrrgggg..." I say. "Um, maybe I was premature."
"How are your cows producing? You shouldn't breast feed for at least 24 hours after a serpent attack. Or slimes, for that matter. The antidote works, or you wouldn't be here, but it takes your system a little while to clear that stuff out."
But there's milk in the fridge and Seb happily discovers a knack for bottle feeding.* I'll have to ask Robin if she can put together a rocking chair. There doesn't seem to be one in the catalogue.

17 Spring
I get home late from the desert festival and Seb says sleepily, "You're wearing your mining gear again?"
"Yeah, Marlon had an offer I couldn't refuse," I say, climbing out of it.
I am not nearly as banged up this time. Shoebiscuit won. Emily's outfit actually looks good on me this time. And Seb not only doesn't give me a hard time, he pulls me close and says, "I'm glad you're home safe." So, a nice day.

18 Spring
Seb's been awfully preoccupied by how Herc smells in the mornings. Finally I say, "I don't think a bath is the issue."
"Fine, but I've been changing him a lot while you've been festivating, and honestly I wish you'd do more of it."
"Why didn't you just say so? I can take mornings and bedtimes and nights." So that's what we do, plus I'm on call on Fridays at the least.

19 Spring
Seb was willing to be home for a while in late afternoon, oysters have been attained, and now there is a happy—and apparently lustful—raccoon. I wish him luck. On the way I run into Penny bringing Jas home, and tell her we might have George to contend with. "Really?" Penny says. "I don't think he likes me very much. Plus I am really not expert in teaching dyslexics."
"Maybe they could go into Zuzu City?"
"I wonder if there's a remote option...I'll look into it," she says.
With Herc in the house I'm on baby duty while Seb's at the saloon this evening. I'll have saloon night on Saturdays so the Three Musketeers can have their pool night, which is better in a way, because I'd rather buy Harvey a coffee than Pierre a beer. But I miss walking home with Seb.

20 Spring
Shane gets a birthday... pizza. And his face lights up just like old times. He's in a good mood tonight and we get to talking about chickens and the next thing you know, he says, "And you've got a chicken coop, right? All different colors? With a couple of my blue chickens?" I immediately feel on shaky ground, but Marnie could have told him what kinds of chickens I have. So I say yes, and he says, "And I feel like one of them is called Forgetmenot," and I feel stabbed in the heart, because I doubt Marnie told him that.
"Um, yeah," I manage.
He looks me in the eye—and he is stone cold sober as far as I can tell—and says, "So how do I know that? And... I feel like I was taking care of them. Like I was living there. Like we were married."
I sigh. I could just lie, but I'm a terrible liar. Better to just have it out, and if he hates me forever, he hates me forever.
I am an occasional hedger, however. "Um, we were. But you kind of... forgot."
"Forgot," he says, and his face twists up. "I mean, I knew I've been hard on my liver, but did the alcohol really do that to my brain?"
"No!" I say. I can't have him thinking he's got some kind of dementia. "Um, there's this way I could make you forget. And we were worried! Lots of us! We didn't want you all depressed! So... I thought you'd be happier just not... remembering. Knowing. Being all upset."
"Well, I'm upset now," he says, staring into Gus's finest homebrewed ginger ale. "I don't know how I feel. So... you loved me? And I loved you?"
"We did. And honestly..." even if he hates me forever, I want to let him know this, "I will never stop caring about you. It's just, I think I work better as your friend rather than your wife."
"My friend?" he says. "It's a weird friendship where you know a bunch of things I don't know about myself. I... I really like you, at least I did like you, I've had fun hanging out with you, but I can't take this in."
"Okay," I say, because that's really all I can say, and I go home the long way so I can get my head on right before I get back home. If Seb is upset about me helping Alex and family, he's really not going to do well with me being heartbroken again over Shane.

*On Planet Earth, cow milk is not the best thing for human babies. But we are in Stardew Valley, where it's fine.
 
Jayamos

Jayamos

Farmer
24 Spring Y6
Seb does not want to go to the Flower Dance. He mentions hating the jumpsuit, and I say, "But you look hot in it! But I can live without seeing you in it."
"You look hot in your overalls, you farmer, you," he says.
So we stay home and have a leisurely morning. Then I go up to the mines for fiber and slimes. Yesterday he wanted to be out and about, and I was a little irked, because I wanted to try out my fancy new dwarf statue powers, but I didn't say anything because he deserves some time after staying home during practically the entire Desert Festival.
On the way I pick up enough leeks for Evelyn's happiness, but I can't give them to her because... festival. So I'll do it tomorrow.
When I get home, I check on the heavy furnaces I crafted yesterday, and they are AWESOME. I look at the stacks of ore I haven't managed to smelt and I think, with two slime hutches and all these furnaces and plenty of crystallaria, how much mining do I really need to do? We could be making still more money really easily.
But I still have to be able to get in and out of the slime hutches without endangering myself.

25 Spring Y5
I drop off the leeks and Evelyn tells me her gift wrap plan. She's willing to wait till Saturday once I explain the baby situation. Which is good, because I don't want to ask Seb to change his plans because of the Mullner family.

26 Spring Y6
Hercules is standing up! "How's my big strong boy?" I say, and start wondering how soon I could start showing him how to use a dagger. First he has to be big enough not to fall on it. I pick him up and swing him around and up and down and he really is a bundle of joy.

27 Spring Y6
George was initially suspicious, but he perked up quite a bit once he saw the first leek. I took the opportunity to tell him and Evelyn that yes, the foundation is happy to sponsor both George and Alex, but will take a little time to find a tutor who is experienced with multiple generations. Which is... the truth, slightly massaged.
Then I go blow up the quarry, finally. It's not quite as fun alone. It doesn't yield nearly as well as a good Skull Cavern Run, but it's another thing that has me thinking that maybe I could be more of a home body and not live quite so strenuously. But I like imagining all three of us, Seb and Herc and me, enjoying the bangs and the flying rock chips and picking up treasures from the ground. OK, I guess I shouldn't be in a hurry to expose my newly upright son to flying rock chips. And I should get myself ear plugs.
I do a quick in and out at the bar to give Emily an emerald and exchange a hug. I give Shane his space—he just glances up and then quickly down at what I hope is artisanal ginger ale.
When I get home Seb says, "Ah, the sexy smell of cordite... and patchouli? What's up with that?"
I explain about the emerald and he relaxes. Whew. But when he asks about my day I find myself editing. No Mullners. No dyslexia saga. No Shane. I just tell him about how I might not need to do as much mining once I hit my slime quota, and he is appreciative and has ideas, and pretty soon we're talking up a storm about possible plans, like the ideal ratio of furnaces to crystallaria. So I guess it's all OK.
 
Jayamos

Jayamos

Farmer
3 Summer Y6
I finally have a rain suit. So the last rain of spring was more comfortable, as I got grass starter down where I'd accidentally scythed it up. Seb says I look like a proper fisherman. I also got a couple of mannequins so I can get dressed quickly on rainy or mine days.
Today was a mine day, and I am a little better protected in breastplate and hard hat. I got the Slime Charmer ring, so there's no excuse for getting the slime hutches ready to go. I can't believe I've had a Crabshell ring coming all this time too. And the best mask ever for Spirits Eve... now I need a shirt to go with it.
I spent some time looking over Gil's inventory for an appropriate dagger for a small child. Writing this down I really wonder if I should be allowed to be a parent. The elf blade is awfully tempting. Do I have one already? I'll have to check my spare weaponry chest.

4 Summer Y6
Fussing with slime hutch, fussing with slime hutch. Trying to get the right combo of slime colors for both hutches. Rainbow slimes, that's what I want. Aeryn sent me a note saying she has the full complement of basic colors, so maybe I'll just throw money at the problem again.
I'm also feeling domestic now that I'm home more. It weirdly agrees with me. I'm seeing all kinds of things I want to shift.
Besides rethinking the crystallarium setup, I want to get a proper flower area in, with bee house area, where the Junimos won't get at the flowers and I won't accidentally pick them, with bonus honey. I think I can do it on the west side of greenhouse. And I don't like that our one staircase is so far from the bedroom. Time for another room above the bedroom, and a conversation with Seb about whether to convert it into a nursery or use it for our bedroom.

5 Summer Y6
Based on the package that came in the mail today, I guess Shane and I have a truce. I'm so happy that I tell Seb, "Hey, we got a pizza from Shane! Want to share it?"
"Why is he sending us pizza?" Seb asks. "It looks like one of those crappy Joja Mart ones, why are you so thrilled about it?"
How much should I tell him? I hate keeping secrets, so... "I, mmm, used a way to alter his memory after we divorced, so he wouldn't be so upset... Lewis suggested it! Because no one in the village wants him more depressed. But lately his memories have been coming back."
"Oh, so he wants you back? Is he trying to steal you from me? That's low, even from an alcoholic."
"I don't... think so? He's not getting me back anyway, once was enough. You are way lower stress." Well, you are when you aren't getting upset about my exes. But I don't say that.
"Okay," Seb says. "Not planning to eat his pizza, though." He still has that brooding Heathcliff look. It's not as fun when he's brooding about me.
"Fine," I say, and jam it in the back of the fridge.

6 Summer Y6
Speaking of inappropriate gifts, Pam sees fit to send a beer. I take it up to Seb, who's tending to his motorcycle. "Wanna beer? From Pam? "
"Perish the thought. Every New Year's I think, this time beer will be fine! I can drink it like all my friends and loved ones! And then I get a massive hangover. From one beer. And it takes all year to get my hopes up again." he says, muffled by the tailpipes.
Another item for the back of the fridge, or maybe I'll just sell it. "I'm heading up to Robin's to talk about adding on that extra room I mentioned, do you want me to say anything to her?"
"Nah," he says, sliding out from under the bike. "Well, you can say her son's happy on the farm."
"Will do with pleasure," I say, and kiss him goodbye, avoiding the oil patch on his cheek.
I get the renovation taken care of, look for grapes to make raisins for the Junimos, and head down to the pub, where I do the usual: beer for everyone except Harvey, Pam, and... Shane.
"Will you accept a pizza of contrition?" I ask. "And thanks for the one you sent."
The beginnings of a smile creep over his face. "Trading pizzas with you, sure," he says. "Want a slice?"
"Yeah, I'm always hungry," I say. "So... are we good?"
He chews for a while, then says, "Yeah... I still don't remember why we broke up, and I don't want you to tell me. Maybe I can guess, but I'm not going to worry about it. I do remember coming in here and suddenly feeling like beer might not be my friend as much as I thought. So maybe I owe you."
He takes another bite. "And I thought about what you said about being friends and not spouses... it kind of makes me happy. It's not like I have that many friends. And if we divorced but you still want to be my friend, then there must be something real between us. Even if it might be more distant than I felt like I wanted. But a friendship is a lot less pressure on me."
He takes another bite of pizza. "I think Gus outdid himself tonight." He savors the pizza for a while and says, "Yeah, being friends feels comfortable, and I can use that. No drama, something I can count on."
"Yeah. That's what I want with you... It does feel comfy," I say.
It's a real relief, in fact. It's like what I have with Leah, except instead of love and art, Shane and I talk about chickens, and a little about Jas who liked the cake I gave her for her birthday, which makes Shane light up, which reminds me of the things I like about him.
So after all the difficulties we can really be friends. And I can see that lasting, with all his ups and downs.
I go home aglow. "You look happy," Seb says as I climb into bed. "Nice chat with Leah?"
"Yes," I say. I'm not lying, she gave me moral support about the Pizza of Contrition, but I'm not going to discuss the ins and outs of the evening with Seb. "So, what do you want to do with our new upstairs room?"
 
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Cuddlebug

Cuddlebug

Farmer
Jayamos said:
Thanks! It’s a busy time of year for me, getting my own garden in, plus work travel. Plus, as I’m drafting the next few entries, writing ETB as a mother is a bit of a challenge…but fun. Hope to post sooner next time!
Click to expand...
This I can imagine... So take your time and don't feel pressured to anything. 😇
 
Jayamos

Jayamos

Farmer
10 Summer Y6
Two days of domesticity have the new bedroom functional—I mean, there's a bed there. It's nice being next to Herc's room. The former aquarium/sitting room is now the ready room, for clothes, TV, and the mining chest, and the former bedroom is slowly evolving into the aquarium/sitting/catalog/sewing room.
And I've got beehouses by the greenhouse and some poppies planted, but this would work better if I moved the greenhouse, which means digging up some starfruit or waiting for fall. Tea saplings are by the sheds where the bee houses were, which makes things more symmetrical.
Today I went to bomb the quarry and give Maru a nice strawberry. Not a great haul at the quarry, and I forgot to check for a mining blessing. All this renovation has me really disoriented.
But I also went by to see Penny. "I talked to a couple of people in Zuzu City," she says. "One of them wanted George and Alex to come in every week, but the other recommended bringing them both in for testing and then a counseling session. But she's fine to work with them on-line, and she says there's a certificate program I could go through as well. If we all want to learn together, she could coach us. But..." she takes a deep breath, "we'd need a computer for them and one for me, plus there's her fees, plus the certificate fees..."
"Would you want a certificate?" I ask.
"Well, but then George and Alex would both have to be okay with it, and I don't know who else I'd use it for..."
"Okay, but is this something you want to learn?" I ask again. "Because I think the foundation I've been talking to has a fund for helping teachers with expenses."
"Well, yes," she says. "English was my favorite subject, and I loved teaching Jas and Vince how to read."
"Okay, then, I'll talk to the foundation."
"Even if they do help, I don't see how I could scrape up the money for anything they don't cover," she says.
"I'll talk to them," I tell her. I'm remembering what Haley did, back when we were married, and there's no reason I couldn't do something similar. I get the contact information for the more helpful specialist, and plan out a talk with Gunther and maybe Lewis.

11 Summer Y6
Seb was really sweet at the Luau. And the Governor was the happiest I've seen him. Abby thinks Pierre wants to be mayor, which is plausible. I'm not thrilled with either mayoral candidate, and I think again of whether I'd want to run for election.

12 Summer Y6
Herc is crawling! When I get up he's in the kitchen with Seb.
"Did you get him out?" I ask Seb. "Or did he get himself out, perish the thought?"
"I thought you let him out and then came back to bed! And I was trying to figure out why you would do that." I can see he's upset. We both look at Herc, who evidently climbed out of the crib and made it all the way down the stairs by himself.
"Herc, you are just a chip off the old block," I say, and pick him up. "We could call him Chip. Have I ever told you any of my family stories about my parents suddenly noticing I was missing and after a frantic search discovering toddler me in some life-threatening situation?"
"Not helping!" Seb says.
"Well, I survived every one of them. Let's hope you're as durable, Chip," I say, and he burbles at me.
Life will never be the same. Can he get down to the casks? Probably. Can he pull one down on himself? I don't think so. Can he get back up the stairs? I don't know. What if he hauls on an aquarium stand? What was I thinking, having a baby?
Seb wants to take off, I need to get the loadout done, we agree that he'll watch Chip/Herc while I'll tend to business as fast as possible and then Seb can do as he wants. It was an easy discussion, and he was sweet again today, explaining why he hasn't been smoking lately.
We have a baby monitor in the bedroom but apparently we need several to cover the whole house. I get online and shop for some, but once Seb's gone I turn to the real work of the day.
I look into computers. There really ought to be one in the library too, for community use, if Gunther will agree. Then I call the reading specialist to get her take on the situation and hash out money. Then I call my bank to set up a separate account for the reading foundation and have them send some checks. I'll just have to hope that none of the recipients associates my scrawled signature with my name.
Finally, I call Clint to see if he can make a house call to help me bolt the aquariums to the floor. He can, and he can also set up some frames for the casks so they only move if I want them to. He's delighted, since I've singlehandedly tripled his income for the month.

13 Summer Y6
Alex's birthday. Before I talk to him and his grandparents, I have discussions with Penny and Gunther. Turns out the Better Reading Foundation also has money to upgrade rural libraries, who knew? And provide a stipend to teachers that not only covers a reading specialist certification, but an increased salary. A very increased salary, given how much Penny's eyes bug out when she sees the check. I have a moment of guilt over how small a percentage of my weekly income is a big deal for her. "But what if George and Alex don't want to work with me?" she asks.
"All you have to do is complete the course," I tell her. "You'll still be a better teacher, that's the point."
It turns out that George and Alex need to be convinced that Penny wants to work with them. Once I let George mutter a bit, it is not hard to get them to do a good deed for the young teacher by being her guinea pig as she tries to increase her skills. I explain that the foundation will require a small copay to cover materials and the coach and make a mental note to bring them the odd diamond on occasion. That just happens to be hanging around. Because, in fact, I have plenty of diamonds churning out in the crystallarium shed. Iridium bars from the heavy smelters, not that people necessarily want a chunk of heavy metal in their house. Come to think of it, I could be handing out diamonds instead of beer at the saloon... OK, that would be weird.
So I just buy everyone the usual, which has the pleasant side effect of increasing Gus's income and getting some actual nutrients into Pam. And I have conversations with Shane and Leah about what they might do if they had a little extra money coming in, not saying I'll supply it, just wondering.
Shane dreams of a rainbow of chickens. Leah immediately wants to know if I'm planning to pull a Kel on her and I cue up the loudest possible tune on the jukebox, then very quietly explain in the corner about the Better Reading Foundation and that I'm wondering if a Rural Development Foundation might be a good idea.
The conversations run pretty long and it's so late when I get home that Seb is just as solidly asleep as Herc.

14 Summer Y6
In the evening Seb asks how things were at the saloon last night, and I consider not telling him about the day's work, but he's been so sweet lately, and it's been such a strain hiding things that I'm excited about, that it all just kind of dumps out while Herc crawls around our ankles.
"What?!" he says. "I thought you were running around town to benefit our family, not give handouts to grouches and narcissists. And do-gooders."
"One of each," I say, "and Alex isn't a narcissist."
"Sure, like the new back room in the saloon isn't so he can get a big screen to watch gridball on."
"Oh, for Yoba's sake," I say. "Let's not argue about Alex."
"Like you didn't bring him up. But you're always gone, and I'm the one running after Herc to make sure he's not falling down the stairs."
"Baby gate?" I say.
"Sure, throwing money at the problem."
This stings. "I'm trying to make things easier for both of us!"
"The point is, you're the mom and I'm doing 70% of the childcare."
"And I'm the breadwinner, you want me to be doing both?"
"Said every sexist father ever," he says.
"Okay, let's talk childcare responsibilities. If we get that sorted, was that the point, or are you just jealous?" He's silent at that one. "This isn't good, Seb."
"I just think we have a new family and you should be putting your energy into it, not concerned about whether Alex can read or Shane still likes you, or whatever it is you're worrying about with Shane."
"And I think I should be able to be part of a community, and giving to it, and having friends, without my husband giving me grief. It's not like I give you a hard time about hanging out with Abigail."
"Which is my one night out a week," he says. "While you're wandering around doing who knows what all the other days."
I feel like there's something going on under this conversation that I can't get at. "Okay! Let's work out some kind of agreement tomorrow. We're both tired and grouchy and I don't see myself making decisions until I get some sleep."
"Fine," he says, and I get Herc to bed as I should, and then get myself to bed. Seb's in bed with his back turned, and I don't think he's asleep. The fact is, I'm supposed to be getting Herc to bed at a decent hour, and I'm not always in the house in time for it. So I really can't blame him for being angry about the chores. I do need to shape up.
But I'm angry at him for not supporting me in having—finally—some kind of real social, community life, so I don't apologize, and I face my side of the bed, and we eventually fall asleep with our backs turned against each other.
 
Jayamos

Jayamos

Farmer
15 Summer Y6
I'm trying to be domestic. Why does moving chests take as much time as a decent Skull Cavern Run?
Seb and I have our usual coffee in the morning, but things are frosty. Finally I say, "So, when you say I should be putting my energy into our family, what exactly does that look like?"
Seb broods for a while. I'm liking his brooding face less and less. "Like you being in the house enough for me to actually get some work done. It was working when he was in the crib, but now I constantly have to keep an eye on him... and I am putting him to bed nearly every night even though you said you'd do it."
"Okay, so... mornings you're on, afternoons I'm on? Or we take different days? And I'm sorry, up until recently Herc's been sacking out on his own, but you're right, I need to do what I said I'd do."
"I feel like I need my Fridays," Seb says.
"Like last Friday? I take care of the wine, you can take off?"
"Um, not my favorite, but I guess, yeah."
"And we are getting new baby monitors any minute. So maybe you can take off earlier."
We work around to Fridays for him, Saturdays for me—and he'll take care of Herc that night—and I can run errands Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sundays are up in the air, but one day at a time...
"What about people's birthdays?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" he says.
"What if I want to get them something and it's not Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday?"
"Is it really that much of a problem if they get it on a different day? And why are you worrying about people's birthdays?"
"Because friends think about each other's birthdays!" I say. I manage not to say, "or is that something you don't do?" But it's on the tip of my tongue, and I'm remembering how he skipped right over the Feast of the Winter Star.
"I don't get it," he says, and he genuinely looks bewildered. "You have us. Why do you need anyone else?"
"For the same reason you need to go on the saloon on Friday nights."
"But I've known Sam and Abi since we were practically babies," he says. "There isn't anyone here you're that close to."
"So maybe I need to try harder to get closer," I say. "Look, I think we're just different. You're close to just a couple of people, and I like being around lots of people. And without the people here, I never could have built this farm. We never could have had this life."
"Okay," he says, but I can tell he still doesn't get it.
I dutifully put Herc in his crib in the evening and try to quietly get stuff transferred from chest to chest in the next room, but he keeps climbing out. It's nice he wants to be around his mom, but next time I'm on the computer I'm ordering Go the @#$! to Sleep, because I sure am feeling it. Finally he's just so exhausted he conks out, thank Yoba.

16 Summer Y6
This morning Herc very much wants to go outside and I very much want him to stay inside. After a protracted discussion, not very articulate but extremely loud on Herc's part, Seb steps in, saying "For Yoba's sake, get out quick so I can get him to quiet down. At least I wasn't expecting to get anything done today."
"Thanks, Sebby," I say, and want to give him a kiss, but there's a very unquiet baby in the way and I figure the best thing I can do is get out the door with the baby and I each on the correct side of it.
I can't say I blame Herc. Being outside is the best thing ever. Could we give him an outdoor playpen or something? I remember my parents saying how relieved they were when they got the fence around the back yard. And how happy they were that the latch was going to be too high for me to reach for several years.
The other accomplishment of the day was sauntering around the slime hutch with the Slime Charmer Ring on, completely unaffected. It's still impossible to repair the now deteriorated fencing. I guess slime rusts out the bars pretty quick. The slimes are now like a big slobbery shimmery pack of dogs, following my every move and getting underfoot. Kind of like Herc, in a way, but gooier. Gooey-er? It's a big pack, too. They're not reproducing any more because there were a ton of green and blue slimes glommed up against the gate until I came in.
Oh, and the third accomplishment was getting Herc to stay in his crib at a reasonable hour.

17 Summer Y6
So Sam's birthday present is going to have to wait. And, honestly, I could have forgotten it anyway. I've never been good at remembering people's birthdays and the gifts are often belated, so they clearly doesn't mean as much to them. But today I'm really noticing.
At least the baby monitors came! Seb still isn't getting anything done, and neither am I, because we spend the whole day figuring out where to put them for maximum effect and minimum blind/deaf spots. Herc is fascinated and wants to play with them almost as much as he wants to put them in his mouth.
We decide we need to order more. And, since we can afford top-of-the-line baby monitoring, by the time we're done Herc will be under nearly military-grade surveillance.
The trick with getting Herc to sleep is to wait until he's clearly pretty tired, then do something really boring like reading, or even hide while he's preoccupied with a toy, and then when he's actually asleep whisk him into the crib.

18 Summer Y6
Green rain! I make good use of my free day, by which I mean I wander all over the place and say hi to people and discuss the weather, which is way more entertaining than it usually is. The freedom does feel really good. Maybe with all the baby monitors in place we could relax a little and Seb can skip out earlier on Fridays. He's in bed by the time I get home, although he seems awfully restless. I hope he's not having another attack of insomnia.

19 Summer Y6
Those extra baby monitors better show up quick, because Seb and Fridays isn't going to be an issue any more.
He wasn't insomniac. He was furious. Our morning coffee starts with him hissing, "You left me all day with Herc! You didn't even come home in the evening! You know how much I enjoy being out in this stuff! You didn't even consider negotiating with me before you skipped out!"
"You didn't ask!"
"You didn't give me time!"
"I thought... you said you'd take Herc on Saturdays, I thought you meant Tuesdays and Thursdays too!"
"So you get three days to gallivant around and suck up to all your exes and I get one measly half day!"
"I was hoping once we got the baby monitors up you could have more free time!"
"Not the point!" he yelled, so loud that Herc, who'd been totally absorbed in his toys, startles and starts crying.
I grab Herc and glare at Seb.
"Oh, so now this is my fault," Seb says. Much, much more quietly, but his tone is unmistakably angry.
"I misunderstood," I said, also quietly. "We're adjusting. I'm sorry." I'm having a hard time sounding sorry. If it weren't for the "your exes" line I might be honestly contrite.
"You take me for granted," he says in a deadly whisper. "You're more concerned about getting birthday gifts out on time than you are about being fair to me. I thought about this all night. You're going to give me a divorce and pay for it. I'm going out now and I'll come back later to get my stuff packed. You want this baby looked after, you do it."
"How am I supposed to get to Lewis to file the divorce papers?" I say in a poisonous murmur.
"You're so smart, you figure it out." And as he heads out the door he says, "And don't you think for one second you're going to wipe my memory. It's mine. Every minute of it. Bitter, sweet, hell, heaven, all of it. You don't get any say over the contents of my mind. I want to remember all of it. And I don't ever want to be friends with someone who treated me like an afterthought."
The door makes the quietest of clicks. The motorcycle roars the loudest I've ever heard it. Herc looks at me and starts bawling as if to outshout it.
I pace around the house like a demon with him in my arms, but I'm not calming either of us down. Finally my brain engages and I carry him out of the house. As soon as he sees the sky he stops, astonished.
If I lost Seb, I got my son seeing the sky for the first time. It's the definition of awe. Then he looks terrified, and like he's about to cry again. "It's so big," I say lightly. "Look what you get to see, look at your life." He reaches out his arms and flails upward like he wants to touch it, or put in his mouth.
"Yeah, it's a lot to chew on, Chip," I say. "Let's get started."
 
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