Bye Bye Crib...Hello, Big Sister Bed!

We Did It!  Taegan has officially made the transition to a big girl bed and the only tears shed thus far have been by Mommy!  

I had started worrying about moving Taegan from her crib into a big bed shortly after finding out I was pregnant and the closer my due date got the more anxious I became about the transition.  Taegan LOVED her crib, she would ask to get in it during the day just to lay down and play, she never once climbed out of it (although I am confident she could have if she wanted to), and she slept great in it.  I just knew when we moved her into a big bed that would be the end of us and her getting a good night sleep and she would hold a grudge against the baby for "taking" her crib.  

Throughout my 2 1/2 years as a Mom, Taegan has taught me if you wait until the child is ready for a transition the whole process will go much smoother.  All the things I have worried and stressed about have gone perfectly when I just waited until Taegan was ready and this was no different.  

We had been to Grand Home Furnishings in April and picked out Taegan's new bedroom furniture.  I didn't want to spend money on a toddler bed that she would only use for a couple years and I wanted to be able to comfortably lay down with her or even sleep with her if we needed to so we decided on a full size bed.  The furniture was delivered a couple weeks ago and I had slowly started to buy blankets, pillows, sheets, bed railings and a quilt for her bed.  This past Monday night when we had all the rain and storms Taegan refused to sleep in her crib which is really unusual for her.  She cried and eventually told Brandon she was scared of the "dribble, dribble, drop" (this is how she refers to the rain now thanks to one of her Dr. Seuss books) so she ended up sleeping in the bed with us.  Then Tuesday night she cried to sleep in the bed with us (and so she did), and Wednesday night the same thing!  So we decided if she didn't want to sleep in her crib anymore it was the perfect time to introduce the big sister bed! 

Bye Bye Crib! 

After I got home from work Thursday afternoon we took down her crib and told her how sweet it was that she was going to give it to her baby brother.  The whole time we were setting up and making her big sister bed we made a huge deal about how cool it was and how nice it was going to be.  That evening Meme even came over to check it out! 

I had already prepared myself for a melt down and another night of her sleeping in between Brandon and I in our bed.  However, much to my surprise it went beautifully.  I laid down in her bed with her and we read 4 or 5 books, then turned the lamp off and the twlight turtle on and looked at all the stars on the ceiling, said her prayers, and she rolled over and went sound asleep while I rubbed her back.  I tip toed out of her room and over the baby gate and she never moved.  I was in complete shocked as I laid in our bed staring at the baby monitor and feeling sad that my little girl was growing up.  The next morning I couldn't believe we had made it all night in her big sister bed. 

I know these milestones are all part of the journey but they are bittersweet.  I am so grateful Taegan is excited about her big bed and slept in it without any problems.  But I feel a little sad that all the things that make her a "baby" are disappearing...breastfeeding, diapers, and now the crib!