Today, I got to watch the boys while Icie went shopping. Both of them were very obviously tired, and I was hopeful that they'd fall asleep so I could go play in the dirt (a.k.a. the garden). Raeford is notorious for fighting sleep until the very last minute, so I went with one of the few things we've found that works for getting him to take a nap during the day: putting in a movie. (I suppose it's debatable whether we're horrible parents for letting him watch tv at all or great parents because we found something that works. Evenings are ridiculous when Raeford doesn't get a nap.)
When Raeford calms down enough to watch a movie, he usually enjoys snuggling right up next to someone. It's rather nice. He wasn't having any of that today though. No cuddling, no laying down, no leaning, nothing that would suggest he might fall under the power of sleep in the foreseeable future. He had a very defensible position on his corner of the couch, but the somnolent onslaught already left him numb and staring straight ahead. I didn't have my phone handy for those early expressions of defiance, but I did manage to catch those last moments before Raeford finally succumbed.
His brother, of course, had no fear of going down. He was absolutely sure he would rise again, and didn't even fight off the nap. He saw sleep coming and stayed as happy as ever. One minute he was sitting and playing. The next, he leaned back and fell asleep, fist still raised in mid-cheer.
After giving Raeford some time to be sure he had left the land of the conscious, I rearranged him to be a little more horizontal.
It might not have actually made him any more comfortable, but I felt better. It's noteworthy that he ended up in pretty much the same position (and state) as Joe.
Quietly, I slipped outside, got my shovel and rake, and started digging in the backyard...
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