Transition

We took a step- a big step- and got Ryleigh a new "big girl bed."

Jesse convinced me to only use a toddler bed instead of a twin bed, so she would still have some play room in her bedroom. The room is pretty small. Plus, it is low to the ground, so if she were to fall out, hopefully it would not hurt as much.

So last weekend, her new bed arrived. I set up the pack-n-play in my room and when it was time for her nap, that is where she slept. Meanwhile, I began to clean out her room. I removed clothing that was too small. I removed the dresser from her closet and re-organized her closet to hold some of her toys instead. I cleaned out the old dresser and brought in the new dresser, which had been mine growing up, that I refinished for her. Then Jesse took down the crib and put together her new big girl bed.

When Ryleigh woke up from her nap, her new "big girl room" was ready.
We decided for now to just use the bedding we had for the crib. It came with a quilt and everything, but obviously we did not use it in the crib- it just hung on the wall! So, now it is on the bed. Its a little small, but that's okay for now.

How do you like the dresser? Before, it was an off-white with gold trim and brass handles. I sanded it down, primed and painted, and then bought new hardware to use. Works like a champ!

When Ryleigh saw the big girl beds at the store, she was very excited and climbed up in them right away. We assumed she would do the same when it was in her room. Unfortunately, she was still a bit groggy from her nap, but Mommy and Daddy were too excited to wait to show her. She just kind of stood there, looking at us, not knowing what to do

After some cuddles with Daddy, and of course a snack and juice, she was ready to check it out again. This time, Ryleigh was excited!

She did not want to leave her room the rest of the day! At one point, I came in to find her in bed, with her baby dolls and books. It was as if she was reading them a story in bed, like I have read stories to her in my bed! So cute.

I'm sure the question you all want to ask is, "how did the transition go?" Honestly, it could have been much worse. I have been pleasantly surprised.

She has never tried to get back out of bed at night to play or come see us. When we put her to sleep, she is normally ready for bed, and happily crawls in, kisses goodnight, and rolls over. There have been several nights where she woke up in the middle of the night, and was nervous about it. Most nights, I have been able to go into her room, cuddle with her, stroke her back, and then she tells me goodnight (my cue to leave), and rolls back over. There was one really bad night (the 2nd night of the transition), and she ended up in our bed that night. Ever since, she has been great. And (knock on wood) she has slept all the way through the night without a peep for the past 3 nights! I have noticed she wakes up earlier, but that might be because the sun rises earlier and the light gets her. Who knows. I'm not complaining!

Nap time has been a little different. We had several days last week when Ryleigh seemed more than happy to take a nap, only for me to hear her up and playing a few minutes later. Haha! I did go ahead and get a child-proof door knob thing, so she at least has to stay in her room. Normally after about 10 minutes of playing, I have said, "Ryleigh, it is time for nap- please get in your bed now!" And she will, and then she's out. The great part? She has been taking longer naps too! An average of 3 hours a day over the past week! Crazy!!

So far, so good. And much easier than I anticipated. I'm so proud of my little "big" girl!