In Which I Discover it is Possible to Rock my Baby to Sleep

So if you recall a previous post, I explained that I needed to strap James down to get him to go to sleep. Like, in his swing, carseat, or stroller.

Well, while I was on vacation, and unable to fall back on my swing. . . I was forced to learn to rock my baby to sleep. And DAMN IT IS HARD TO DO, but it is possible, and it actually only takes 15 mins (unless he is in pain from teething, or not quite tired enough, or constipated, or he sneak pooed and I have yet to notice it or something, in which case it can take 30 mins or longer sometimes).

BUT for the most part, it can be done in 15 mins. But it's like . . .

5 mins in which the baby screams, thrashes, kicks his feet at you, scratches, bites, claws your eyes and mouth, cries, etc.
5 mins in which he does all of these things with less gusto, with moments of calm mixed in
5 mins in which he is calm and more and more appears to be asleep

I honestly wish I could have a video of this because it's really ridiculous.

And finally he is really asleep and it is possible to transfer him onto his side on a bed or in a pack and play, and then to sort of shake him there for a second, and finally you can leave.

So now having discovered this I am pleased to find myself developing more self-efficacy with getting him to sleep, in different locations and bed situations.
Now I rarely have to resort to crying-it-out, because I really did hate it . . . for over a month now we've been rocking our hearts out! Better than CIO, but it's still hard, and teething makes it worse. I need to do a whole (other) post on teething, too.

Behind

I hate when I haven't been blogging enough because nothing is explained . . . I can't figure out where to start with how much he has changed, what our life has been, what has been going on. Maybe it's the new normal for the weeks to fly by like a flip-book. Can't believe my boy is nearly 10 months old--time to start planning a first birthday party?! Crahazy!

9/11?

So I feel like I have to comment but I'm not even sure what to say . . . everything is cliche. Or maybe I want really to say the opposite of all the cliche things?

I think mostly today of the families that lost someone . . .

It sucks that the events of that day have gotten us into wars in multiple countries since then

and turned our society suspiciously against itself ...

made our foreign affairs into a crusade for the religion of the "free"

But no one can be free when there is war in their homeland
And still no peace exists there
Despite many lives given on both--every--side

So I hope for the future

May I one day live in a world in which we truly care for each human...feed their needs and heal each wound, seen and unseen

I hope I see it