I remember the day like it was yesterday.  Our 11 month old was a cranky mess.  It was December, so I assumed he was coming down with a cold, or teething – again.  But the cold never came and the cranky remained.  For 3 days we tried everything to make him stop fussing.

• We went for car ride at night time because OH THE TEARS.
• We walked in the stroller because -“maybe he’s bored.”
• We read books and sat in laps
• We watched shows – maybe he needs more stimulation
• We watched no show – maybe he’s over stimulated
• We fed him more – maybe he’s growing
• We fed him less – maybe his tummy was hurting
• We put him down for an early nap – maybe he’s tired
• We put him down for a later nap – maybe he’s sleeping too much.

It went on and on and on, you get the picture.   What never occurred to us, what we never read in any of those 1000 books new parents read, is that maybe he was actually growing, intellectually.  Maybe he was simply stretching his mind instead of his body…..

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