There was a point this afternoon when I was doing so many things at one time that I couldn’t even count them all, much less keep track of where I was in each one. That, I think, is a sign it’s time to back off. Maybe try to finish something. Yeah, that’s probably the only way out of the maze, when you’re in that deep. Find a door, any door, and scramoose.

In case you couldn’t tell, these things have been getting to me lately, even more than they should. Out of all proportion. When you’re juggling medicine balls and somebody tosses you a raw egg, you’re gonna get splattered. Every new task was the last straw, until somebody flicked another one at me.

But I found the antidote today. I’m in great shape tonight, and all it took was a little Aiden time. A wee dose of baby magic and I’m back on my feet with a smile on my face.

I took Tammy some popsicles this morning. It seems those are all she can digest these days, so I was happy to do it. (She also asked for deviled eggs, but my luck with eggs isn’t very good lately. Otherwise I might have tried making them.) I had to be in the neighborhood to deposit a (very small) check in the bank, so it was no problem picking up popsicles. In fact, it’s only about nine steps from the teller window to the frozen food aisle.

When I got to the house, Aiden was just barely waking up. When he opened his eyes and saw me, he gave me a wary little squint at first, but it didn’t take long for the smile to spread across his face. You know the smile. The one that makes him look as if he’s just discovered that the world is a beautiful place and that someone knows that he is the center of it all. (I guess you could call it a Sally Field moment.)

Soon we were jabbering and giggling at each other, and talking in complete sentences even. I don’t know if he really understood everything I said, or just pretended to, the way I did with him. I’m sure he knows what he means, even if it doesn’t exactly come out in standard English. It’s a charming little version of the language that he speaks, and if (as I suspect) his main objective is not conveying meaning but getting a laugh, he must have been gratified by his success.

And really, that’s all it took. Half an hour between spreadsheets to indulge my weakness for the youngest member of the family and his shining spirit. It got me out of the blue funk that’s been hovering around me for days and days. It’s just a good thing he was available for a consultation, or I’d still be slogging through the long hours with a frown instead of a smile.