Big girl (and her bed).

Z loves her new bed. She was so excited while Matt was putting it up. So excited, that I had to take her out of the room because her help was getting a little less than helpful. Although, for the record she did help move wood and hold a bag of screws for Mateo.

We let her back in near the finish and she started running around the bed in circles. Crawling through the holes and jumping up and down, before her mattress was even in there. I have grand ideas of hanging fabric for when she is a little older, or perhaps waiting until Ana shares it with her and making the girls a really special, hidden play space out of the bunk bed. But for now, it works just as is.

Getting Z to sleep in the bed wasn't so hard. It's not even a rule that she has to sleep once we leave the room. But Z staying in the room, different story. Today during nap was Z's first attempt at big girl bed. I did the same bedtime routine as always and shut the door. I think she was flipping out excited because she didn't have to stay in bed. I could hear running around her room, screaming with joy, etc. And then, something happened that has never happened before. I was walking through the hallway during naptime (during naptime the house is very quiet, lots of fans are running for white noise, I close all the blinds, etc. we give ourselves fully to "nap" mode).. anyways, I was walking through the hallway and I run into Zoe! It scared me a ton! I have never seen Z in the hallway during naptime.

"Zoe, what are you doing?"
"NEW BED!!!!!"
"I know you have a new bed, you need to be in it."
"Okay, okay!" - goes back to room. slams door.

At this point, I start to get a little nervous. I was so concerned about z being upset that her crib was gone (which she wasn't. at all.) that I forgot this one little thing: Zoe can open doors. (clever girl.)

And so, we begin the lesson - stay in your room during night-night time. It took a few takes. I'm not going to lie, there was some screaming involved (on Z's part, not mine. Although, my patience was low because above all else, I love/need/crave nap time.). But! She successfully stayed in her room, and an hour after putting her to "bed" she actually fell asleep.

So at night time, i was interested to see what happened. This time, she stayed in her room. But she protested bed time a little. Not the bed itself, but the act of having to be seperated from us..wanting to sing and read, etc. However, she never came out of her room. She did open the door a teeny, tiny bit to which I stood outside and said, "Zoe Christine...." *door shut* *wailing*
It was almost comical how she wouldn't come out of her room, but instead stand by the door and cry. She would get very quiet when she opened the door a crack (she did it twice) and each time would close it immediately upon my saying her name and then cry. Maybe after 15 minutes she gave up completely and got in bed.

And so we begin the next stage of life...giving Z more freedom. I've very nervous to wake up to Z staring at me in the face. One of my own earliest memories is getting out of my bed in the middle of the night and standing in my parent's room staring at my dad. It was because I wet the bed and I was too embarrassed to wake him up - so I'd just stand by his side of the bed staring at him until he woke up. I can remember it so vividly. Looking back, that is really creepy of my 3 or 4 year old self.
Sorry, Dad.