Play date

Stasa had a play date with her friend, Henry, at Borders today. Henry and Stasa slept through most of their play date, so Henry's mom, Amy, and I had a chance to catch up and have coffee. After Amy and Henry left (they had to get ashes), Stasa and I went hunting for books. Stasa picked out 3 of my favorites - The Monster At The End Of This Book, Where The Wild Things Are and The Lorax. Sadly, there were no new Olivia books. And they didn't have Pee-ew! Is That You, Bertie? so we'll have to order that one.

What are your favorite children's books?

The Happiest Baby

When we took our Baby Care class we learned a few sleep tricks for babies - the 5 S's. These are from Dr. Karp's The Happiest Baby on the Block.

• Swaddle
• Side/Stomach Position
• Shushing Sounds
• Swinging
• Sucking

We even watched a video that showed Dr. Karp using these 5 S's to calm a screaming baby. And it worked. A small part of me still thought it was all for show. But, not anymore. As soon as I have Stasa in a tight swaddle, I put her on her side in the colic hold and starting swinging and shushing her (and nursing if she needs it) and she's out like a light. Amazing. I'm definitely buying Dr. Karp's book for more tips. God bless the 5 S's.