Day 1: complete success. I was impressed that day 1 went off without a hitch. After much climbing out and small child smashing with incredibly ungraceful landings we decided to convert the crib to the toddler bed. We knew it was coming and wanted to hold off longer but with another baby coming in nearly 4.5 months and only having 1 crib we knew we would need to switch soon. So fearfully we did it. Day 1 he didn't notice the change. we set up a roll bar, and put a blanket over top so he still felt enclosed and safe, laid him down like we would in his crib and he was asleep as usual in minutes. THANK YOU JESUS.
Day 2: Not so smooth.... but eventually got there. The morning of day 2 he woke up at 7:15 as usual and was pleasantly suprised that he could get in and out on his own. Like it had been this way the whole time and only discovered it now. He happily jumped in and out of his bed until we left for work. Nighttime came round, Luke had class and so the routine is up to me. At 7:10 I put him in his jams, 7:18 I take him upstairs to our bed to read night night books, finish the rest of his milk, say bye bye to the milk and now we only get water until morning, and brush his teeth, read books abour brushing teeth but instead of being really focused he is a bit crazy and jumpy. The milk is done and starts to get cranky about it, I say no its all done we only get water now, it's time to brush your teeth. While he brushes, he doesn't listen to the books and brush his teeth with them as usual, though does stop to say "up and down, round and round" but then continue to barrel roll through the bed. "i jump I JUMP!" - " No jack its time to read books and go to bed" I say. He continues to bounce. I say " well i guess book time is over, time for night night night, lets go to bed' i pick him up and we go to bed, he climbs into the big boy bed but is fussy and won't lay down. "I get out!" - "no jack feet stay in bed, no getting out, it is bedtime" I say goodnight, put on his music and leave. He criieeeeesss and cries, but doesn't get out. I WAIT 15 MIN and then
thump, bump bump bump, there he is at the door, crying, "BOOOOK BOOOK" I open the door to tell him, "back to bed", he cries and climbs back into bed. (by the way all of this is unlike him, he usually reads books and goes to sleep! he is the EASIEST KID TO PUT TO BED.) Anyway I tuck him back in he still cries and cries, i tell him again to stay in bed. I leave again, stand my the door waiting, then,
bump bump bump, i put hims back in bed. 2 more times of this in a 60 second timespan we go through the same thing and i think,
good lord if I'm going to drag a toddler back to bed 100x tonight I might as well take 5 more min to read a freak'n book if it works. so I say "1 more book". We lay down in my bed as he catches his sobs and calms down. He tells me about the pictures and makes all the sound effects of the animals, after the book is done, i close it and HE says 'night night book".. UUUMMMM WHAT? "night night milk (he sees it on the bedside table) night night light, night night room, night night car" and continues to say night night to all around him. I pick him up and walk to his room, pray over Him like every night, worship music on, lay him down and put a blanket over the roll over bar again, a blanket over him, give him his 'dirty dog' and winnie the pooh and show him that his bed is just the same, no different, the same place he sleeps every night. I say 'night night Jack'. and he goes to sleep, only 20 min past his bedtime, it could have been way worse.. It has been 30 min. no crying, no fighting, no getting out, just a peaceful sleeping toddler....
