How could I have jinxed myself when I didn’t even blog about it?
The first night we put CJ to bed in her new big girl bed, she turned onto her tummy and hugged her Lambie and that was that. She slept past eight the next morning.
The next night, she cast a glance at the glider (which has been moved into the master bedroom in anticipation of the new baby) and gave one plaintive: “Rocking chair?” She got into her bed, turned onto her tummy, hugged her Lambie, and slept until seven-thirty the next morning.
The night after that, she got up in the middle of the night and climbed into Tacy’s bed. The two of them awoke before seven. Kyle settled them on the sofa with sippies and the remote (hand over the Parent of the Year award right now!) and went back to bed.
It has gone progressively downhill.
Lowlights include:
- Saturday evening, after a lovely dinner at Aimee’s, just before her final diaper change, CJ puked all over herself and me. She went to sleep in her own bed, but promptly fell out.
- Sunday evening, she insisted on going to sleep in Tacy’s twin bed, with Tacy. Tacy has a storage bed – two rows of drawers underneath – and at nearly six years old, she still practically has to scale the side of her bed in order to get into it. Despite tucking the sheets and coverlet under the mattress, CJ managed to fall out.
- Monday evening, I worked until after 11. Kyle promised he would let me sleep as late as I liked the next morning. But CJ got up several times during the night, trying to climb into Tacy’s bed and into our bed, and Kyle herded her back into her own bed each time.
And now tonight.
She started in her bed. Then she got up and started jumping down the stairs (one stair at a time, announcing “Jumpy!” with each one). Kyle put her back in her bed. She got up again and climbed into Tacy’s bed. By then it was Tacy’s bedtime. I went upstairs with him to tuck both girls into Tacy’s bed. Five minutes later, CJ was back in the hallway and Tacy was “annoyed” with her. Kyle put CJ back in her bed. She protested. He called down to ask me if we had a night light. I told him where it was. Five minutes later, she was settled in her bed with a night light – something she has never wanted before. Kyle checked on Tacy, and then peeked into CJ’s room again, where she raised her head to tell him: “Close door.” And then five minutes after that, we heard her door open yet again.
I think everyone is asleep now. But I’m afraid to sound too sure, for fear that I’ll hear another door open or the thump of little feet jumping from stair to stair.
Forget the need to urinate a half-dozen times each night; transitioning CJ to her big girl bed is giving us plenty of practice with sleep deprivation.
We’re cute, but we’re exhausting. Especially the one on the right.
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I’ve posted several reviews over at Do as I say…and no one gets hurt, including the most recent one today – That Baby DVD. The others include JumpStart World – The Aggrotot Alternative, the Spark Talking Telescope from Discovery Channel Store Toys – Kiiids iiinnn Spaaace, and a book review – Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes.
Go. Read. Learn. Then shop.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:00 am
And I deliberately didn’t ask … hope she settles in soon.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Bedtimes can be such an ordeal, and I find that as soon as I open my mouth to brag about a good night, I’m ‘punished’ with two terrible ones. Hang in there.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:09 am
MGM- get yourself one of these ASAP. We use it for Finn and he has not only never fallen out of his big boy bed since, but he does “cool cool tricks” every night, catapulting himself over it and it’s held up beautifully.
Hoping you get a few good nights rest before the big event..
December 12th, 2007 at 8:09 am
duh- forgot the link:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6179&cmSource=Search
December 12th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Um? Unsolicited idea? I gate my toddler in her room. Just in case she gets any zany ideas about wandering the house. It’s more my paranoia about what she could get into while I am sleeping, and my awareness that she’s not yet old enough to make sound choices… but it might be an idea?
December 12th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Oh, you’re freaking me out. The Rooster wants out of the crib and she already sleeps poorly. Gah!
December 12th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Perhaps she is just one of those chil’ens who doesn’t want to sleep alone?
*ducking*
I had one of those too, but instead of sisters bed it was ours. And well, on occasion, continues to be ours. I wake up with a crick in my neck and realize it is a foot.
Not.fun.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Bossy needs a Big Girl Bed. No wonder she’s such a fitful sleeper.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I was wondering how it was going, but wasn’t going to ask!
Sorry it’s such a pain. We are planning to put a baby gate in the Pumpkin’s doorway because she’s already so active, I’m sure she’ll be climbing out of her crib before we even get to a real bed!
Good luck!
December 12th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
What Fairly Odd Mother said.
One step forward, two steps back.
Good luck!!
December 13th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
I don’t even want to talk about our issues with the crib-bed transition. I really feel for you, I really do (‘cept I’m not pregnant and just typing that makes me want to cry for you.
On the bright side, a sweet blogger gave Bumper a set of your beautiful barrettes for Christmas and can I just tell you how perfect they are? Because they are PERFECT! You are one talented lady
December 14th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Just reading that brought me back to 4.5 years ago and laying on the floor every night praying Abby would go to sleep so I could drag my big pregnant ass back to my own bed and not have to get up again. Now my sister is living the same nightmare and she is having a c-section 1/31. It is some sadistic rite of passage.
Hope y’all get some sleep–SOON!
December 14th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I can’t begin to tell you how much I am dreading the transition to a toddler bed/twin bed/whatever with P. The few times we’ve been foolish enough to let him try and sleep in the big bed, it’s been disastrous. Your story reminds me of an episode of SuperNanny a couple years ago. I know it’s not funny now but someday you’ll both look back on this and laugh. Sending some sleep vibes to your house
December 14th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I can’t remember having issues with this transition. I must have blocked the memories from my mind, because it couldn’t have been that easy. I know we kept my son in a toddler bed much longer than he needed because we lived in such a tiny place, and the kids shared a room.
December 14th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
aw – hope it works itself out soon and she figures out that her own bed is about the bestest place ever…. I’m so torn about transitioning next year
December 15th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
I’m still struggling with the transition to a big bed…and Fric and Frac are 10 and 11. They like to sneak into each other’s rooms (since Bug died) and sleep together…or build forts.
I asked them about it and they said it helps to chase the nightmares about their absent brother away. So I roll with it. And yell at them in the middle of the night to leave the cushions on the couch, quit building forts and get their skinny arses back to their own beds.
No wonder I look like a zombie.
Good luck to you! I’m thinking of you and that cute pregger belly of yours.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Cripes, I wish you would have mentioned it last week – we have a rail guard we are not using. You are welcome to borrow it!
December 16th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Oh I’m so sorry. We just transitioned T to a mattress on the floor this week so while it doesn’t take care of her coming into our room at 6:30, it does alleviate the falling on the floor problem. Just a thought?
How lucky you are to have a man who says “you sleep in honey,” even if it doesn’t pan out that way.
December 16th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
We’re getting ready to move our little girl into a big girl bed. You’re scaring me. I like the idea of a gate on the bed AND the gate at the door. Good luck; stick to your guns, she has to get it eventually!
December 26th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Every time I read something like this I’m gripped with fear.
GRIPPED, I say.