Jump for my love

Success!!! We have been trying to find a place where Jacob is content to sleep or be awake that doesn't involve one of us pumping his bouncy seat to within an inch of his and its life at 4 am. He likes the bouncy seat just fine in that case but otherwise tolerates it for just a few minutes. He has a vibrating papasan that he likes...sometimes, for short periods. He has a borrowed swing that he likes...again, for short periods, about the length of a shower. He has his car seat that he detests for any time at all unless actually driving in the car...including stop lights and stop signs. In short, nothing has worked very well for very long.

Enter the used Graco Swing and Bounce, courtesy of Craigslist. Sure, it's a bouncy seat with serious vibration. But, more importantly, it's also a swing, with six speeds, three levels of adjustable incline, music, nature sounds, automatic timer, activity bar, and even a tray with additional activity items attached and a place for more. And, most importantly, Jacob LOVES it. I mean, love, love, love! I don't recognize the patient, content-to-be-on-his-own child he is when he gets in that swing. Most importantly of all, he falls asleep in it without complaint when it's nap time, sleeps for a decently long chunk of time and wakes up HAPPY! I am shocked and awed and simply overwhelmed at the change this will make in our days and nights. I've decided that all these methods for inducing baby sleep (the EASY Method, the SLOW method, the 5 S's, etc etc etc) are really spelled G-R-A-C-O. Hurrah!

Now, don't get me wrong or send out the parent police. I am not planning on sticking him in this thing with zero human contact or visual or aural or oral stimulation or plenty of play time with me. No indeed, this is not the way things will work. I am, however, going to take him directly to his swing when it's time for his naps, which he otherwise will avoid entirely. Consider yesterday as an example: between 6 am and 2 pm, Jacob slept a grand total of 2 hours. That's it. That is not sufficient for a baby, and he was miserable, all red-eyed and cranky and disconsolate but stubbornly keeping his eyes open no matter what happened. And the husband and I with no recourse in these instances.

But not any more, thanks to the soon-to-be-much-beloved Bounce and Swing. Ah, Graco, how I love thee!! (And Jacob, too, of course!)