Musical Beds

Today is the first day Lilly has actually slept in her room (well, except once when Brandy came over and we both slept in there). Wonder why? It's complicated but here it goes.

Lilly is born and I had a c-section which was the beginning of the musical beds. She slept in my bed, the pack n play, or the bassinet, or in my arms as I'm trying to stay awake long enough for her to fall asleep enough for me to lay her down. After 6 months or so, she would very rarely be asleep for the night except in my bed. I contemplated having Lilly sleep in her crib, which sat patiently waiting in her room. I practiced laying her down in there so she'd stay asleep. I have no idea how anyone can get a sleeping baby to stay asleep when laid down in a crib. Lilly would have none of that. I discovered in this process that the drop side crib would pop off of the bottom leaving only the top attached if I would put any pressure at all on the rail. I thought this was a bad sign and forgot the whole crib idea. I was glad I trusted my instincts when the crib was recalled due to babies being trapped between the drop side that popped off and the mattress. Sound familiar. I was horrified and thankful she never slept in there. Who knew having a baby that hardly ever stayed asleep when laid down would be a good thing? The crib remained there as decoration for another year and a half and became a place to put things I didn't want Lilly to have. Not quite the intended purpose for a crib, but it worked.

Lilly slept in my bed all of the time from when she was about six months old and on. For about the last six months, she would fall asleep in my room and I would either sleep on the couch or on the guest bed a lot of the time unless she woke up, which meant I would go back to lay in my (well, actually more so Lilly's bed) for the rest of the night. We've been slowly getting ready for Lilly to be in her own room. For several months, the guest bed was now in Lilly's room but the room wasn't baby proofed enough for her to sleep in there (yes, baby's room not baby proofed-funny, I know) So this means, Lilly was sleeping in my room and I was sleeping in her room. Where is Al, you ask, in all this craziness? In his all time favorite place to sleep since high school, the magical basement.

Today, I decided enough was enough, and moved the bed rails from one bed to the next and brought the bed frame from the guest room back to my room. Funny part about the bed frame in the guest room, it actually didn't have a bed with it and was sitting there empty (it was now in Lilly's room and we need to get a replacement). Try to move beds and bed rails alone with a toddler asking a thousand questions without anyone getting knocked over with a mattress or huge damage to the hardwood floors--not easy, for sure........but can't be much harder than playing musical beds, could it?

I now have my room back complete with a bed frame, nigh stands, which were no longer turned with the drawers facing the wall/put in the closet, and the rug flush with the floor as there is no longer a need for the crib bumpers to use as padding under it. Also, I don't have the crib mattress as the foot of my bed (used by Lilly so she could get in the bed). AND, if I'm cold at night, I can go into my room at get something warmer to wear.

Lilly likes her bedroom but wasn't so she she wanted to sleep in there tonight. Luckily, we skipped the nap today so she was too tired to make too much of a fuss and went to bed right away.

Don't think this is how the tell you in the baby books. Then again, nothing really is like they tell you in the baby books.

Off to bed, MY bed, all by myself!