The series of emotions that come with moving a strong-willed, two year old to a toddler bed. I have moved all the girls to this toddler bed before stepping up to the big bed. And I moved the other two at 20 months and 22 months. So, I thought, piece of cake (hmm… yum, I have chocolate cake in the kitchen) Audrey is older than them, they did fine, lets do this. Like, yes, I walked past the toddler bed in pieces in the attic on Tuesday and just thought that was the exact thing I needed to do that day. It is always fun for me to put things like the toddler bed together. It is the beginning of a new phase, the end of an old. The crib came down and made its way to the garage without tears from anyone in this house. It was the best $50 we spent on our babies, but I am happy to see it go.

Audrey and Megan are excited. They watch and wait while I put the bed together, just waiting for the chance to play on it.

Audrey takes her first nap in the bed and does quiet well. She came out one time, but then stayed in bed and took her normal nap. When the night came, we read books as normal and sang our songs.

Then came patience. I think we lost track of how many times she got out of bed and came out of her room that night, but it was more than I wanted to admit. (Crazy child with a mind her own. Why can’t she fall into the plan laid out for her?) From my one experience with the Super Nanny, I took her hand, led her back through her dark room and placed her in bed. Closed her door and sat.

I sat on this stool, just waiting for the next time. Over and over, until she got mad enough and cried herself down. All in all, she did well. Naps have continued to be easier and bedtime has been a battle. But it was after her 6:30 am wake and walk down the hall this morning into her sister’s room, that I began to regret my decision. Yes, she is ready and eventually we will have to make the transition, but with all going on in my house right now, maybe the stress at bedtime is not worth it. Could I put the crib back in and expect her to stay in it? Or would she then started to climb out though she never did before?

I decided against that idea. I made my choice and am determined to stick it out and make it work. And I put a child lock on the inside of her door tonight. So now it will work. She can’t get out. Calm down, all you crazy people who think this is wrong. It is perfectly safe…. we did it with Alyssa too and she is fine. For now, I see hope. Hope that she will stay in her bed (or at least her room) tonight. And hope that I will not wake to the sound of footsteps down the hall. But hope that this is the beginning of her journey to being a kid!