A Big Girl Bed

Vera still sleeps in her crib.  It's time for a big girl bed.  She will not fall asleep in her crib anymore without an outrageous fit of screaming, kicking, crying and flailing.  We've tried to let her cry, but after listening to her scream for over 30 minutes, we end up getting her up.  One night last week, I was still up with her at 11:45!  That's way too late for a 2 year old, even if it is summertime.  She loves to sleep in our bed.  For naps, if I lay down with her in our bed, she is asleep within 15 minutes.  So, for the last 2 weeks, she basically goes to bed with Adam at night, and when I come in 20-30 minutes later, I carry her to her bed where she'll sleep the rest of the night.  Ironically, in the mornings when she wakes up, she's very lazy and doesn't want to get out of bed.  She's a lot like her mom there. 

So we decided that we'd had enough of her in our bed, and it was time for a big girl bed.  We started "talking up" the bed a lot for about a week.  She was all about it.  Every time we talked about a big girl bed, she'd say she wanted a purple bed.  Sure thing Vera.  If that's what it takes, I'll gladly buy you purple sheets. 

I did some shopping for a bed for about 3 days, and we bought one last night.  In the meantime, Vera and I went to Kohl's to look for some bedding for her new purple bed.  We did a lot of searching for purple sheets, but sadly, the only purple sheets they had were either a hideous purple color or else they cost $100+.  I found some bright pink sheets that were on the clearance.  I asked Vera if she liked them and she was all about them.  I asked her if she'd rather have pink or purple, and she said pink.  So the purple bed went to a pink bed within a few minutes.  If she's ok with it, so am I.

Vera and her dad went to Greenville to pick up the bed last night.  She was so excited.  When she got out of the car when they came home, she was thrilled to show me her new toy. 

Vera named him Vanilla.  He sleeps in her bed now too.

Adam took down the crib, which I will admit, was a little sad.  For me, it was a true realization that Vera isn't a baby anymore.  Adam carried in the new mattress and put the bedding on.  Vera kept saying she loved it.  At 7:30 pm, she was ready to go to bed for the night. 

We kept "talking up" the pink bed the rest of the evening--no crying in the pink bed, go to bed like a big girl, no standing on the pink bed--over and over again. 

By 9:30, Vera willingly went to bed.  This hasn't happened since summer started.  I took her back to the pink bed, she laid right down and I laid with her.  Within 15 minutes she was sound asleep, and there was no fuss, no tears, and no fit.  Hallelujah!  When I got up and came out, I told Adam we should've bought this bed two months ago!

I was a little nervous that Vera would wake up in the middle of the night in a strange bed, and try to get up and wonder around.  I also worried a little that she might fall out.  But, I'm happy to report that the first night in the big girl bed was a success.  She didn't wake up and wonder, she didn't fall out, and she didn't wake up crying.  At 7:00 this morning, she came into my room and woke me up.  She'd been sleeping in until at least 8 or 8:30 previously, but I'll take it.  Seven a.m. is better than six or five or four...

This is the temporary look of the pink bed.  A bed frame is soon to come.  More on that later...

 

These are all Vera's buddies that sleep in her bed.  Monkey, Nelly, Baby and Blanket have slept in there since she was really little.  Recently, Pink Bunny joined.  The newest member is Vanilla.  Good thing this bed is big enough for all of them.  It's funny how's she's acquired all of these.  Nelly is a Nelly Cuddle, which was a baby gift.  Monkey actually belonged to Vera's dad for a long time, and I think he's hung around because a monkey was the first animal sound Vera learned to make.  Monkey made the trip to Spain with me almost 10 years ago.  Baby and blanket were gifts from Brian and Kristina.  Pink Bunny was Vera's first birthday gift from her great grandma.  And of course Vanilla helps mark another milestone in Vera's life.  The two favorites, besides the blanket, are baby and bunny.  I'm curious how long Vera will hold on to all of these in her bed.  As long as she sleeps in the pink bed without any fit, they can stay as long as they like.