Monday, March 16, 2009

Fussing

All babies fuss now and then (I think). Abby is no exception. When she's fussy, we play a game called "guess what Abby wants." Depending on how sleep deprived I am, it's either fun or frustrating. Basically, the game consists of finding the perfect combination of sounds, posture, and movement:

Sounds

the soothing sound of water filling the bathtub at extremely high volumes.
the vaccum.
the little jungle like sounds of the swing.
my horribly off key singing voice.
daddy's wonderful Ryan Adams impersonation.
the dryer.
the furnace.

Postures
in the swing.
over your shoulder.
lying in your arms true baby style.
in a straight line away from your body.
prostrate on the couch.
tucked in one arm like a football.
lying on the incredibly dirty doggy bed (I only did this once--I was desperate, and it worked)

Movement
bouncing up and down on the yoga ball.
jiggling up and down as you walk.
bouncing on your knee.
rocking in the rocking chair.
twisting from side to side.

You can see how it might take a while to calm her down. Sometimes I hit on the correct combo right away (e.g. holding her over my shoulder while singing loudly in her ear and standing next to the dryer) but other times it takes two hours. One day while Olivia was here I found myself walking around vacuuming while holding her like a football. Worked like a charm. Since Olivia was here we got a picture.

3 comments:

Bonnie said...

My Mom did the same. I'm still soothed by the sound of the vacuum.

Unknown said...

First of all--CONGRATULATIONS from the Laurents of FL! I wish I could come and be a surrogate auntie. I've been helping out with a Mom who just had triplets and has a 2 and 5 year old at home.
Fun, fun! You are doing so wonderful with the little darling. I have had some parents tell me that the Dunstan Baby Language video has been very helpful in figuring out what the crying means. Also, we teach the FlexHold with new parents. Chad always loved the vacuum & the dryer--he was my biggest fussy crier. I so enjoy the pictures!
Thinking of you. pidgemama

Wise Woman said...

SO familiar to any Mpther (or GMA), or GTGMA.) Sire;y wish I could hold her for you. We loved the pictures of her with "Auntie O". Cute name, by the way! That is an unusual swing - not at all like we used to have. GEPA and I can't figure out how it works, but if it works, great! You are doing great - yes, she will fuss quite a lot, but just wait until she is 6-plus months and is beginning to want to be involved with life. Then she fusses because she is bored! Thank you so much for the pictures. We always hope they are there when we open your blog. Love all 3 of you. GMA