Big Girl Bed!

I'm not quite sure what my daughter is doing in this picture but she put her hands on her face and said, "Mommy take a picture of me!"  Silly girl.

As you can see she's sitting on a bed in her room.  I have been thinking of making the switch from crib to bed for quite some time but we haven't been ones to rush on getting either of our children into a bed for a few reasons:

1. Our kids are both small for their age and still fit comfortably in the crib passed the age of 2.  
2. Neither of them had ever tried climbing out.
3. They were happy in the crib.  There were never any issues with getting them to sleep.
4. I don't believe in rushing to get my kids started on anything they are not ready for just because they turn a certain age.

However, yes, I knew with her third birthday quickly approaching it was time.  I was apprehensive and scared to say the least but so far she's been doing well. 

The transition really wasn't so bad.  In the days leading up to this big moment I had kept telling her we were getting rid of the crib and giving her a "big girl" bed so she would be prepared.  At first she said no.  Then I allowed her to pick out her own sheets and blanket and of course she picked out Disney Princesses.  Her favorite!  You should have seen the excitement when they arrived.  Then we decided it would be best to make the switch on the weekend when my husband wouldn't have to get up early for work (in case the first night was disastrous).  We picked the date and my husband took the crib apart and set up the bed.  We decided to go with a toddler bed.  It's small and she can get in and out very easily.  In a year or two we'll make the switch to a normal size twin bed but for now this helps her to get used to having a bed.

She loves it ... and oh my ... seeing her in a bed instead of a crib has instantly made her look so much older.  Shortly after laying her down on the first night she got up and walked into the living room.  Then I put her back to bed.  This happened 4 times but once I gave her the little pink blanket she had slept with in her crib she was out like a light and stayed that way until the morning.  Whew!  Most nights have been going well, except the one night we had rain.  She HATES sleeping when it's raining.  I don't know why.  She woke up about 3am and didn't go back to sleep until 5am.  So the next night, again fighting that sleep, we had to put a gate by her door.  She shouted, screamed and cried but eventually she crawled into bed and fell asleep.  So far we've only had to use that gate once ... I guess she learned her mommy and daddy mean business.  I also feared her naps would stop once she made the transfer but so far that's remained the same as well, in fact she's napping right now.

 It's another one of those bittersweet moments as a parent!