Well, last night offered up an unexpected turn of events
Ravi arrived sweetly content, and as always, our hearts melted with love
She was due for a feeding, so Steven prepared her bottle while
Our cousins oo'd and ahh'd over our adorable, two month old granddaughter
And all was well until the bottle was empty at which time
Ravi burped and rather than smiling, she began to cry, which
Is quite unlike her when her tummy is full and her diaper dry
Since her cries grew more strained throughout the evening
And since Steven is a new dad and since
Celina was home, catching up on much needed rest
And since I've not soothed a distraught two month old child for
Close to four decades, let me fill you in on every attempt to
Remedy Ravi's distress in hopes of easing her discomfort, which
Produced persistant wails, throughout the evening:
First we resorted to back patting to induce another bubble to burp
When that was not forthcoming (and having learned that
Ravi does not like being wet), we checked her diaper, again
When she adamantly refused her pacifier, time after time
We took turns placing her on her tummy, over our knees and
More back patting ensued in hopes of coaxing bubbles to release
When that didn't do the trick, we'd turn her on her back and
Ministered gentle leg pumps in hopes of
Releasing bubbles from her tummy in any way possible
This was followed by taking turns walking her, to no avail
After about half an hour, having done everything we could think of
Except turning her upside down, we wondered about a growth spurt and
In hopes of assuaging her wails, we offered our distraught little one
Another ounce or two of formula, which she inhaled as eagerly as if
No one had thought to feed her for hours, and
Then, as if someone had pushed rewind, the entire scenario repeated, repeatedly
All told, Ravi was beside herself throughout the evening, and
While we wondered aloud about gas pains or constipation
Not one of the six adults (two of whom proved to be
A doctor and nurse), was able to pinpoint or mollify her distress
(BTW, in addition to being a nurse, my cousin is
A mother of four and grandma, eight times over) ...
We reassured Steven, who had never seen his
Sweet, little munchkin exhibit distress, for hours, for reasons unknown, that
Nary a babe is born, who does nothing but eat, pee, poop, smile and sleep
That just as with life and love, in general, parenting draws mystery into our lives
Much to Steven's credit, he kept calm as the hours passed, while
Offering his child plenty of TLC
Thank goodness, Ravi quieted right before she was placed
In her car seat when Steven deemed it time to
Drive the short distance separating their home from ours
As to Ravi's night, I have no clue, as of yet, if
Whatever had ailed this sweet, little person settled down on its own ...
Right now, it's 6AM, and I'll not chance awakening parents, who
May have experienced a challenging, wakeful night with their child
So—having offered you this detailed account of last evening and
Knowing full well that it's been our good fortunate, over
These past two months, to care for a winsome infant, who
Had not experienced hours of relentless distress
Here is my question in hopes of planning ahead, should
Ravi's discomfort prove unrelieved, again:
Is there anything you would have tried that we'd missed?
PS—Heard from Steven at 10AM ...
Glad to relate that having tired herself out, Ravi slept through the night, suggesting
You can't believe everything you see written on a tee shirt :)
BTW, are you aware of what just happened as naturally as I'd surmised?
Life took an unexpected turn, and
My besotted frame of mind had need of no urging to
Open its door to release and make use of
Brain-storming, solution seeking skills, again ...
And as, by now, it's second nature for me to request help when
My think tank proves stymied ...
The problem-solving portion of my mind opened, naturally, in hopes of
Absorbing any tidbits of experiencial advice that you may suggest in hopes of
Creating change for the better, as the future unfolds, for us, all
Your friend,
Annie
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