Welcome Summer, Welcome Mr. Cranky Pants

The summer heat has been tough on all of us, including John Michael.

Here he is trying to stay cool on the Boppy pillow. This pillow has become his favorite new place for naps. Since he has now started to fight his grogginess when he is sleepy, this pillow has been a godsend! 

Our pediatrician mentioned that most babies go through what is called a "Witching Hour," during which they cry for no apparent reason. Mike and I assumed that our baby would not be part of this statistic since he only seemed to cry when hungry or dirty...... we were wrong. The so-called Witching Hour starts at 6:30pm every night..... usually at around the time daddy gets home from work.

We have learned a few strategies to calm our crying baby....

1. The swing. This is a must in any parent's arsenal! John loves the lullabies it plays and being rocked to sleep doesn't t hurt either. How cute are those bunny ears!

 2. Swaddling. Swaddling usually works on its own, but on this special occasion he had to be put sideways and rocked. This still did not work, so we placed him in the swing. The swaddle and swing combo worked best this night.

 3. I had read in the "Daily Garnish" blog that her son was soothed by sucking on her finger. This works, but the trick is that you must leave your finger in the whole time or Mr. Cranky Pants makes an appearance. I modify the practice with a pacifier that has an opening for the finger. I should also mention that this bouncer was been more than helpful at soothing John.

4. Last night we were truly running out of options. None of our usual strategies were working. John is like his daddy and is always hot and the fussier he gets, the more sweaty he gets. I was apprehensive about bathing him at night, but this seemed to the trick. Here he hanging out in his whale bathtub.