Who knew that the scientific process of forming hypotheses, testing them, and finding conclusions could be used outside of an eighth grade biology class! Sure, engineers and medical researchers may use these methods everyday, but a stay at home mom? Well that is exactly what I find myself doing on a regular basis. Joshua is crying. My mind races with possible reasons: dirty diaper (changed), hunger (fed), too hot (undress), too cold (redress). Finally, I hypothesize that he is tired, so I will try putting him to sleep. He is now in his very comfy crib...crying harder. So I form some new hypotheses. Maybe his crib is not as comfortable as Mommy's arms, or maybe the room is too hot, or it could be the death swaddle he is in, or maybe he wants a pacifier. Well, each of these hypotheses must be tested. After 30 minutes of more crying I found my conclusion: crying baby+pacifier=happy sleepy baby.
However, unlike the very predictable equations I learned in chemistry, this equation doesn't always work, because while you can control the variables in a science lab, it is impossible in the daily routine of an infant. So just when I think I've figured him out and give myself a big pat on the back...he starts crying again. I guess the only solid conclusion I've come to is there are no solid conclusions. Each day is a new and different day, and for this I am grateful, because I get to spend it with my favorite science experiment-Joshua Paul!
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