Sunday, July 31, 2011

Summer scarf sportin', complete with tears


When we first started using the Amby bed with Junior, some gawked and asked incredulously, "You let your baby sleep in that thing?" Some called it a sack and behaved as if we'd suspended our child from a rusty nail in the basement. Still others whispered that Chuck and I were hippies on acid who snubbed cribs because of a rectangular regime phobia.

Don't trust the rectangles, man.

I never cared what they said. I loved the Amby bed and credited it with getting Junior to sleep a blissful 11 hours a night (the sleep benefits of gentle rocking have even been scientifically proven).

Sure we had our hurdles to cross when trying to get Junior out of his beloved Amby bed after he reached the maximum weight capacity (my mother actually begged us to go to Home Depot so we could build a bigger version) but we were happy to use it again with Diddlydoo.

But these second kids, they have a mind of their own don't they? Fricken Diddlydoo doesn't just lie there like Junior did. At seven months he's already learned to roll and crawl. Hell, he'll probably be asking for the car keys sometime next week.

This doesn't bode well for the Amby bed. Once your tot rolls over he's outta there.

So I'm packing it up today and putting it away. Selling it, maybe, on ebay (autographed Amby bed anyone? Just $1,000!). Saying good-bye.

(Can you hear my sniffling?)

I'm also packing away the pink scarf that we, um, tied to the top of the Amby bed so we could swing the bed from the mid-slumber comfort of our bed (hey, our friends used to give theirs a gentle kick with their foot).



I'll never look at that scarf the same way again, and I love that. There were times when Diddlydoo would fight a nap and I'd want to strangle myself with the scarf. Times when my mother would catch me pulling on the scarf when trying to catch a nap and she'd snort and call me crazy. Times when Junior would race into the room and start tugging on the scarf, swinging the bed like it was a milkshake maker and then ask, "Is my brother in there?"

I love all of that. I love that motherhood has forever changed what was once a plain old pink scarf into a museum of memories.

Added bonus: the pink scarf is now sufficiently stretched to adorn the necks of two people or one giraffe, whichever the occasion calls for.

What's better than that?

You can't think of anything can you?

I didn't think so.

P.S. If you are a fellow Amby Bed lover, the company recently introduced product enhancements to its Amby Motion Bed in response to a voluntary recall.

11 comments:

Babymomma said...

Goodness. Never heard of that thing. I feel as though I missed out. I resorted to sleeping next to mine and popping a boob in her mouth to get her back to sleep, which I'm still doing...

brokenteepee said...

If Diddley Doo is anthing like my brother (a second child) I'm very, very sorry.

I send you goat hugs. Lots and lots of goat hugs. You will need them

VandyJ said...

Second kids are definitely different than first kids. I know there would have been serious doubts if my first was like my second.
I think that bed sounds great. Alas we had to make do with traditional beds.

Frogs in my formula said...

Babymomma, I never would have heard of the Amby bed either if our friends hadn't lent us theirs after we had serious sleep troubles with Junior.

Stephanie in Suburbia said...

That thing looks weird, I'll give you that. But Wee 'Burb spent the first 4 months of her life in her freaking vibrating chair. So I am in no position to judge.

BNM said...

Ive never seen that before! Im going to check it out its pretty cool :)

jo said...

I cried like a baby when our friends wanted theirs back, I could still squeeze my baby into it! it worked a treat, wish I'd had it for the first 2

Mama Badger said...

Meh, LG slept in his swing for the first 3 months. If they sleep, who cares? As long as they're safe. And how is this any different from people who keep their kids in a sling? Happiness is in the eyes of the mama holding...

Leanne said...

That's sad and sweet. I've honestly never heard of this type of bed, but hey, if it works, it is the BEST. But if you think second kids are mobile early? Have a third. I swear the older two wake them every night to teach them stuff just to drive you CRAZY. ;)

Jessica Heights said...

I've never heard of such a thing...but it looks like something my colicky baby would have enjoyed!

Anonymous said...

We used the Amby for 3 months. It always seemed strange that her feet were higher than her head. That never made sense to me. Also, it kind of listed to the left.

LO got to where she hated it, so we switched to a regular crib recently. Any chance for a refund? Even if they fix the problem, it's too late for us to go back to the hammock when she's used to the crib!



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