unload

A couple of initial tests with our two multiple-hand gifted papooses didn't go very well; despite waiting until the potential cargo appeared well-rested, well-fed, well-slept, clean and generally not in a wailing-just-because-he-can't-smell-his-mother mood he appeared to be made quite unhappy during the strapping-in process to the extent that the tests were swiftly ceased. There's still the twenty-foot-elasticated-wrap thing to be tried but I'd prefer to give the others a go first as they look significantly less likely to cause extreme overheating; straps can cause localised sweating and some airflow restriction but the wrap means you'd end up wearing several layers of warm-feeling fabric as well as a small heat-generating baby. After a relatively peaceful evening (including a chance for him to finally be observed via Skype by his aunt and incipient uncle (in the hope that he would perhaps stop staring out of the window long enough to pay attention to my sister's face so that he doesn't freak out when she visits next week) and the pleasing discovery that he appears to be able to be temporarily prevented from crying and nomming his hand even when he's just been milked-up by playing guitar at him) he started squealing inconsolably at quarter past ten when a drained Nicky was attempting to have a calming bath. As a last resort (though I was anticipating encountering some problems going for a walk with a screaming infant strapped to my torso (even around Leith)) we quickly stuck him in the least argh-it's-squashing-him-looking papoose, bobbed fruitlessly around the house once or twice then stepped outside, anticipating continuing wails but finding that a combination of the fresh (and mostly non-Seafield-smelling) air and gentle bobbing caused him to stop crying almost immediately and go straight to sleep, making no sound louder than his standard snoring/puffing sleeping-noises for the next half an hour. The sling thing will need a little bit of tuning so that I feel able to breathe normally without worrying that I'll squish him with the movement of my abdomen and my normal gait at my normal pace seems a little bit too impactful and head-wobble-making but it was otherwise successful enough that I'll attempt to take him along to the shop tomorrow evening to restock our fruit juice pile as long as my rucksack-straps don't clash with the sling-straps too much.