My Baby!

Well, the day finally came. At 18 months (December 2009), Pigpen climbed deftly out of his crib and was instantly labeled A Climber Extraordinaire. I swiftly turned his crib around backward, so the high side faced out and the sides were blocked by the side walls of the little nook that seemed made for a crib. This maneuver bought us another year of Pigpen in the crib. This period of time, we call Our Extension. However, as we know, all good things must come to an end.

In the last week, Pigpen has managed again to climb out of his crib - have no idea how - four different times in his sleepsack and all, so it's clearly time for a Big Boy Bed. My parents were in town for the weekend, so they rallied and helped us do the big switcheroo, which went a little something like this....see if you can follow:

Pigpen has been living in the room which we called The Nursery. Across the hall is the room which we painted in Big Boy Colors and outfitted with a Big Boy Comforter and a stack of Big Boy Accessories. (Those things have all been sitting there for about a year, since he was properly jailed in the crib during our extension.) Obviously, we called this room Pigpen's Big Boy Room. Clearly.

So, in an hour's time, we took the mattress off of the poster bed in the BBR and moved the headboard, footboard, and side rails to the Nursery (they are girly and white and scalloped). We placed the full mattress on the floor of the BBR and attached bed rails while washing new (Sports! Balls!) sheets. We reassembled the bed in the Nursery after moving the existing chest of drawers to one side to be with its matching dresser. The contents of each closet were switched. A mattress and box springs that have been at the ready for a year were moved up from the basement to the Nursery/new guest room. Bed was remade with comforter which conveniently matches Nursery colors and curtains. Bookcase was emptied of Pigpen's books and moved into the Nursery closet until it is decided where it will go for sure. Probably basement playroom. Books moved into large Rubbermaid container and placed in Pigpen's BBR for his perusal. Rocking chair moved from Nursery to BBR. Black out liners sewed into curtains for BBR. Sheets (Balls! Sports!) placed on mattress on floor and big boy comforter laid atop. Voila! Excitement abound.

Today, Pigpen took his first nap in his BB Bed. He was not so sure about this change. "Crib? Crib?" he asked. I reminded him of the climbing. I wound up having to rock him to sleep for his nap and then put him in the bed, but tonight? I put him down awake and after a couple of visits to reassure him that I was still here and the addition of a night light, he's sleeping in his very own big boy bed! It's the cutest thing ever on the monitor, that little peanut all cozied up in a bed with blankets and pillows:

Yes, I totally just went and took a picture of my sleeping child with a flash. Put it on my Mother of the Year Application right after "Allows child to pee in backyard" and "Laughs when kids fall down". BUT ISN'T HE ADORABLE?? I like that he chose to sleep with the Barney book. And how he's hugging his cup. I'll post a picture once we get his room all put together.

Oh, speaking of, we bought his Big Boy Furniture today. It will be here next week, so that give him a couple of weeks to get used to the bed while it's on the floor. In a moment of weakness and the true spirt of Wanting to Get Things Done, I decided that Sunday afternoon at 4pm was a good time to take two kids furniture shopping. HA HA HA HA! The saleslady was super nice, complimenting my kids' behavior. She somehow failed to notice that I had been plying them with food the whole time. They ate pretzels, raisins, lollipops, and fruit snacks before my purse masquerading as a vending machine ran dry. Then the children became delightful. I signed the receipt and high-tailed it home.

And as a final funny, when we drove past one of the larger malls on our way to the furniture store, Piglet casually asked, "Mommy? Is that Aunt Eddie's mothership?" at which point I nearly peed myself laughing and frantically began tapping out a text at stoplights to Eddie. We must stop talking in front of this child.