Sweet Baby

This is what I love on all day long.  

This Time, Last Year

Last year at this very same time, Brad and I were lying on a beach somewhere in Maui.  We had our own little beach bungalow just a few feet from the water, and we'd just camp out there all day and read or sleep or go for a dip in the ocean.  Every few hours some nice hotel employee would come over with fresh ice water and pineapple.  We slept and ate and slept and ate some more.  We were alone together and we were happy.   It was paradise.

This time, this year, we are running in circles around Baby Paige.  We hardly even have time to look at each other and carry any kind of conversation before one of us is up doing something for Paige.  We are tired and covered in spit-up. We are never alone together.  

Oh how things have changed.

Rock-a-bye Baby?

The other night, after I had finished the 3am feeding with Paige, she just wouldn't fall back to sleep.  I tried to just leave her alone to see if she would put herself to sleep, I tried the pacifier, I tried to see if she was still hungry, I tried to lull her back to sleep in my arms, all to no avail.  After about an hour and a half of that, I sleepily nudged Brad and told him it was his turn.  He said he would take care of it, and out the bedroom door he went at around 4-something.  I dozed off, expecting him to come get me to feed her again around 7-ish, her usual four hour stretch.  So when I woke up and saw that it was almost 10am I was wondering what happened. . . did he give her a bottle so I could sleep. . .were they still alive. . . what???  He said no, that she slept that whole time, to which I said, "Huh?"  I am totally perplexed at this point.  How did he do it?  He said six fateful words, "I put her in the swing."

You see, my little Paige decided this past week that she doesn't want to stay asleep between feedings in the middle of the night, and it makes for a very tiring next day.  I avoided the temptation of putting her in the swing again for fear having a baby that will only sleep when rocked until last night when I was just wanting to sleep so badly that we tried it again and what do you know, she slept from 10pm - 4am, and then again until 9am.

It was like magic.

So here's my question.  Should I just go with this for a little while since it works and we all sleep?  Should I maybe only try it as a last resort in the middle of the night?  Has anyone had this issue before?  Am I going to be able to break her of the swing someday?  Am I creating a monster?!  Some say that if it works, just do it.  She will learn to sleep better anyway as she gets older. Some others say no, you better keep her in that cold hard bed lying flat on her back all night long or she'll be high maintenance.  So what do you think?  To swing or not to swing?