93.7

So Quinn has a cute (not really) new trick that she likes to try every time we get her in the carseat. It's called "iscreambloodymurderatthetopofmylungs". Or at least, that's what we're calling it. The whole thing drives me a little bit insane. She could have just eaten, burped well, and gotten a clean diaper and she'll scream the second she's in the seat. Or she will have just woken up from a nap and gotten clean--screaming. Then the next time, we'll be running out of the house late, it will be almost time to eat and she hasn't had a clean diaper in a little while--she's fine. UGH! It makes no sense. I can't figure out how to make her happy in the seat. I've all but resigned myself to the fact that the problem isn't anything but being strapped into a carseat. And neither myself, nor the police are going to let her out of that one.

Naturally, our trip to Greenville to clean out my classroom was the perfect time to practice her new trick. The trip back proved to be even better (insert eye roll). An hour from home she started wailing--had only eaten an hour before, clean diaper, no sun in her eyes, no regard for the headache I acquired as I drove away from SC crying. There's only so much that I can do for her while driving. Stopping isn't realistically an option in these situations--she just gets even MORE mad when I put her back in the seat to continue our trek. So I talked to her, I sang, and I begged. More screaming. The situation was spiraling out of control. I had to go for the gusto, pull out the big guns. I reached for the dash, turned on the radio, scanned until I found the perfect station and turned up the volume. 93.7 FM. What station is that you ask? It's not. Nothing. Just the perfect sound of fuzz. It calmed her almost instantly. As she got sick of that, I switched to music for a few seconds and then back to the fuzz. Eventually, the fuzz was enough to calm her completely--no more crying. Of course, I had to leave the fuzz on, but really that is SO much less annoying and stressful than the incessant screaming.

White noise is one of those great mommy tricks that I've learned. A radio tuned in between stations, the vacuum, a blow dryer (aimed away from baby, of course)--all wonderful sources of white noise. Wonderful, wonderful white noise.