Big Girl Room Transition

E's new Big Girl Room

For most of my daughter's life she's been sleeping in, what we call, the nursery.  It's a smaller-size room that connects to our own bedroom with two suite style doors.  Soon after we brought her home from the hospital, she slept in her crib with the doors connecting the rooms open, and as she grew, we closed the connecting doors.  We did the same thing for my son and moved him into his own "big boy room" down the hall when we were expecting his little sister.

The View of the Nursery from our Bedroom

The Doors to Our Bedroom from the Crib

The transition for my son was an absolute nightmare, so I've really been hesitant to move E.  She's always been a very good sleeper and has been very content sleeping in a crib.  Unlike my son, that tried to catapult himself out of his crib at 18 months old, she never tried to escape or acted uncomfortable.  However, knowing that the transition can last for several months, we wanted to go ahead and move her with plenty of time to prepare the nursery for baby #3.  The plan is for her to have basically no memory of sleeping in the crib when the baby is ready for it (in October).

Thanks to the previous homeowners, the room was already painted a bright pepto-bismol pink.  So, we moved the guest bedroom furniture to my parents house, moved the desk to the bonus room, and prepared the room for a little girl.  So far, the room is very simple, but we'll decorate it and add art-work as E gets used to the room (and can help in the decorating).

The Big Girl Room

 On Friday afternoon I asked E if she wanted to sleep in her "big girl bed" and she immediately said, "Yeah!"  I'm not sure if she believed me at first, but as I started moving her stuffed animals from her crib to her toddler bed she started getting excited.  Our normal routine is for me to rock her in the glider and sing 3 songs (usually, "Jesus Loves Me." "Oh How I love Jesus," and "Holy Father Grant us Peace"), then lay her down.  So, I drug the glider from the nursery into her bedroom, rocked her to our 3 songs, and then laid her down (exactly like I would in her crib).

As I left, I hung a little music box on her doorknob (just as we did when my son was little).  The "doorbell" is to give her a greater sense of control and security by knowing that we're always a ring away and she's not completely alone.  Unlike my son, she was not used to having a music box in her crib, so I wasn't sure how she would respond to it.  I explained to her that when she wanted to open the door, she needed to press the button and mama or daddy would come.

The Music Box/Doorbell

So, it came as no surprise to me that within 2 minutes of me leaving, she tested the music box.  I immediately ran upstairs, opened the door, laid her back down, and told her "goodnight. It's nap-time." and left again.  Ten minutes of silence later, and I returned to find her sound asleep in her toddler bed.  VICTORY!!

The First Time Asleep in her Toddler Bed

I'll add, it's been several days and nights of sleeping in her new big girl room and toddler bed and she's never once thrown a fit, cried, or even tried to leave her room.  I am so proud of her!

Spring Has Sprung!

One of Our Trees in Bloom

Hooray for beautiful weather!!  My children love to play outside and they have really enjoyed the nice weather the past few weeks.  On good weather days, we go to the Y, and then play outside in the drive-way when we get home.  It gives the kids the opportunity to burn off extra energy, and me the chance to recover from my workout.

We have the perfect child-size climbing tree in our side yard.  Not only is it absolutely beautiful when in bloom, but it's branches start very low to the ground and it's not very tall.  My son loves to climb as high as possible in it, and my daughter wishes she were brave enough to climb it it.  Most often, when E asks to get into the tree, she is crying to get down in a matter of seconds.

Tree Climbing

Acting Like a Monkey in a Tree

The Nervous Tree Climber

They also love to run around and dance in the sunshine: my daughter with a little more poise, and my son with a little more speed.  It always brings a smile to my face to see their care-free spirits shine.  They both can experience such indescribable joy just by spinning and running around in the yard... oh, to be a child again...

Dancing in the Sunlight

Not a Care in the World

Appropriately, her shirt says, "Spin, Twirl, Dance"

Running in the Sunlight

Yes, Everything he does is a Little More Intense

Not a Care in the World

Happy Spring!

Brentwood Pediatric Dentistry

My son went to the dentist for the very first time several weeks ago.  I think it's generally recommended that children see a dentist as early as age 1, but it kept slipping my mind.  At the mall, during some kind of special children's event, a lady handed us a bag, a water bottle, and a toothbrush from the Brentwood Pediatric Dentistry.  I took that as a sign, and I gave them a call the next week and scheduled his first appointment.

I really had no idea what to expect from a pediatric dentist, but I was very impressed.  The office, staff, hygienist, and dentist were very child-friendly.  When it was L's turn, he went back and laid down on a soft bench.  The hygienist introduced him to her "friends" (tools) she would be using, and how they worked.  She showed him Mr. Thirsty and let him squirt water into the sink, showed him Mr. Spits and how he sucked water out, and let him feel the top of her spinning toothbrush before she brushed his teeth.  He was very still while she was cleaning and she was quite impressed.  She kept saying, "I am so proud of you!"  He literally just laid there like a doll, watching cartoons on the TV in the ceiling, as she cleaned.

Having his Teeth Cleaned

When the dentist came to check his teeth a few minutes later, he discovered 4 cavities on his back teeth.  It really made me feel guilty for not bringing him to the dentist sooner.  One was pretty significant, but the others he felt would be easy to fill.  He recommend a little bit of nitrous oxide gas (laughing gas) to help calm him, but because he'd been so well-behaved for his cleaning, he didn't think any further sedation was necessary.

So, we scheduled his filling for a few days later.  He put on the little "elephant trunk" with the nitrous gas, head phones, and again watched cartoons.  The dentist discovered that one of his cavities was very deep, and he was concerned that the cavity might have gone all the way to the nerve.  He kept asking L, "Are you okay? Am I hurting you?" but L was tough, and said he was fine the whole time.  I did see him make a fist as one point, but other than that, he seemed pretty relaxed.  The dentist and hygienist were just in awe of him and kept saying over and over again, "He's such a sweet boy."

Getting his Cavities Filled

We scheduled his final appointment for today and he had his last fillings.  Again, he amazed all the staff with his ability to be still and cooperate.  The dentist made a point to tell me several times that he was a "special kind of kid."  No surprise to me though, I know he's one special kid!!  Great job L!!

My Sweet Boy

Dr. Cregger and L

Just for a Laugh

So, the other morning my son decided to make himself a hot dog for lunch (or maybe a late breakfast... it was only 10am).   In the process, he had cut open a package of hot dogs and all of the hot dogs had spilled out and into the refrigerator.  When I discovered this, I told him, "what are you trying to do?  Kill all of our hot dogs?  They need to be in their package, or a plastic bag, or they'll shrivel up and die."

His response: "They were trying to kill themselves!!  When I cut the bag they just all jumped out everywhere."

Legos, Dolls, and Rattles?!

The Proud Big Sister in Training

Yes, that sweet girl, wearing a "Big Sister" shirt, is holding a picture of her future little brother or sister!  I'm pregnant!  So, I guess in October I'll have to change my blog title to "Legos, Baby Dolls, and Baby Rattles." :)

My son had been praying for "a brother" for several months, so he was really excited when we told him that God was growing a baby in my tummy.  He is very interested in the whole process and asks a lot of questions about pregnancy, birth, baby stage, etc..  I've really been surprised with how often he thinks about the baby and talks to him/her.  He has named the baby, "Bagel" (because that's all I ate for a while) and he thinks without a doubt that it's a boy.  "He is a boy.  His name is Bagel" he tells people.  He has also started pointing out other families with 3 kids and saying, "that's just like us!"  So, I'm not sure how he'll react when we do have another child, but he has handled he news of a future child very well.

My daughter is really too young to understand anything yet.  She knows that an ultrasound picture is a "baby," and that we call my tummy a "baby," but other than that she's pretty clueless.

Checking out the Ultrasound Picture