instincts and stinks

Something wonderful: The Moro reflex. I love this as it is such a cool piece of our evolutionary history. Primates evolved in the trees and it is a pretty recent change in our locomotory history that moved us out of 'em. Falling out of trees is the biggest cause of death for most primate babies. So, there is pretty intense selection for babies who instinctively do something to help mom grab them easily when they start to fall. Flailing your arms and legs straight out stiffly would seriously increase the odds that you could be caught as it provides lots of things to grab. M is so freaking cute when she does this. She gets this really serious look on her face too like, "are you going to catch me?!". I always hold her arms tightly, get really close and reassure her that I will always catch her and would never let her fall out of the tree...

Something sucky: I can't seem to wash that sour milk smell out of our clothes and blankets -- my regular laundering technique doesn't do it (cold water, dreft). So, everything smells like sour milk. Not my favorite scent, in fact I find it pretty yucky. Any advice?

Something sort of philosophical: When baby world gets crazy and you are getting really frustrated and approaching the edge or losing it, start laughing (even if you don't mean it). The hormones that come with laughing really help to dissipate the anxiety. I find that I end up sincerely laughing at myself and the crazy situation. (bonus: if dh thinks i am not freaking out it keeps him from freaking out, which can be really ugly)