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There She Grows

There’s lots I’ve neglected to discuss over the last few months… somewhere our little toddler has bloomed into a bona fide Big Kid and there’s evidence all over the place.

For one thing, Lil hasn’t been in a crib for months now, and I suppose this is worth mentioning! We finally removed the front panel of her crib at the end of November, just as Lilah was nearing the 2 and a half mark. And its been great! She took to it immediately. I was worried at first that with this freedom, Lil would never stay in bed on her own volition. I think that’s why we waited as long as we did. But I had under-estimated her readiness! She was extremely excited about her ‘big kid bed’ right away, and the transition went very smoothly.

Her bedtime routine still includes three stories, but we no longer read them together in the rocker. Now I read to her from the ducky chair at her bedside while she is all tucked in. After I leave, she occasionally emerges from her room once or twice, requiring us to re-tuck her before settling down. She tries to sneak around but we hear the bedroom door loudly open. We laugh as she hovers around lingering in the hallway, until we call her out and she reluctantly asks us to fix her blankets once more. Those moments haven’t been overly prevalent though, and its nothing we can’t handle.

Another concern was Lil emerging from her bedroom and trying to get in bed with us at all hours of the night. And I can’t say it never happens. There are times when she’s had a bad dream or is a little sick (we’ve all had bad colds this season). But its not the norm; she almost always sleeps through the night until her typical wake-up time of around 6:30. And here’s what I really love about all this: when she does awake in the morning she can come out on her own. No longer must one of us groggily roll out of bed to retrieve a crying toddler from containment. She comes to us on her own and cuddles for awhile, allowing us to keep right on sleeping. What an awesome concept!!! Definitely my fave part about the big girl bed.

We try to stay in bed til at least 7, when we retire to the den for breakfast and cuddling during Sesame Street. For the most part, Lil miraculously adheres to this ‘rule’ even when she’s awake. She lays with us, talking quietly to herself while looking at books or toys, and keeps a firm eye on the digital clock. Almost daily, I am met with this definitive statement the moment the hour changes: “Mommy see the 7 right there? Its time for my banana now.” Yep, still eating a banana every morning without fail. Some things are not changing any time soon!