Rock-a-Bye Baby!

My Mom often tells the story of how Grandma (Dad's Mom) loves to rock babies using the full motion of the rocker, to the point that she was rocking one of us and tipped the chair right over. I've always got a good chuckle out of this story but never really understood it... until now!

I have a much greater apprecation for Grandma's rocking techniques now that I've had Mr. S. Here is his going to sleep ritual:

1. Tie him up in a blanket, some people use the word swaddle, but that does not do justice to how tight he has to be. When one little limb gets out (and he is practically Houdini) he'll be awake in mere minutes. So, this wrap job MUST be tight.

2. Place him up on our right shoulder (he doesn't like the left) and turn his head so he is nuzzled right in your neck.

3. "SSHHH" in his ear and this isn't a real quite gentle "sshhh" it's more the "I am in control and you ARE going to sleep" sound.

4. Now sit in a rocking chair and go for it -- with FULL gusto. This motion junkie requires the full range of motion the rocking chair is capable of PLUS some. You need to lean forward when the chair can't go forward any more to extend the motion. After he has started to settle into sleep you can gradually decrease the motion and WAH-LA... sleeping Baby!!

So now I only wish that I lived closer to my Grandma and that she was a bit more healthy because I know that she and Mr. S would make a great rocking duo!

First Haircut

I know I am way behind and should actually be posting about our Holidays but for some reason that feels too overwhelming.

Instead here is a quick one with S's first haircut! Thanks to my friend D. for helping me out in the new world of boy hair. My girls were also born with lots of hair but I was able to just let it grow and grow for a very long time! (Although it required a hair clip of some sort and I am glad I don't have to fix another head of hair everyday!)

Well, not so with Mr. S -- he was looking quite scraggly. Here is the before:



Pretty wild and unruly looking, with it curling around his ears and the start of a rat tail down the back.

Now for the after:



So much better, and what a smile, huh?!

I'm happy to report that it appears S. has turned the corner and is deciding it's not so bad being a baby and seems more content. Perhaps there really is something to being 3 months old -- whatever the reason, we'll take it!! This family has served our time with "colic" or whatever anybody wants to call the non-stop screaming and crying business!