Our nascent parenting skills have been very much on display these last 2 weeks. I’ve had aunts, cousins, friends and in-laws of every description witness our attempts to feed, clothe, bathe and soothe Eleanor. Everyone has only ever been encouraging. If anything, I crave (helpful) advice and appreciate any suggestions on how to accomplish these tasks. Not surprisingly, I feel I need the most advice on how to soothe Ellie when she’s a screaming mess of baby.
Last Tuesday evening, Ellie decided she was deeply, deeply unhappy despite being fed, cuddled and freshly diapered. Sure she was tired but crying seemed to come easier to her than sleeping despite our best efforts. Aunt Pat had put together a lovely dinner for us so there was some pressure to quiet the screaming child and enjoy the meal and guests. In order to spare Pat and dinner guests the sorrowful, grating sounds of our the daughter in distress, we carried out our soothing efforts in the front yard and street. Pat lives on a particularly friendly and neighborly street where everyone knows her and almost everyone knows us.
It made for a charming play:
Tree-lined Fairfield Street in North Toronto. Almost every front yard is filled with residents in Adirondack chairs enjoying the cool evening weather.
Act 1: Daniel emerges from Pat’s house holding a screaming Ellie in a tight inner-arm hold that usually works within seconds to calm the baby. Daniel walks up and down street with neighbors offering sympathetic looks. Baby screams and Daniel goes back inside.
Act 2: Daniel re-emerges from house with screaming child in tan-colored sling. Enjoys more sympathetic looks from neighbors. 2-3 lengths of the street are ineffective at calming baby.
Intermission: Inside, parents consult and express despair that the always dependable sling has failed to quiet child. Ellie cries.
Act 3: Emily emerges from house with baby in paisley-patterned sling. Walks up and down street receiving more sympathetic if slightly puzzled looks from neighbors. Neighbors suggest many methods already attempted (feeding, drive in car, rocking). Although usually open to advice, a frustrated Emily returns to house with crying baby who now sounds like a lamb being slaughtered. Emily feels like crying.
Act 4: Emily re-emerges from house wearing baby in complicated appearing Moby wrap and paces up and down street. Emily has a wild, desperate look about her. Neighbors stifling laughter: “What next?” they wonder. Moby wrap does not work. Baby cries. Defeated, Emily returns to Pat’s house and removes Eleanor from 18 feet of carefully-wrapped cotton. Suddenly, Eleanor stops crying and tolerates being put in her bouncer. Then proceeds to be remarkably delightful dinner guest until bedtime.
How she didn't look
But that was Tuesday and, with babies, nothing lasts for long. Ellie was a dream in the car yesterday and slept for 2-3 hours at time. We only had to stop 3 times for a meal and diaper change. I did, however, have to climb in the back seat and feed her a bottle of pumped breast milk while stuck in traffic on Lake Shore drive, mere miles from home. Right now she’s being lovely and smiley and all-round delightful. She has also decided that her swing is no longer a pastel-colored instrument of infant torture.
As for me, today I went to Fleet Feet and bought a new jogging bra to accommodate recent changes. Tomorrow, I run.
Well – all I know is that Eleanor was a treat to be around – crying and all. The fact that I could entertain her (with the aid of the bouncer of course!) and eat at the same time was lots of fun!
Wish, I wish, our schedules would have lined up!
Did you ever hear the Old Man River trick? Apparently, babies love chest resonance, and so humming/singing Old Man River (Dads especially) is supposed to be screaming baby balm.