Big Boy Bed

Well, it's official...Micah has said "au revoir" to his crib and "bonjour" to his new big boy bed!  I still can't believe my baby is old enough to be encountering such a milestone, but he is :).  As I was reading about tips for transitioning, I came across a blog that talked about all the big changes that happen between 2-3, and boy, she was right on.  Saying bye to the pacifier, transitioning to a big bed, potty training and for lots, welcoming a new sibling into the family.  Check off 2 of the 4 so far, and #3 is mostly checked as well.  Micah still gets his paci for his nap, but willingly gives it up after and never asks for it other than nap time, so I just decided it's not a battle I'm fighting yet.  That leaves us with potty training...and that's one I'm not tackling yet either.  He has started showing interest, but it will be full fledged for a week or so, and then completely forgotten about.  I have noticed his ability to say when he's going at the exact time increasing, so we're moving in the right direction...but that's about it for now.

Back to the topic at hand - Micah's new bed!  I had read how kids can be scared of the big bed, and how parents really need to play up the excitement of this special big bed, which we did a little...but I have to say the minute the mattress was up in his room, Micah was all over his bed.  Jumping, laughing, running from one end to the other...he just seemed so excited about his bed!  We put it up last night but I didn't want his first time in the bed to be at night, so we waited until nap time today to christen it.

  

 Here is Micah in his crib for the last night.  It was pitch black, so the flash wasn't kind to his sleeping eyes, but I look at that picture and think he's just such a big kid now.

 

Rolling over due to the flash, haha. 

It feels like just yesterday I was taking pictures of Micah's room, all set up in anticipation of this long awaited baby boy we were eagerly wanting...and here we are, 2 1/2 years later, taking pictures of a pretty big moment in his little life.  

 

The room is not done, as you can see the letters and shelf just above the dresser are leftovers from his crib decor.  And there's nothing on the wall on the side of his bed, so we'll get something there too.  I am pleased with how the room is coming together, however.  We decided against putting the entire bunk bed together and elected to use the top bunk as Micah's bed so there were railings already "built in" to the bed.  I was excited to pull out the bedding I had put together right before Reid was born in anticipation of this day.  My friend Alissa helped me finalize fabric choices and sew all our bedding together, and she did a fantastic job.  I really love the bedding and am glad to finally be putting it to use.

 

Here is Micah pre-nap today.  Very excited about sleeping in his big boy bed.

Although, it's only one nap, he did great.  He went to sleep almost immediately and slept for over an hour and a half.  I'll call that a success in my book any day :)
  

 

Micah sleeping soundly via the monitor...

 

 ...So I snuck in and took a picture of him sleeping :)

The real test will be bedtime...he usually takes an hour or so to fall asleep at night and so I'm really curious to see how it goes tonight as well as tomorrow morning.  He's been climbing out of his crib for the past week waking Christian and I up in the morning with his kitchen food, "here you go, Daddy." so we plan to set the expectation right at the beginning and follow through now that he's officially out of his crib.
 

 

 Reading books on his bed before bedtime.

After story time, we got Micah all snug in bed and went over our expectations now that he's in a big bed.  He listened intently, repeated the appropriate response, even when asked detailed questions, so only time will tell what he actually grasped.  What I do know is that he was super, super excited about his bed!  He didn't even want his blankie anymore (which he had asked for at nap time).  AND he was saying "Bye bye Mommy and Daddy.  I go night-night now."  Hmm...was someone just a little excited about sleeping in his new bed?  I had asked Micah when putting his pajamas on tonight where he was sleeping, and he said "big boy bed" to which I replied "I thought you were sleeping in your crib tonight."  He then comes back with, "No, crib all done."  Smart kiddo, I tell ya :)

Last one - Micah all snug in bed ready to go to sleep for the night.

He rolled around a lot less than he has been doing in his crib, so that's a start, right?  And he didn't even attempt to get out.  Like I said, the real test will come in the morning, but I can definitely say that day/night one was a success! 

Update from 1st night's sleep:

Micah did fantastic!  Went to sleep quicker than usual, stayed in bed the entire night, and slept in close to an hour later than "normal" (which was 7am instead of 6ish :)).  I seriously could not have asked for a better nap/night transition - and I know it's only 1 day in, but he seems to just love his new bed...showing me he was ready for it and making me sad for how ready he was.  Why can't they just stay babies forever? :)