Movin' on up

For a little more than a week now, Owen has been sleeping in his "big boy bed." That's right! We are all done with the crib. It is yet another reminder of how he is leaving babyhood behind and running (not toddling anymore) headlong into childhood. Bittersweet.

For those who didn't already know, he had begun climbing out of the crib awhile ago and leaving him in there became just an accident waiting to happen. Though we had our concerns about making this move and envisioned sleepless nights with a roaming child giddy from newly discovered freedom, we had to bite the bullet and just go for it.

Luckily, Owen's crib is one of those nifty convertible beds that goes from crib, to toddler bed, to full size bed. Making the move to toddler bed really just involves taking off the front of the crib. So, you get to maintain the familiarity and security of the 3 remaining sides. A plus...but still, we were dubious.

HOWEVER, the move has been great! He has done incredibly well and adjusted to the change very quickly. The first night, he did take full advantage of his ability to move around the room at will and was in and out of that bed probably 30 or 40 times before finally settling in for the night. And at one point on night #2, we checked the video monitor only to find his bed empty. I went in his room and found him sleeping on the floor, wedged between the bed and the rocking chair...fast asleep. And finally, in the interest of full disclosure, there have been 2 loud "thuds" indicating his rolling out onto the floor. Once, he slept right through the fall and continued to doze on the floor. The other time, he woke long enough to cry, have us come get him and put him back in bed where he was immediately asleep again. (Just for the record, a protective bed rail will not fit...we aren't sadistically risking his falls for our own fun!)

The major and unexpected result of this move is his ability and willingness to quietly entertain himself after waking. When he wakes up from both naps and overnight sleep, he will often go grab some books and "read" quietly for 20-30 minutes before knocking on the door for us to come get him. It's awesome! Had I known that would happen, we would have moved him sooner! Now, occasionally you can go in while he's sleeping and find anywhere from 2-7 books in his bed...a sign that he's been up and "reading" at night too. That's fine with us...who doesn't enjoy a little light reading to help the zzzzzs set in?

Fingers crossed that all of our major transitions go this smoothly!