Time to ditch the crib!

The debate to move Matthew to a toddler bed has been going on for quite some time now.  But all advice and reason pointed to keeping him in the crib AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.  So, when we prepared the nursery for Charlotte, we got another crib, even though she wouldn't move in with Matthew for quite some time.

Fast forward....A couple of weeks ago Paul needed to work late so I said I'd handle the kids.  It's just hard to break your evening and come home just to have to go back to work.  

Well, Matthew didn't NOT agree with our logic and spent the ENTIRE evening asking "Where's Daddy?".  He had just started saying "Daddy" and "Monny" and his preference for "Daddy" is crystal clear.

The next morning he was a D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R.  So much so that it convinced Paul that coming home at 5:30 for an hour isn't such a bad idea.

Unfortunately, the subsequent evenings just seemed to spiral out of control above and beyond anything I was used to.  You see, the night time routine has always been MY time with Matthew and now Charlotte is also in on the action.  It kills me to end my day with Matthew in tears and tantrums.  I get so little time with him that I want it to be good!

Thursday night's routine culminated in pinning him down to put on "jammies" and then hearing him launch from his crib after I said good night.  I knew that we would have to put a mattress on the floor because there was no way he was going to stay put and the best I could do was offer him a comfortable place to sleep on the floor once he calmed down enough.

The next day we converted his crib into a toddler bed.  He was THRILLED!

oooohhhhhhh

Is this my new bed????

FREEEEDDDOOOMMMMMMM!

Jump! Jump! Jump!

Charlotte focusing on her birds

Thank you Monny!

Unfortunately, the freedom of a wide open crib was a little more than he could handle.  I could tell from the minute he climbed in that he didn't like the open side.  Once I was able to escape from the room we heard him in there for the better part of an hour tearing things up!

I wasn't able to get to the store to buy a side rail until Saturday so those first two nights were challenging.  He slept half on and half off and was very unsure of things.

When I set up the side rail and showed him how to get in and out he was even MORE THRILLED with his new bed.  Very cozy.

Saturday night as we were brushing our teeth we started talking about "jammies" and he made it clear that footed pjs were no longer acceptable.  He would not be wearing them anymore.  I am very sad about this.  I LOVE footed pjs.  So now we wear "night clothes" to avoid any confusion with "jammies".  

And tonight it looks like we finally hit a groove.  He went down without too much of a fight :-)  Love this little boy.  He'll always be my baby. 

Oblivious big brother the night before we brought Charlotte home.