A BIG GIRL BED MILESTONE....SUCCESS!

OK, so I know it's only been mere days since I posted last, but Addy reached a milestone tonight that I just had to write about, probably because I've really been dreading it! Yes, Addy will be 3 in August, and we still had her in a regular crib. She has had full capabilities to climb out whenever she wanted to for no less than a year, but this appeared to be the one thing in life that she actually did seem to conform to the rules without any questions. It was really difficult to accept that it was finally time to give up the one thing that we could still count on to keep her contained for a few sweet minutes when we needed to! However, it was getting a little silly to keep lifting her into bed each night, especially when she could almost climb IN herself! So while Mommy was at school today, Daddy and Addy made some minor adjustments to her bed....

She was so proud sitting in her newly transformed "big girl bed"! Nobody needs to comment on the side rails that look like they have been eaten by a woodchuck either....yea, so we're the dumb parents who didn't realize they actually sell plastic covers to go over those rails so when you're 1 year old is teething they don't actually bite wood!

 So we finished our before bed routine and I was getting ready to put her to bed like always but before I knew it she had run at warp speed and jumped into her bed like she has been doing it for years! I have to admit it made made me a little bit sad as I realized that an era is over. I have always carried Addy to bed cradled in my right arm since she was a tiny baby. Granted, she used to take up one elbow and now I have to hold her legs with my other arm....but still, since she was 3 months old, bedtime was always the only time she let me carry her like that (usually she's sitting up straight on my hip).  But this was our mommy-Addy time when we shared a few last jokes, "piggy kisses" (don't ask), promises of tomorrow, and loving moments before bed. With my school over the past year, some days this is just about all the time I get with her. Usually Grandma or Heath tries to keep her up so I can have a few moments, and then we go through our routine. I guess we'll have to come up with a new way to have our moments, I'm pretty sure my butt won't fit in that toddler bed with her, lol. As I got her all tucked in tonight, she was grinning
like I've never seen. She was so proud of herself and her new "big girl bed" that she was going to sleep in. We talked about how important it was to stay in her bed just like her animal friends stay in their sleeping places until Mommy gets her up in the morning. I locked her bathroom door just, blocked her closet doors, and put away all potential falling hazards--- just in case. She kept agreeing "yep", "stay in my big girl bed", "goin to church when we get up" ...although I wasn't convinced.




  


That's about the time that Mommy realized that there is a half of a rail on one side of the bed for a reason....and I should probably put her head at that end so she doesn't fall out...."D'Oh!" As I LOL'd at myself, I then had to tell her that big girls have to sleep at the other end with the rail so they don't fall out. I expected a fight, as Addy is very routine oriented and we are already pushing it...but she surprised me again and flipped right around on her newly positioned pillow, never missing a second! She squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of her first night as a big girl sleeper. I'm not sure if she really believes that she sleeps like that or not but it sure is adorable, lol. 

 And then, UP went the blanket, ON went the Dora nightlight & Stinky Dare (that lump of a bear in her arm that still plays music)...she squeezes her eyes shut again while peeking out to see if I'm still there as I whisper "nite nite, I love you"
 
*Sigh* She really is growing up, she's not a baby anymore...does this mean she really is a little girl now? Is this about the time that people start getting baby fever again?  Let me make it clear that's definitely not happening right now, but I could hypothetically understand!


All tucked in, I turn off the lights, close the door, turn on our iBaby monitor that allows us to spy on her.....and wait......

......and then, my child disproved every fear that I had of transitioning her to a toddler bed by going straight to sleep! She sat up about 2 times and then quickly laid back down, and was asleep within 10 minutes. I do believe that I have witnessed some sort of spiritual event tonight. God told us we have to trust in him for his will to be done, and he rewarded us! I consider this nothing short of a miracle! As I reflect on our achieved milestone tonight, I am amazed at how far we have come in the last 3 years. I truly believe that we were given Addy for a very special reason, and that she has great things in her future. Today while we were shopping for a friend's baby gift I remarked that Addy had tons of baby blankets for gifts-  at our request, because we didn't really know if we would bring her home from the hospital- but I knew we would need them for our anticipated extended stay after she was born. It really is just a fact that we had to deal with before her birth. We knew the statistics better than anyone, but by golly she was going to have all of her cute blankets and button up outfits while we were getting through that toughest battle of the Norwood. It brings back memories of how distraught and stressed we were. No longer do we have that immense fear that was almost crippling. I have accepted that I will always have that nagging fear in the back of my mind of what tomorrow could bring, but I no longer WORRY and have ANXIETY about it. We tackle each obstacle as it is handed to us and her, and will take it one day at a time. I think that is part of why I have always cherished our before bed routine, because we never know what tomorrow will bring and I always want my last moments of the night with her to be good so that if it's her last, I will always remember her smile and big blue eyes. I realize now that fearing what is most certainly the most awesome existence we can imagine- an eternal life with our Lord, free of the pain of this world, is not necessary. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven....


So with that I say good night. Stay tuned for how nap time goes the next few days, it hasn't been stellar even before this so I joyously await the future (rather than anxiously!)  And now I just have to awake in the morning before she does.....