New Beginnings

The first week of 2010 proved to be a noteworthy one for our family, as Jack made his way into a big boy bed! The chain of events that resulted in this milestone began with our mission to get his room painted, hoping that the transition to a more boyish room (his has been the same since Sophie was in it as a baby), would prompt him to want to switch to a bed. Sophie moved out of the very same crib Jack has been using just after turning 2, mainly because we needed to put Jack in it when he outgrew the Moses basket. Jack has always been fond of his crib, and whenever we commented on a big boy bed, he seemed completely uninterested (just like with potty training!)

We planned to use Eric's childhood furniture, so there was no real rush, and our original plan was to just keep the crib in the room until we knew Jack was ready. The painters were available much earlier than expected, so we threw ourselves into this project rather abruptly. After the first coat of paint was finished, we realized that Jack wouldn't be able to sleep in his room since the 20 degree "Hotlanta" weather would prevent us from airing it out with open windows. So he spent the night in Sophie's bed with bedrails that actually resemble his cribrails, and his sister by his side on the floor to give him a little extra comfort.

Eric and I were afraid that our night would end up like a game of whack-a-mole, not knowing if Jack would protest the bed, or Sophie would talk his ear off instead of falling asleep, etc etc. We fully expected to take turns running up and down the stairs throughout the evening to deal with whatever issues might arise. We were pleasantly surprised when both of them fell asleep immediately with no conversation and slept until 8 the next morning! Hearing them wake up in the same room was something I'll never forget. Sophie climbed in bed with Jack and covered them both with her down comforter for a 10 minute snuggle session. When he asked for water, she got it. When he wanted his slippers, she got those too. She was clearly proud to take on the role of big sister and we were all proud that Jack made it through the night with no trouble.

The next night was a repeat of the first, so we decided there was no going back. When Jack saw his new room and the new bed, he was beyond excited to sleep in the bed. Once again, Sophie joined him on an air mattress next to his bed for his first night in his new room. Three nights in a row of brother-sister sleepovers!


Eric and I were a tad bit emotional when we realized that the crib had been assembled and used by one of the 2 kids for almost 5 years. For us, this milestone represents so many of the other changes that we've seen in our family in the past year. Many were gradual but it's as if they've culminated in a more dramatic way all of a sudden. Almost in the snap of our fingers, things just suddenly seem a bit easier, increasingly enjoyable, and we are less bogged down by some of the little things that make parenting of young children challenging. This isn't to say that we haven't enjoyed the moments up to this point. There just seems to be a little more freedom to enjoy those moments with less pressure and less stress. And having 2 kids that can fully entertain each other for more than 10 minutes at a time isn't so bad either!