Baby to Big Girl...

We ordered Ainsley's "big girl" bed a few weeks ago. I was doing O.K. with it. Mostly because it wasn't here yet. Then the day came when it actually arrived. Again, doing O.K., it had come in but we still had to pick it up, find time to put it up, etc. Those things take time...right? Well Brad went and picked it up on a Monday night. The next day, Tuesday, we had taken the day off for the girls doctors appointments, which were at 8:30, and before we left to go Brad had the crib down and bed frame up. I was upstairs and he came up to start dismantling the crib. I just sort of looked at him in shock. He noticed my "surprised" expression and asked "Is this not O.K.?" I said "It's fine, probably better this way...just go ahead and do it." Me, and my teary eyes, left the room and went about what I was doing.

Had I known the exact time this would have taken place I probably would have come up with reasons why we should wait, or dwelled on it and gotten sad. Who knows. It's silly because I think it needed to be done. She was starting to lay side ways and her legs would get stuck, so I know she was starting to out grow it. There wasn't a reason not to that didn't involve sentiment. So Brad was probably very smart in just going in and taking it down, like the ripping off of a band-aid.

When we changed Kaylee's room we did it while she was at my mom's and then did a big surprise reveal for her. This time both girls were home and SO much help. Actually they made it fun, Ainsley's excitement really helped my bittersweet feelings. Kaylee was equally as excited as she now feels that they can have "sleepovers" in each others rooms. Fortunately I have gotten Kaylee to hold off on that so that Ainsley has time to get adjusted to her new room. When we got home from their appointments we finished A's room and then took the "headboard" from the crib to put on Kaylee's. We had a convertible crib, but only used it for a crib. You can use it as a day bed, or a toddler bed, but I remember when Kaylee was little we took the rail off and it looked SO small to me, like she would just roll right out. So we went straight from crib to full size bed for both.

The other thing I remember doing differently with Kaylee is taking her bed and putting it side ways against the wall, and using a side attachment for the other side, then we eventually moved it the way it was suppose to go and left the side attachment on, and at the end of last year finally took the side part off. For Ainsley I decided we would just put the bed up as it would normally go, with no side options. She's done very well. It goes to show that many of, not all, but many of those "safety" features are more for parents to spend their money on, not a need. That's o.k. though because some times we need that peace of mind. Peace of mind is worth its weight in gold!

The first big "sleep" in the big bed was for nap. I put Ainsley in her bed, read a story, and left her room. After a bit I heard some knocks on her door and her trying to open the door. She's not quite tall enough at this point to be able to turn the handle. I opened the door and put her back in her bed. I think she was just annoyed with taking a nap. She was quiet after that and fell asleep. When she woke up I went in to get her and she was so excited. We were walking downstairs and she said "I sleep in my big bed" and I said "Yes, you did, you are such a big girl" and she says "Give me a five". That was cute.

Here's the "new room":

There wasn't any major changes outside of the bed. We also put different curtains up and I moved her dresser to a different wall and her rocking horse. I still have a flower light, from IKEA, that I need to have Brad put up, but I might wait a bit, since it's more of a reading light for by her bed and I don't think she really needs that right now.

Here's the big girl on her big bed. She looks so little on there. It's pretty cute. The first night she slept in the bed she had PJ's on that looked similar to her pillow, Brad took a photo of her and it was like a "Where's Waldo" photo.

Here's Kaylee's bed with the head board on it from the crib. She also seems to like it and feels like it makes her bed even more of a "princess" bed. I'm not sure how, but if she's good with it...we're good with it.That night, and since, she has been sleeping in her bed like a champ! She's so excited and proud of it, that for the first few days every time Brad, or I, walked in her room she would say "Look at my big bed." She has fallen out twice, once while sleeping, once while trying to quickly get down. Ainsley is Ainsley though and she bounces back quickly. Things don't seem to phase her.

We put the glider in our room. When I moved it from Kaylee's room I knew I would use it again in Ainsley's. So it's bittersweet to not have a glider in any of my "babies" rooms. However it's also nice to lay in bed and snuggle while reading stories. It's also a lot easier to fall asleep. I've done that on a few occasions and Brad has come and woke me up on his way to bed.

Overall the transition for everyone has gone very well. No matter what those girls will always be my babies. I can't imagine Ainsley still in her crib. She seems so happy in her bed; plus she's a climber and I'm really surprised she had never tried to climb out of her crib.

Kaylee was a little more hesitant to get out of her bed for awhile when we transitioned her. It could have been because she was 21 mos vs. 24 mos and/or because she's more timid about things at first. Ainsley has no problem moving about her room before she goes to sleep. We've opened the door many times just to check on her, shortly after saying good night and she is in her rocking chair looking at books, going through her dresser to find socks, rocking on her rocking horse, or just sitting and looking at books.

It's some what surreal to go into both of their "big girl" rooms now with beds and "big girl" bedding, etc. They are loving it and have more fun every day. As I said before if they are good with it so are we!