The beginning of the end

This January is a month of transition, a month of change. The status quo will be put aside soon, and we'll have to learn a new way of approaching things. There's hope that better times are ahead of us, though some of us at times will long for days' past. The future may be bright, but at the same time it's also a bit scary. Who knows what will happen to us?

Of course I am talking about the impending end to Kyle's use of the bouncy seat. It breaks my heart to say this, but I don't think it's as safe as it used to be. Back in the day, we were able to use the bouncy seat to "stick the baby somewhere" - by our dining room table, near the living room couch, or in the closet. There he'd lie back quietly, rhythmically kicking his left leg, rocking himself for hours on end, turning our home into his own personal deep-sea cruise.

(Above: Our living room, from Kyle's perspective)

Kyle in his bouncy seat was the envy of any adult. I mean, who wouldn't want to lie back all day, rocking yourself? If every office cubicle was equipped with an adult bouncy seat, I'm sure most jobs would be far more enjoyable. But apparently Kyle doesn't realize how good he has it. He now prefers sitting up, and he hardly ever kicks anymore. These days to rock himself, he just moves his head up and down. It's like having your own living bobble head doll. He also fights against the restraints of the bouncy seat. At first, the seat was still able to hold him in, as this picture from New Year's demonstrates:

But Thursday night the seat came close to losing the little guy. He was in it, playing with some toys as I was taking care of the recycling (that's about as much fun as it gets these days, being a parent). As I was folding up one of our boxes, I heard a cry. I looked up and saw Kyle, still in the seat but lying horizontally. He was fighting his way out and nearly succeeding. His arm was stretched out, trying to grab one of the toys he had thrown onto the floor. He was not bouncing.

"Uh, oh," I thought. "This can't be good."

So now Kyle's using the bouncy seat even less and will soon stop using it altogether. He's moving on from the bouncing world to the sitting world, a move he'll come to regret once he spends enough time in a church pew or one of those metal fold-up chairs. By then it'll be too late, unless someone takes my adult-bouncy-seat proposal seriously. Maybe I should write the new president about it. A surge in the bouncy seat industry might be just what this economy needs.

(Above: A tribute to the bouncy seat)

On a side note, Kyle turned 7 months old this last Tuesday. Here's a new photo album from the past two months (and a few more bouncy seat shots):

Kyle's 6th & 7th Months

Enjoy!