Big Boy Bed Update

B and E in B's big boy bed

I am sure you have all been waiting with bated breath to hear the outcome of our transition to big boy beds. I am so happy (and incredibly relieved!) to say that everything is going really well. Woo hoo!

Hubby (with the help of B and E) took the front sides off of their cribs on Friday morning. Both of the fellas immediately took advantage of being able to get in and out of the bed on their own, and they quickly ended up with about half of their books in bed with them so they could read. They have since continued to love playing in their beds and really enjoy being big boys.

We did have a few snags in the process, but nothing too major. During the first nap on Friday, B and E were not at all interested in going to sleep. I think the fact that they had a full, unobstructed view of each other helped... you know, plus the freedom of getting out of bed. After going upstairs to find E trying to get out of his room and B's bed full of books, we strongly reiterated that we do NOT get out of bed during "sleepy times." After some more giggling and playing, they did fall asleep. Naps since Friday have gone pretty well, and we haven't had anyone else getting out of bed. They have done a lot of chatting and laughing while laying down in their beds, but I guess that is to be expected. Until today, it was taking the boys anywhere from 20-30 minutes to go to sleep before nap, but today they were out like a light - woo hoo!

As far as nighttime is concerned, things have gone even better there. The fellas are really awesome at bedtime, and they go to their beds and go right to sleep after their stories. Nothing really changed with the transition to big boy beds in that respect. The only troubles we have had are when a blankie or water sippy happen to fall out of bed and they don't know where they are. B did fall out of bed once, but he was more dazed than anything. Hubby heard the thump and went in, helped him back into bed, and that was it.

Even mornings have gone well. So far, the boys have kept in mind that they are not to get out of bed during sleepytime, and they continue to call us to get them up just like they did with their cribs. This is fine by me, as I would much rather them wake me up than get into who knows what trouble in their room.

So, while knocking on every wooden surface within reach, I think we can say the transition to big boy beds has been a success. At least until they remember that they can now get out of bed on their own...

A night of lasts...

As I mentioned earlier this week, we are making the leap into big boy beds today. I have been concentrating so much on that big first that the lasts of last night hit me like a ton of bricks.

Last night was the last night that my two babies slept in a crib. When in the world did they get so big that they are old enough for big boy beds? "Shock and awe" took on a whole new meaning for me last night as I struggled with this milestone. I am not normally one to become nostalgic about big changes - I tend to be the person more excited about the things ahead than what is left behind - but it was different last night. I felt the need to stop and commemorate the passing of time with at least a few pictures. Below you will see E and B getting ready to enjoy their last time sleeping in cribs.


We had a second "last" last night, too. Hubby came up with the idea (and admittedly, it is a good one) to link moving the glider and ottoman into Z's room with the switch into big boy beds. At a few points, B & E have been resistant to moving the chair that they have had stories in for every nap and bedtime since they were born. Understandably so. We are getting a new chair for the room, but they really weren't interested. However, I guess it makes more sense to them when we tell them that the chair is built for baby rooms and now that they are big boys, it needs to be passed down. Again, I wasn't expecting it, but seeing the boys and their dad read bedtime stories for the last time in the chair was a tearjerker.


So, on to bigger and better things! Big boy beds, here we come!

Big Changes... To Everything There Is a Season

My boys are getting big.

I realize this is probably an obvious point (in a literal sense, they have grown two inches in the last two months!), but I see their growth and development in tiny bits and pieces each and every day.

Some changes are pretty little, and it often takes others to point them out to me for me to notice. Last night, an awesome friend of ours watched B and E so hubby and I could head into Chicago for dinner with another friend. When we came home, she mentioned that she was impressed with how many books that B and E were "reading" to her. Memorized, of course.

E and B LOVE books, and they definitely have their favorites. In these books that they hear over and over, they like to know what it says on every page. So that they can read them. By themselves. It really is funny. Almost every day, they will find a new book and ask me to tell them what it says on a certain page, and then they will go practice it over and over.

Yes, my boys are getting big.

Some changes, however, are momentous. As you may have guessed from my "ta-da list" post last week, we have been working on potty training with B and E. This has been a very gradual process, starting with just sitting on the potty to try it out, to just going around nap and bedtime, to full-out training. This major potty training has been going on for a few weeks, and I am finally feeling like we have turned a corner - we are not out of the woods yet, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Both of the boys are coming to tell us when they need to potty for both #1 and #2, and we have actually had quite a few #2s actually make it into the potty this week - hooray!!! More successes than failures now - thank goodness! We are only using diapers when the boys are sleeping.

Wow, my boys are getting big.

Another big change on the horizon - the switch to big boy beds. We are going to try to make the move this weekend for multiple reasons, including the fact that I am having a hard time getting them in and out anymore and that I won't be able to pick them up at all for at least a few weeks after our new arrival. Plus, B and E have both started talking about wanting a big kid bed, and we really would rather get that transition done before we are up half of the night with a newborn. Hubby has both Friday and Monday off, so a four day string with both parents home is also very appealing. I am definitely keeping my fingers (and toes, and arms, and legs...) crossed that this transition goes smoothly.

There are all kinds of big changes for my big boys!

Happy Half Birthday, B and E!

We reached a momentous milestone on Monday when B and E reached the ripe old age of two-and-a-half. Although it wasn't a day of gifts and giant parties, we did find some time to celebrate how far both of the fellas have come in the last six months. In honor of the occasion, E, B, and I baked a giant chocolate chip cookie during the afternoon, which they got to decorate with their dad after dinner.

Everything started innocently enough, with hubby helping the boys squeeze out frosting onto the cookie and spread it with their knives.

Quickly, things went downhill as hubby and I realized that the boys were no longer decorating the cookie. Instead, as he squeezed out frosting for them to spread, they were reaching down to the cookie, PICKING UP THE FROSTING, and putting it in their mouths. Here, B is demonstrating his technique.

Once we realized how bad the frosting situation was, we cut off access. :) We cut up the cookie, and everyone did enjoy a big piece. E loved his piece with the blue frosting (which, of course, he ate before the rest of the cookie).

In all seriousness, when I look back, I can't believe how many big strides both E and B have made in the last six months. Here are a few of the things I really see that are different from December 30th...

1. Language - As I have written before, I can't believe how much B and E talk. A month or so after their birthday, their language expression really exploded, and they haven't looked back since. Each day, I hear new words, phrases, and expressions that surprise me.

2. Imagination - I have been really pleasantly surprised with how much the boys' imaginations has grown in the last six months. When I think back to their birthday, I remember how much modeling of pretend situations I was doing, like cooking food. Now, the fellas come up with their own games and stories to play out every day, everything from having a picnic in the basement to flying airplanes in their room (of course, for that one, you have to keep your toes under the blanket or you fall out!).

3. Memory - Every day, I am constantly surprised at how much B and E remember. It is still hard for me to keep in mind that they DO remember things - it seems like not that long ago that they forgot what happened in the morning by the time they got up from naps. I have seen this memory surface in everyday conversations, like when they remembered the teacher's name from our 1 hour class at the Arboretum a month after it happened (I probably forgot before the end of the class!), and when they ask me "Mom, do you remember when...?" E especially loves to "read" books, too, and he can recite back the words in books that are repetitious or that he has heard a lot. A current favorite is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle.

4. Size - Although they have grown in size, we are definitely bracing for a growth spurt here. E and B have only grown about an inch since their birthday, and their weight has remained basically the same. The one place we have seen growth is that the boys outgrew their size seven shoes after nine months in March, and then at the end of June they had already outgrown their size eights.

5. Singing - I guess this could qualify under some of the other categories, too. B and E both have really picked up on the words to songs, and they LOVE to sing for us! Some of our favorites are "ABC...," "Twinkle, Twinkle," and my all-time favorite, "Happy Birthday." We currently hear "Happy Birthday" at least five times a day, and the current favorite to sing to is Grandma C. - nevermind that her birthday isn't until December!

These are just a few of the ways that we have seen growth in our boys. I can't wait to see what comes between now and December!