A crib is so symbolic of our little ones--a place to be kept safe when they are young, a place to be confined when they are older and a place to escape from when they are ready.
Yesterday, we said goodbye to the crib. And what did I do? I cried.
Maybe it's because I remember picking out the crib before our son was born. I labored over the decision. Living overseas at the time, I had friends and family go to Babies R Us to check it out. I remember the day it arrived and the day we put it together in anticipation of our first born. My husband and I worked on it together and had it ready for him months in advance of his arrival.
I remember how Alex used to sleep wrapped up like a burrito and we'd turn him so his body was crossways in the crib. And when he got too big to be laid that way, we turned him lengthwise. He loved his crib and would hang out in there some mornings for up to an hour. I think for both of us, the crib meant peace.
Shortly after his second birthday, he asked to be moved to the big boy bed. So we did . . . with a seemless transition. Anna received the crib and all was fine. She wasn't quite as fond of it as he had been. It was more of a fight to get her in and make her stay. But she was a good girl and we never had an attempted escape.
After a week of getting up early to rescue our newly potty-trained daughter from the crib for morning bathroom trips, I realized it was time. At two and a half she is well-past the normal age for big girl beds. So today, we purchased a new bed for Alex and moved his low-rider bed into Anna's room. Andrew took apart the crib which has been a part of our household for four years now and stored it in the basement. We're not sure if another child will be a part of lives right now, but it's there just in case.
In the meantime, I'm sad about this milestone. The diapers, the bottles, the stroller...all went easier for me. The crib is a bit more symbolic of her own independence (although we all know she has always been indepedent) now I have no way to really fence her in. Perhaps we should put a gate/lock on the door just in case.
Our first night in the bed went well. Only one roll out and one trip to the bathroom in the early morning, but with a quick return to bed.
2.16.2008
Saying Goodbye to the Crib
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2 comments:
I can TOTALLY sympathize with you. My daughter, 28 months tomorrow, has been sleeping in her crib-converted to toddler bed since she was 2. She has rolled out of bed twice in the last week and I've decided it is time to take the plunge and buy a "real" bed. I too remember picking out the crib and anxiously awaiting its arrival, putting it together and wondering what life would be like once a baby was occupying its beautiful space. With another baby scheduled to arrive in late August, I know it is time to make the transition from the crib/toddler bed to a real, big-girl bed. My heart is breaking a little with each milestone we cross, but this one hurts a little more than the others, just as you mentioned. From one mom to another, we'll probably share a few tears as our children continue to grow up faster than we expected.
Yeah, I like the "bed as cage" aspect of cribs. I'm a little bit sad that my little guy tries to wander at night now. We have to lock him in until he falls asleep. I feel a little bit like a monster.
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