its official

we are going to keep him. yes, there is a light at the end of the perpetual baby fussiness tunnel.

mason's moments of crying are becoming shorter and shorter and some (dare i say it?) have actually been replaced with laughter. laughter! oh the joy. not only do we love our little boy to pieces, we even like him now! (ok, so we always liked him, but if you are a mom of a fussy little baby, you know what i mean...)

baby smiles, coos, and laughs are definitely worth blogging about. now if only we could do something about that sleep...

yes, that's right, i have yet another baby who is allergic to sleep. i am convinced that someday, some brilliant scientist (maybe one of my own children) will discover this "syndrome" from which my children suffer. it is most likely genetic since each of them have been afflicted with it. i will then feel validated.

and yes, in answer to the annoying question "have you tried....?" yes. i have. i have read the baby whisperer, first-time mom, babywise (although i'm quite sure the author of that particular book is a nazi who doesn't even like children), the happiest baby on the block (ha! not at this house), and just about every entry that comes up when i google "how to make my child sleep before i lose my mind!" while these books seem to work for most people (especially those annoying ones who have perfect children who sleep well and then assume its because they have all the answers), they don't work for me.

therefore, i am writing my own book. the title is, whatever works - the tried and tested methods of a sleep deprived mother.

for mason, the only thing that works for sleep is the baby strait-jacket/swaddler (thank you bobo), the side-to-side swing (again, thank you bobo), and the vent fan above my stove (thank you GE). all of these things combined and i am often fortunate to get a good 2 hours of sleep out of the little man. awesome.

i am also working on other chapters in my book... "what to do when your baby decides they are too good for the pacifier" "never underestimate the fun of bouncing and shushing while standing in a pitch black bathroom with the fan on" "the temptation of driving off a cliff to escape infant screaming" "the fear of bullies and the smallest child on the playground" and "i'll have a tummy-tuck with my c-section, please"...

i'll let you know when you can place your advance order on amazon. but until then, a few more pics of our now happy baby...