It was quite a project, as the big girl room is in what was once the old playroom (the spare bedroom upstairs). So to do that, we needed somewhere to put the old playroom--aka Bryan had to finish the bedroom in the basement. Once the playroom in the basement was complete, we started working our magic in what was now going to be Izzie's room. We didn't tell her about it or show her anything beforehand because we wanted it to be a surprise. I was a little nervous about this--that the surprise might be more of a shock and too much of a change--but we went with it anyway. We had mentioned before that she would be getting a big girl bed (she had gone shopping with us a few weeks before), and talked about how brother would use her crib when she was done, but that was about it.
Izzie went to Grammy's for a few hours one day so Mommy could work on the surprise, and then when Daddy got home he finished putting the bed together and we did the big reveal. She gasped. She smiled. She jumped up and down on the bed. She loved it from the get go. And while I was a little worried about her seeing her old room torn up, she happily walked in and said, "This is where brother sleeps? I like his room, Mommy."
 |
| Big grown girl still loves her Jerry. |
 |
| If you come to our house, please note that her bed is "purple". Wink, wink. |
 |
| The wrinkly curtains were there for a trial run. She cried when she saw them in my cart at Walmart (even though she had no idea they were for her), and said, "I don't like these. I want purple!". I figured I would make sure she didn't have a panic attack before I hung them permanently. But the purple sheets, blanket, and pillow were enough of a distraction and the curtains stayed. |
I was more traumatized by the experience than she was, that's for sure. I put her in that giant bed for bedtime, and then said I would sit with her because I thought she might be afraid. She sort of just stared at me awkwardly, and then I realized I was not needed. I stared at her video monitor for what felt like most of the night, but she did fine. It took her a half hour to fall asleep, but she laid in bed quietly just like she used to in the crib. She slept all night, and in the morning she called for Mommy when she was ready to get up, just like I told her to.
 |
| The next morning. "I had a good nap, Mommy!" |
Two weeks in, and she's a pro. For those of you who have yet to make the move to the big girl bed, I highly recommend you train them to wait in bed for you in the morning. Izzie won't get out of bed until I come in the room, and it is very handy. We don't have to worry about a toddler roaming the house without us, and if she gets up way too early then she quietly entertains herself until Mommy is actually ready to get her up. It's also handy for nap time so that she is resting and giving Mommy a break even if she isn't sleeping (though this little princess usually has no trouble getting her beauty sleep).
One day, her 2-3 hour nap was only about 1 hour and 15 minutes. This was not okay with Mommy, so I told her she needed to stay in bed and rest until I came and got her. She did pretty well for about an hour, and then I heard her yelling for me. Obviously I did not move fast enough, as she moved to sweet talking. "Mommy! Mommy! Come and get me because I love you!" If I wasn't already on my way that would have gotten me moving for sure!
Next up...potty training and binkie banishment... Yikes. Pray for this mommy.
No comments:
Post a Comment