Revolutions.

No, I didn't spell resolutions wrong. For me, I'm usually recycling resolutions I wanted to conquer years prior, so this is just another revolution of other years' attempts. But this year I'm not going to expect to really conquer the goal. I'm just going to be pleasantly surprised with each new week the goal is still being accomplished.

This year's goal is to wean myself from the world. To wean means to gradually withdraw from some object, habit, form of enjoyment, or the like. I like that definition because it's going to take all year. I love email, internet news , gaming, movies and music. These are not bad things if in moderation. But they certainly are time fillers and at this time in my life, I need to buy some time back. In fact, right now I would be better off budgeting time than money! Here is an example that illustrates the importance.

Every night Dill and I are parallel processing house work. On more than a few nights a week, only one of us is home and trying to get dishes done and keep the baby happy while getting the kids to clean their rooms and get ready for bed. On my shift, I am constantly walking back and forth from kids' rooms ( to rekindle the cleaning objective) to kitchen ( to clean the kitchen or wash baby bottles) to our bedroom (watch television). Isn't that STUPID!?! What is this strong draw to television? Where has my work ethic gone and my desire to be with my kids? How are they going to learn to work if I don't work with them? What on tv is worth the pacing, the nagging and the carpet wear I'm causing? What importance of television am I teaching my children that I must run to my room to watch between naggings? It's ridiculous and I know that. So that's my goal, stop caring so much about the world. I gain nothing from most of it. What gets me in hindsight is that I'm again having to temper it all at 32 years old when I've been on a mission and married a woman who daily personifies where our time should be spent. That should make it easier, shouldn't it?

Parenting 104.

It's 6:20am, and he's just settling down now. Do you want to know why? Because I've decided he's not going to settle down (Murphy's Law) and I'm going to have to multitask because just helping an infant fall asleep is a waste of time - I'm not stopping to smell the roses, right?

I thought we'd have to look for ways to be fascinated with #4. After all, he IS #4. We've already done this 3 times! Most professional basketball players retire way before championship #4. There are few subjects in college that take 3 subsequent quarters to learn.

But babying is different. Well, I'm sure the entire subject of parenting is different, but babying is probably the most exciting and interesting to watch. For example, for almost 3 weeks, I've been frustrated with communicating, "there's a pacifier in your mouth, you can stop searcing for it like a mad dog with foam, and start sucking!" That communication can go on for more than 45 seconds. That is an eternity when you're trying to keep the rest of the family to sleep and the two of you are getting more and more impatient with what should be a simple task. Well, having already bundled him up and put him in his own version of a California king (the car seat), I wasn't willing to undo my handy work of setting up a comfortable and virtual womb by picking him up. So I grabbed the whole car seat under one arm, the pacifier in the other hand, and rocked the car seat quickly while planting the pacifier. It worked like a charm and has repeatedly worked this morning when he inadvertently drops it while falling asleep (I've got your back, Lil' Tommy). He'll even stop shaking his head in search for the already well placed pacifier, feeling the giant movements below him. It turns out, he just needs one of us to be moving. I think we'd both rather I do it. Oh, but if I showed you this action in the center of Mom's living room, with you all gathered around on her couches, chairs and the tile step down, you'd be busting a gut right now at what I'm willing to do, so this pacifier planting happens quicker. So while no words have passed between my son and me, we're already starting to understand each other.

But that's just it. Every kid's different. Never tried this with Maggy, Jojo or Chewy. What's great about Parenting 104 is that we do have a lot of experience. So we'll let him struggle a little to get comfortable now instead of getting up for every noise. We aren't afraid of what could happen as much because we've been through this before.

And there's no more mastitis. Not yet you say? Actually, Danielle's officially "dry" as of last night. I won't go into what that entails, but suffice it to say, she's received closure for the longing to nurse, and for the first time, after three tough classes (parenting 101, 102 & 103), she loves feeding her infant (yeah, she nursed in the hospital, but that's where it ended too). I am so relieved. Of course we know nursing is better for the baby, but fortunately, modern technology is an acceptable substitute considering the alternative. Frankly I'm proud of her for accepting how her own body works, while patiently ignoring a tidal wave of advice and a deep, intrinsic desire to physically nurture.

I can now feed the baby as much as she can so she's getting more sleep than the last three babies. That may not be an advantage in my direction, but our days are much brighter and those are sweet smelling roses.

Hey Mom, what goes on in Parenting 106?