Page 58 of Full Strength

“Sometimes babies need a certain blanket or a pacifier or something. Does he have something special that he always wants?”

“Not really. Not that I’ve seen.”

“Check and see if he has a pacifier in the diaper bag.”

I picked the bag off the ground and sat it on the couch so I could dig through each compartment. “Good grief! How much can you fit in these things?”

He laughed on the other side. “You have no idea. Those things are like Mary Poppins’ bag.”

I dug around until I found a pacifier and tried to give it to Eli, but he kept closing his mouth and shaking his head.

“I don’t think he wants it.”

“He doesn’t feel warm or anything, right?”

I felt his cheeks in forehead. “No but his little face is getting red from screaming.”

“None of his clothes are too tight or anything right? Sometimes if something is pinching them, they’ll get mad.”

I slid my finger around his pant legs and waist. “No, it all seems fine.”

“Okay, so nothing is pinching him.” I could picture him going through a list of possibilities.

“Do you think I should call Addi?”

“No no no. You’ve got to prove that you can be responsible. That you know how to take care of a baby.”

“But I don’t.”

“We can figure this out. There are only so many possibilities.”

I shook my head and looked down at Eli. I hated that he was so worked up. “I know, little man.”

“It’s hard when they get sad. Does he have little tears in his eyes?”

I sighed. “Yeah man. It’s the worst! Normally when he gets fussy, I take him and he calms down.”

“So, you’re getting past the pretty side of parenthood.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Sometimes babies calm down when there’s a scene change or when someone else takes them, but don’t get too cocky. I don’t think it’s you. I just think that it’s a relief to be away from Mom. He’s just as stressed out as you are.”

I took a couple deep breaths trying to calm down. He was right. Whenever Addi was stressed you could tell that Eli’s crying got more and more out of control. I was the fresh, calm one and maybe that’s why I was always able to settle him down.

“Do you think he’s tired?” Zach finally asked.

“Well he was sleeping when he got here, but he’s been awake for probably about two and a half hours.”

“That’s a while for a six-month-old. It could be that maybe he’s just tired. Try rocking him a little bit.”

I slowed my movements from bouncing to gently swaying side to side and whispering to him.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. You can calm down.”

Zach laughed on the other end. “He sounds like he’s calming down a little bit.”

“Yeah hopefully this is working.”