75%

15

"Does this strap go over or under?" Sam asked pulling at a strip of nylon poking out if the car seat at weird places.

"The diagram says over and then we snap the pieces together. Here set him in." I instructed handing Olly over the car seat to Sam so I could fiddle with the straps. One of us were on either side of the car seat with our butts hanging out the doors while we tried to figure this thing out. Olly is cute and all but me having my own kids can wait.

Sam went to rest Olly in the seat and the little guy started arching his back and crying and throwing and absolute fit. We managed to let him wear himself out and get him buckled in after about twenty minutes. Yeah. Twenty. Minutes.

"You drive. I don't remember how to get out of here." Sam yelled over Olly. We moved the passenger seat all the way forward so Sam could sit in the back with Olly and took off as soon as possible.

During the entire time we were situating ourselves Olly was still crying. I was hoping he would calm down when we started moving but that was a no go. Sam tried everything we knew of but playing with him, feeding him, and even just ignoring him did nothing.

I was on my wits end and ten miles from the gas station where I had started driving when I reached one hand back and let him grip it and tried calmin him down like I had seen mom do with Joy.

"Hey baby, it's okaaaayyy. Yeah honey you're alright. You're alright." I cooed softly in a lofty voice. Almost immediately Olly stopped crying and reduced his noise to small whimpers. I kept up my soothing for a little while longer until I thought he was okay but immediately after I stopped his whimpering picked up.

"He likes your voice." Sam observed.

"Oh great" I cooed in the same tone I was talking to Olly, "so I get to talk like this till we get home."

"Try singing him a song." Sam suggested.

Normally I would NOT sing in front of people. I hate doing it. I feel like an attention whore. It's only done when asked to and provoked with alcohol and lots of persuasion. That shows you how desperate I was to get this baby to sleep.

"There's nothing to do here

So just lie and complain

Lying in bed at the hospital

Coming and going

Asleep and awake

In bed at the hospital

I've got one friend

laying across from me

I did not choose him

He did not choose me

We have no chance

Of recovering

Laying in hospitals

Joy and misery

Joy and misery

Joy and misery..."

I sang the rest of the song (hospital beds by Florence and the machine) keeping my voice soft and quiet (those are two different things. Ask your choir teacher) while I held onto Olly's tiny little hand.

"I think he's out" Sam whispered when I finished.

I waited, ready to start another song if necessary, but all was quiet.

"You never told me you could sing." Sam whispered leaning over Olly and resting an elbow on my seat.

"I don't like to do it in front of people..." I whispered back ducking my head a little bit in embarasment.