There are many many things I have learned since becoming a parent and one of the most important items is how to put a child to sleep.  It sounds easy in itself and typically the routine needs to be changed every couple months but I’m confident in saying I’m pretty good at it right now.  I can usually calm Olivia down by rocking her slowly in her chair with soft music playing in the background.  You might feel anxious at the first moment to lay her down but doing so prematurely could prove to be disastrous.  By putting her down to soon, you risk her waking up and becoming more angry that she was tricked – no good and usually results in you having to start your routine all over again.  No no, there is a subtle art where you have to let her nuzzle in, let her turn her head back and forth a dozen or so times until you finally feel her little body get heavy.  At this point, you can’t just put her in her crib and stomp off.  With the most fluid steps, you lay her down slowly and tip toe with as little noise as possible out of her room.  You then proceed downstairs to the liquor cabinet where you pour yourself a big ol’ glass of wine and do a little happy jig.  That my friends is skill and yes, I’m bragging.