Ginger, I got your e-mail, and thank you thank you thank you, in advance.

Some kind of bouncy swing always seems to be the miracle solution.

We got them a swing at Thanksgiving, and he doesn't really like it. Only stays in it for about 3-5 minutes at a time before he starts crying again.

They were told in their breastfeeding class that the Bjorn, and those like the Bjorn, cause hip displacement or something, because they're not really designed for infants. Or something like that.

Sling propaganda! I think they claim spine compression or something. Of course, if your large chest gets in the way of the sling, and your kid doesn't like it, it doesn't matter what the sling people claim, a sling is not the best option. (I spent a lot of time reading Mothering.com's boards. But then I realized that my eyes were in a constant state of rolling out of my head, so I quit.)

OH! You know what REALLY helped?

The Neglect-O-Matic.

The Empress and Empire gifted me with a Graco swing, because Aimee is AWESOME. Lillian totally dug it. I could put her in it, and she'd be happy as a clam for long enough for me to turn back into a human.

We got them a swing at Thanksgiving, and he doesn't really like it. Only stays in it for about 3-5 minutes at a time before he starts crying again.

Aww, that's a shame. It's one you can keep trying with, though. Most babies I've known hit a point where they start to groove on it.

I can't imagine working from home with a baby. The *only* reason I was able to study for the bar exam 6+ hours a day after Ellie was born is because my mom did everything but nurse her. She changed Ellie, got her dressed, read to her, walked with her, and made us lunch/dinner every day.

This reminds me that my mom is pretty awesome!

eta: Ellie liked different swings at different ages. We had a vibrating bouncy seat, a travel swing, and a swing that went forward/back and side to side. It seemed like a lot but she liked different ones at different times.

I don't think most people can do work from home that requires any kind of concentration with a baby.

DH can come into my office with a question and if I'm working on something codeish, I will not notice him ... for (because he is a dork and timed it and is luckily amused by these things) up to 30 minutes. Nor will I hear the phone ring, or the smoke detector going off (long story, involving the soldering of a pan to the burner). Thus, he quickly agreed with me when I brought the topic up.

Iris wasn't down with the swing, but oh those kids that are love it.

I love the mental image of Dillo with a balloon tied to his ankle. That is brilliant.

ok, so this morning, Iris woke up at the usual crack of dawn. We're gronky from just getting back late last night. I called down the hallway:"can you find a book to read?" and got foghorn blasted back with "I. ... CAN'T. ... READ!!!"

but then, amazingly, she did pick up a book and we stopped laughing and went back to sleep.

eta: Stephanie's mom rocks.

I can't imagine working from home with a baby. The *only* reason I was able to study for the bar exam 6+ hours a day after Ellie was born is because my mom did everything but nurse her.

One of my moms was actually there for much of the time that I was. She would never have gotten any work done otherwise, especially since she was also the one who insisted on things like boiling bottles endlessly and changing her newborn's diapers with nothing for cleaning but distilled water and cotton balls.

I called down the hallway:"can you find a book to read?" and got foghorn blasted back with "I. ... CAN'T. ... READ!!!"

I love this.

It just occurred to me, after years of have the same cleaning organization clean my house every three weeks, that perhaps I should leave some sort of Christmas tip. I don't always get the same crew, so I don't know how it would be distributed. I take baked goods to my hair salon for that purpose, but that's about it. What do y'all think?

I can't really afford a cleaning service, but without it, I'd be in danger of being a cautionary tale on the the news about the woman who was killed by a falling pile of trash.

From a way back:

My funeral? I want you all in black and sobbing. Hats! Veils! Gloves! Stand at my graveside and look like an old movie for me.

This is what I would want at my funeral also, if I ever were to die. (Yes, my plan involves Not Dying. No, I don't have all the details worked out yet.)

meara, I am very sorry you're encountering the infamous Seattle Nice thing. *I* want to hang out with you, but my schedule is currently insane.

I don't think most people can do work from home that requires any kind of concentration with a baby.

The boys didn't much care for the swing, but it worked for very limited amounts of time. Since I was a business owner I took the boys to work with me until they were finished nursing. (about 2 years) If they needed to be held and I had to be doing something else there were a dozen other arms available. Much of the time they were happy to be in a playpen in the middle of the store watching all the activity and getting attention from coworkers and customers. I know I was blessed to be able to have them with me.

I don't know when the needing to be held all the time phase ended, but they grew to be independent little boys and not the least bit needy.

Nighttime was a much bigger deal for me as I was sleep deprived for many years. No doubt I slept more with them in the room with me.

The cloth type soft carriers didn't work for me. Maybe because the boys were so crazy large. The more structured strappy deal worked better.