The Tango

There is a number in the musical Rent where a woman's ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend discuss the woman's mercurial yet alluring manner. The woman's name is Maureen, and the song is called "The Tango Maureen." The song is about how Maureen puts her lovers through the paces -- and keeps them coming back for more. Well, that song has been in the back of my head the past few nights as Gus has taken the proverbial two steps back in his sleep development. Faithful readers of this blog know that recently, I lauded the little Gus Man for his new found affinity for sleeping through the night in his crib. Well, the past few nights, Gus has decided to put the "No" in No-Doz, and has rebuffed our efforts to put him down. He will quiet down for us, and reach the state of sleep, or something near it, but as soon as you put him down, his head will pop up, and he lets out an indignant cry as he looks around for the person responsible for imprisoning him in his crib. So then, you pick him up, and Gus nuzzles in and lets out a contented sigh that makes you melt. Gus then starts to drift off to sleep . . . so what do you do, you put him in the crib, and sure enough, the head pops up and we start again. Frustrating? To be sure. But Gus makes it hard to stay that way what with all the snuggling. Emily and I are dancing the Tango Gus. We put him down, and hope that he's going to be good for the night and then spring up when he hollers. "And you toss and you turn . . . and you yearn and you churn -- and rebound." Hopefully this is just a phase. Mom and Dad are far too wimpy to employ the crying it out method, at least for now. Other than this, Gus is a happy little baby boy. Here is a recent picture of the little man smiling for his Mom: