1 Mother 2 Another

Yes, we’re one step closer to Cora
being permanently ensconced in a big-girl bed!


So she’s been sleeping on a toddler air mattress next to her
crib for a couple weeks, and she’s handling it like a pro.
We’ve had some emotional wrestling matches over naptime
– she’s starting to give it up, and would just get up
and walk out of the room. But we’ve finally worked it out,
and now she knows she has to stay in the room and take “quiet
time” until I come get her. She usually cries and demands,
“Mommy! Come. In. Here. Right. Now!” for the entire
forty-five minutes, but at least she doesn’t leave her bed.


Other than naptime, though, it’s been smooth sailing, so
Thursday we took one more step – we went mattress
shopping.

You should have seen me and Cora in the
middle of Macy’s, shoeless and rolling from bed to bed. Cora
was giggling the entire time, and tested each mattress quite
seriously: she’d roll on her side, hold my hair in her hands
the way she does when she snuggles, fold her hands together in
front of her face, and close her eyes solemnly for several seconds.
Then she’d open them and stare into my face only inches from
hers and say, “Yeah, this is a good one.”


We finally settled on one and got it ordered up. The mattress set
won’t arrive until Thursday, so we’ve got time to get
ready for it.


And get ready we did last night.


Brian took down Cora’s crib, for one thing. We’d left
it up on purpose, in case she wanted to get back in for security
reasons. But I tell ya, she got sprung and she never looked back,
and it was only the threat of being returned to her crib that made
her stay in her bed at naptime. So Cora didn’t shed a tear as
the crib was broken down.


I, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. That crib’s been in
use since 2005, with only a small hiatus for a week or so while we
moved to Texas. Breaking it down and packing it up is clearly the
end of an era, and I know I should be misty-eyed and sad. And I was
a bit solemn, but truth be told I spent most of the time singing
“Ding, dong, the crib is dead!”


I’m really really really looking forward to the day that Cora
sleeps through the night every night for an entire week, and the
older she gets the more likely it is to happen. And no, it’s
never happened yet.


Anyway, we took down the crib and collapsed the toddler air
mattress, putting up a full-sized air mattress in its place. This
way Cora can get used to the bigger size while still being
comfortingly close to the ground for a few more days. Once the
mattress comes on Thursday we’ll put it up with her new
headboard and footboard that I scored off Craig’s List
several months ago and have been keeping in the garage for just
this day. Last night I also brought out her big down comforter and
new organic cotton duvet cover – triumphantly purchased from
Pottery Barn Kids after several months of patiently stalking it,
waiting for it to go on sale.


Can you tell I have been planning this day for MONTHS????


Perhaps I’m putting too much weight on the whole big-girl bed
thing; perhaps the sleep won’t change at all, or will even
change for the worse (bite my tongue). But I’m looking at it
as a sign that she’s getting more independent, growing up and
moving on. Last night we had to completely rearrange her room to
make way for the big mattress, and Cora ran in when we were
finished to view the final product. She squealed and ran around and
marveled at everything, but it’s what she said that killed
me. As she was getting her diaper changed in a new corner of the
room, Cora said, “Mommy, I’m just amazed that I get to
sleep in a really big bed. I can’t believe it.”


I love that she’s amazed, and that I can give that to her.


Of course, it took me almost an hour to get her down for bed last
night; every time I started to leave she began to get up out of
bed, clearly uncomfortable at being in such a big space and in a
different part of the room. So I know this will continue to have
hiccups. But she’s done so well so far that I know
she’s truly ready for it.


Next question: to bumper rail, or not to bumper rail . . .