daddy’s magic arms

Increasingly more commonly lately, baby dude has been fighting sleep.  Sometimes I can put him down for a nap or for the night with no problems at all.  Other times, he arches his back and cries and flails and screams and (if it gets really bad) he even gurgles on the back side of the sobs (kind of a “gugugugug” noise–a tragic version of popeye’s laugh).  Or other times, he just refuses to lie in my arms and pushes himself up into a sitting position and reaches for ANYTHING in reach that might possibly delay naptime.  At times like these, I have to make a decision–is he really just not sleepy?  Or is it time to call in the daddy?

J has the magic touch when it comes to putting the boy to sleep.  Granted, our friends who were parents before us could probably have told you that fact long ago–their babies often fell asleep easily in his arms.  But it doesn’t seem to matter if I’ve been trying for five minutes or fifteen to get baby dude to sleep.  Invariably, when Jay comes up and bounces him, he falls asleep (sometimes in less than a minute).  He’s tried to explain it to me, as though it’s just a matter of posture or how you hold baby dude’s legs or how deeply you bounce him,  but I know better.  Daddy’s arms feel safe and secure.  His heartbeat is soothing.  Heck, even I feel cozy when he hugs me.  And our son has felt the same way since the first time his daddy held him in his magic arms.