"Love is a pressure I can bear."

Tonight cousin Z spent the night with dg and wg. They were playing a game where they lifted up the mattress on end and let it fall on them. Sis said, "I don't know if you want them doing what they're doing." I said, "It's okay." Sis and fam left, except Z, and about 5 minutes later wg got clobbered and cried. A few minutes after that dg4 got clobbered and cried. Oh well, the important thing is that the borrowed child is unharmed and the others will heal.

dg was really struggling with the pain. I got him out of the bath and held him tight. He calmed down. It reminded me of when any of my kids were small and we'd swaddle them tight. We really learned the lesson one night when dg4 was new in the world.

It was late at night and dg wouldn't be comforted. A big, burly nurse came in, wrapped him (too?) tight and he quieted instantly. Swaddling. I learned to get good at it.

I also remember when km was 2ish. She always got bad ear aches and the doctors recommended we put tubes in her ears. They put her under while they performed the procedure. When she came to she was a disoriented, hysterical mess. She wanted her mom, she wanted me, she wanted her mom, she wanted me. Finally I grabbed her, held her close and tight and after a few seconds she calmed down and was okay.

There's just something comforting about being held tight I think. In the words of Eleanor of Aquitaine, "Love is a pressure I can bear."