Big Boy Bed

When my parents were packing to move to Chilliwack, they asked if I wanted my old bed brought down to be kept for our future child. I was happy to have them offer to drag it down here and store it until we were ready to use it and gladly accepted.

Before Promise was born, we got the bed over here and set up in Isaac's new room (Justin's old office). That way he could get used to seeing the bed and eventually move to sleeping in it before the baby needed to go into the crib.

We've been asking Isaac for the last couple weeks if he wants to sleep in his big boy bed. We did try one night but he kept crying and getting out of the bed. One other time he fell asleep in the car and I transfered him to his bed for his nap but it didn't seem to help for him wanting to sleep in his bed that night. Now, every nap and bedtime we have asked him. He seems to want to sleep in his bed, saying "Eee ee (Isaac)" and patting the bed. But when it comes to the end of our last song, he is quick to clamber off the bed and over to his crib, crying and wanting into his comforting old sleep spot.

We've been OK with him still sleeping in the crib as both of us are fine with Promise in our room still. But she will grow out of the cradle size eventually and Isaac is getting so big in his crib - limbs falling out of the slats, stretched every which way as he shares his crib with two to three books, three to four cars, Cordy, Percy and Baby and two blankets (neither of which he uses).

Today at nap time, he really seemed interested in sleeping in his bed. I happened to be the one putting him down and I asked if he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed. "Yup," he responded. I put the bed rail up and tried to get him to lay down, but he got off the bed a couple times. I told him if he didn't lay down he'd have to go into his crib. He got up once more and so I put him in his crib. I went downstairs and told Justin I might have made a mistake by couching his sleeping in the crib as a punishment. Thankfully he had a nap and we thought nothing more of it.

Tonight we got home late from my parent's house for dinner where we had a good visit with them and Uncle Pat and Auntie Liz. Justin put Isaac to bed while I nursed Promise. Isaac told Justin he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed and motioned for Justin to lay down with him by patting the bed and saying Daddy. Justin says he just laid there without the covers, holding his cars and staring off into space. Justin dared not move or talk to him and Isaac quietly and happily drifted off to sleep in about 20 minutes. He used to go down really well but lately he's been crying a lot and being generally unhappy at bedtimes. Tonight was quiet and peaceful and was a welcome change.

Who knows if this was a fluke, or the start of a new era for our boy. But we are so proud of him and so thankful to the Lord for his growth and development. I hope this is the way it will go for Isaac now, that it's not a one-time thing. Yay Isaac!

Justin said it was fun watching Isaac fall asleep. He held onto a book for a bit, then kept his cars in both hands and stared off in the distance. He also played with his feet a lot and laid there clucking at the roof a bit too. Cute kid, I sure do love him!