Giving Thanks #1: Big Girl Bed

Thankful Post #1: Katelyn's easy transition into a toddler bed.

Bed now replacing the crib and gave her a gallery wall & book holder. Kate loves the space!

After more than two and a half years, Kate made the great escape from the crib. In an effort to keep her from hurting herself, I set up her toddler bed. This bed uses the same mattress as the crib, so the only difference to her is the FREEDOM!

In August, we set up her "Big Girl Room". I looked online and asked other moms the best way to transition Katelyn into her new bed. Overall, feedback continued to tell me it would be hard. Lots of waking up with even more "go back to bed"s.

I am thankful that Katelyn's transition has been smooth. Nap time doesn't always go well, but the one that counts is night time. Night time is just fine. The only drawback is that she is waking up a bit earlier. I am just thankful she made it two and a half years years sleeping 12 hours at night. Sleeping only 11 hours now won't kill me.

She loves her big girl room. The second part of this post that I am thankful for is the ability to give her a bedroom. With Eric's girls we have 4 children in our 4 bedroom home. Luckily, Jessyca and Sydney wanted to share a room and were already sharing when we moved into this house. Katelyn got her own room. Most children who are fourth in line don't have the same fortune.

She's certainly starting to look like a little girl and losing her baby look. Mixed emotions! Couldn't be happier about how much she loves her room now. Thankful is an understatement!

First Night in the "Big Girl Bed" couldn't be happier!

Giving Thanks

Many of my Facebook friends are writing something they are thankful for each day this month. I am not one to remember about posting something each day. However, I would like to share experiences, memories, and triumphs we have overcome in the last few months during this month.

I am thankful that I have been able to have these experiences and memories with my family. We have been through ups and downs but in the end we are able to get through life together. This past year has been a great one. So many things to be thankful for that I could never list them all in a blog post.

I look forward to sharing the past few months with you!

Escape Artist

Today is a day I've been dreading. The kind of day that every parent wonders about and ponders. Katelyn finally escaped her crib. Nap time is a rough time of the day for us. No matter what the routine is, she does not want to leave the excitement of the day to take a nap.

As usual, she screamed and wiggled the entire way to her crib. I put her in bed, gave her some stuffed animals and some books, and left the room. A minute or two after, I heard a thud. This thud was followed by running footsteps and the bedroom door opening. I walked back upstairs knowing exactly what I was about to find. With a stern face & saying "no", I had to crush the excitement of the little girl who giggled in delight when she saw me. She was saying "look what I did!" with excitement and I am feeling dreadful. I put Katelyn back in her crib with a gate in her bedroom door. Luckily, Kate stayed there for the remainder of nap time.

Now the fun begins. Luckily, I already have a toddler bed. I spent the afternoon looking for toddler bedding sets and thinking of ways to decorate/rearrange her room to be a "big girl" room. While I am still sad that she has clearly outgrown the crib, I am now looking forward to this next step of her toddler stage.

If I could only get her on board with potty training, I'd be in heaven!