W had the kids at daycare yesterday and they had called and left a message on my phone about something naughty D3 had done. By the time I had gotten the message and called back, W was already there and picking the kids up for the day. After briefly talking to the daycare owner about the sitch, the owner asked if W and I wanted to talk about how we should address this with D3. We agreed to, and when W got on the phone she says in a happy and joking way, "Well, it sounds like your daughter is getting into trouble again!" I responded in kind with, "Oh, I see! It's always funny to me that she's my daughter when she's being the troublemaker!" To this W gives her cute little giggle that she used to do when we were together (I miss it so much!). We then talked about what we could do to address the problem with D3, came to a decision, talked about some other stuff (see below), and then said goodbye.
The reason I bring this interaction up is because W hasn't joked like that with me since we separated 8 months ago, and only giggled like that once since then. In addition, that particular joke was always a loving joke that W played on me whenever our daughter was being naughty. I don't know if it says anything more than the fact that W is getting more comfortable communicating with me, but what I do know is that I sure liked it.
During the phone discussion, W also asked me if she could drop the kids off with me early in the morning because she had to work really early again. I instead offered to pick them up so she wouldn't have to waste 40 minutes of time driving, and the kids could also sleep in a little more. She asked if I was sure, and I said, "Yeah, that's fine." So we decided on me being there at 5:30 to pick them up. When I got there I was friendly and upbeat, joked with the kids, offered to take all the bags to the truck so W didn't have to. W said thanks a couple of times to the fact that I came there to get the kids and saved her some time, to which I replied, "Sure, no problem." I finished strapping in the kids, and we all waved goodbye to W as I drove off.
I felt good about all of this, and actually met one of my goals: "W will laugh and do her little giggle at times when we communicate -- to show me that she is comfortable when around me."
