Big Boy Bed

Benjamin is sitting by himself right now, happily reading a book on his brand new big boy bed. That's right, he's made the transition....sort of. My reasoning was that he'd do much better with a new baby in October if he was already well situated in his own big boy bed this summer.

We found a great deal on Craig's List for a toddler bed, so we jumped on it, even though his birthday isn't for another two weeks. As soon as we put it in the extra bedroom (that has been filled with boxes and junk for months), he immediately wanted all of his stuffed animals and blankets in there, his books, his rugs, and all the other necessary furniture from his old bedroom. And he wanted all of the boxes out. So we set to work helping him create his new bedroom, just before his naptime. Then of course he didn't get the concept of staying in his bed when I left the room, so we just put him in his crib. He wasn't too happy about this, but he was really tired, so he went right to sleep. He wanted to try the big boy bed again at bedtime, so we decided to bring everything back into his old room including the toddler bed, and put it next to his crib. This way, we wouldn't be hauling things back and forth. Paul had more patience than I did at this point, so he sat there with Benjamin until he was drowsy enough to stay put. And he slept through the entire night in his big boy bed!

So it's been kind of off and on so far. He'll eventually get used to staying in his new bed. It's hard for him to go to sleep with no bars to restrain him. I'm really in no hurry to move him, though. Whenever he's ready, or preferably by mid-September. That way there should be enough time before the baby comes for him to feel like the little one isn't taking over his life.

There are still a few things I want to do in his new room before I move him in there. I still want to paint it and find a large carpet remnant for an area rug. I've also been working on some artwork that will go on his walls. I still haven't finished the large, colorful Alphabet painting or the "Drummer Hoff," but those will go in there once they're finished. I've recently started a painting of the cow jumping over the moon, from the one in "Good Night, Moon." I also took Benjamin to the fabric store the other day to pick something out for his new quilt. I'm almost done with it, although I think I'll wait to give it to him on his birthday. It's been fun. I never did much with his "nursery" in Wymount or here, so I'm anxious to be able to make a little space that's special for him. I'll also paint the room he's in now, after we find out the baby's gender (on June 5th!).