Hell Freezing Over

After a rocky start, things have cooled down here between the petulant child and the over bearing mother. It must have been a combination of the torrential rain and a happy Zahra that helped ease the tensions from the day before.

We spent the day shopping after a morning of showers here in Asheville. My mom bought tons of stuff for the Seijezzali family, including an overhaul of items for the kitchen area. We also hit up the downtown Tailgate market. It was fantastic! Fresh veggies, breads and meats everywhere at reasonable prices from local farmers. We picked up some freshly caught fish (the guy drove in from the Carolina coast this morning with Tuesday night's catch on ice) for our sushi night.

The next great bit of news involves the sleep progress of Z. After a busy day, she was ready for sleep at about 7:45. After a good feeding and our night routine, I took Z and gently laid her on her crib. I patted for about 30 seconds as she wailed away. Then, instead of leaving the room, I decided to lay down next to her crib, below her eye sight so she couldn't see me. This was at 7:51. I laid there and waited until 7:56 when I would begin to pat again. Right as I was slowly moving up, she ceased crying almost instantly! I laid there as stiff as a board, tense with anxiety. Would she resume her tantrum? Seconds stretched into minutes and her slight sucking sounds dissipated. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of her face and there it was. A beautiful angel snoozing easily in her bed. I proceeded to slink out of the room and went straight to Shannon and told her the whole story.

I can see why this is such a happy moment for parents. If Z can continue to go down this easy, I will count my blessings every day!

As for abuela, I have to remember that we are like two peas in a pod. Our controlling selves conflict like two chiefs fighting for power. I need to remember my Taoist teachings and realize the more I try to hold onto something, the more I lose my grip. Just ride that positive energy and let the cool head prevail. Let's hope the rest of the stay works like this.