Moving on up

Earlier this year, we started discussing transitioning Elle to a big girl bed. She never tried to climb out of the crib, thankfully, but we knew that eventually she needed to be out of the crib, and as I got bigger and more pregnant, it was getting harder for me to put all 30+ pounds of her to bed without hurting myself.

One of her last times in the crib.

I started shopping around, and we picked out a bed frame that I really liked - something that I think will grow with her, allow decorating diversity, etc. Elle was excited about the whole process and was ecstatic when we found a bedding set with pink (her favorite color!) and a cute little owl pillow (bonus!). I was excited that we found almost exactly what I had in mind within two days of searching AND at a really good price. (And it's going to be super easy for me to semi-match the crib bedding and curtains while she and the baby share a room - score!) She kept asking when she could have her big girl bed. The problem was that the bed frame was out of stock and wouldn't ship for several weeks. We got the mattress a few days later, though, so I decided we'd just make the transition even more gradual while we waited for the frame to ship.

On March 15, I quickly deconstructed the crib and set up the mattress after dinner without her knowing. The crib will be put back up a few months after Wesley's arrival, but we don't have a lot of space and we don't need an extra place for the cats to nap, so it's packed away in a closet until then. She was sooooooo excited to sleep in her big girl bed. She kept hugging the mattress and telling me she loved it. I was terrified that she'd be hopping out of it all night, but we talked about things and she seemed to understand that she needed to stay in her bed until Daddy came to wake her up in the morning.

One of her first sleeps on the mattress.

We got a video monitor (an early "welcome baby #2" present from my brother and his family, woohoo!) to help with the surveillance of the big girl in the big bed, and she thinks it's funny when the "camera talks to me." When you ask her what the camera says, she responds accurately with "Elle Belle, it's time to go to sleeeeeppppp."

Crib ballet a few nights before we set up her mattress.
I freaked her out when my voice came over the video monitor,
and she immediately dove to the mattress.

But really, other than the first week or two - part of which she was in the crib and I caught her doing elaborate marching and dance movements from side to side - we haven't had to use the communication on the monitor much to remind her that it's time to go to sleep.

Several times, she rolled off the mattress, which was kind of amusing - I found her completely on the floor one time, and most of the other times I'd see her leaned on the mattress or on her pillows with the rest of her body partially on the floor.

Slipping out and sleeping on the floor happened a few times.

After about six weeks of being on the mattress on the floor, the bed frame arrived, and we made the next transition, complete with side rail to keep her from rolling out. She was even more excited for the bed that we'd been telling her would "be higher." She knew that the "new bed" would also turn her big girl bed white.

And it was another seamless adjustment.

The completed set-up (although we've since added a bed skirt).
Elle is in love.

Our little girl has crossed another threshold of undeniably growing up.

For all of the fears and hesitations I had, Elle has made me feel like a fool. She hasn't gotten out of bed once, and although there have been nights when she wakes up multiple times, she's made it easy on us. The reason for the wake ups have ranged from pooping to "uh, I need to go potty!" to "I can't find blankie" and my favorite - the night when she cried out to Tim at 5 a.m. because she couldn't find her stuffed sheep and followed up with a 5:30 call of "Daddy! I found the sheep!" She's done really well, though, and even on the nights when she wakes she goes back to sleep fairly easily. I watch her on our video monitor, and sometimes it takes her an hour or more to settle in to sleep, but she plays quietly in bed, and then she sleeps 10-11 hours.

It's also nice to be able to crawl in to bed with her and read, say prayers or cuddle - and MUCH easier than trying to fit her on my lap for bedtime stories and then heaving her in to a crib.

Trying out her new digs.

I figure we'll face some blips when the kids start to share a room, but I'm so proud of the way Elle has adapted and just rolls with the changes - I love how excited she has been about everything, and although she's asked a few times where the crib went, she seems to understand that Wesley is going to need it, and she's got her special big girl bed now.

I've been warned that she'll eventually figure out that she can get out of bed (maybe when night-time potty training starts?), which worries me only because all of her books and some of her toys are in her room. So far, though, I'm beyond impressed (and relieved) and figure we'll deal with those issues if the time comes.