The Reluctant Baby Whisperer

Okay. I just have to give credit where credit is due. Honestly, I think I'm pretty good with babies. I babysat my first newborn when I was about 13 years old. I once walked a friend's screaming newborn for hours, with the poor little one suffering from an ear ache. I learned to soothe Makela when she was driving us all insane with undiagnosed reflux during her first few weeks of life.

But Joe -- he's just amazing. We had tried swaddling Charlotte a couple of times in the last few weeks, but she increasingly fought it, somehow getting her arms free and wiggling out of the receiving blankets. She also has spit out all of the pacifiers we've tried, not wanting to suck on anything other than our pinkies and my breasts. We'd given up, figuring she just didn't like either of these soothing techniques.

However, Charlotte has been pretty fussy the last couple of nights, and she refused to be put down all last night and was ONLY quiet when she was being held. It made for a long night. So tonight, Joe decided to take matters into his own hands. I was in the bathroom, and when I came out, he was finishing up the swaddling and promptly inserted a pacifier into Charlotte's mouth. He swaddled the way he did with Makela -- tight and cozy. Charlotte's arms were pinned to her sides, forcing her to focus all of her frustration on that passy. She fought it for a good while, and we did take her out to make sure her diaper was clean (it wasn't). After reswaddling and reinserting the passy, she quickly calmed down. Granted, she's exhausted after fussing all evening and resisting this forced relaxation, but it WORKED. We may have a few more nights of adjustment as she gets used to her new bedtime routine, but it's a good sign that she's currently sound asleep in the bassinet next to our bed.

Joe won't admit it, but he IS a baby whisperer. He's an only child. He's never done any babysitting, other than for Makela. But he's a natural, and I for one am impressed. One more reason to fall in love with him just a little bit more today....