Oh, what a night

Right around the time Jacob turned 2, we converted his crib into a toddler bed. It seems I didn't take photos to document the occasion, but it stands out vividly in my mind because of the circumstances that led to the change. I was pregnant with Alex, sleeping in bed around 7 a.m. while Jeff was in the shower getting ready for work. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find Jacob sitting in my bed behind me, with a very, very proud, happy grin on his face. My brain was still fuzzy from sleep, so it took me a moment to process what had just happened.

Jacob was in his crib ---> I was asleep ---> Jeff is in the shower ---> Therefore, neither of us got him out of his crib ---> Jacob climbed out of his crib by himself!

Not a milestone I was excited about.

And even though he did it safely and quietly (I heard nothing over the monitor- what a ninja), we decided it was best to get him in the toddler bed in case his next escape wasn't quite as safe.
Eventually, we came across a killer deal on bunk beds at Pier 1 Kids (right before they went out of business), so we bought them with the plan of having Jacob sleep in one of the twin beds, and using the bunk when he was older. In June '09, right before Jacob's 4th birthday, Jeff & I redecorated his bedroom, complete with a red accent wall (red is Jacob's favorite color), a Transformers poster, a Spiderman & villains poster, and lots of Spiderman stickers. And a few months later, we added the bunk without the ladder. Just for show and just so Daddy could stop looking at the box in the garage.

Fast forward to January 2010.

On Saturday, Jeff & Uncle Scott took the top bunk off so we'd have two twin beds in Jacob's room. We'd prepared him for the change, and the reason behind it: so Alex could sleep in there with him.

You would think- or at least I would think- that of my 2 boys, Alex would have been the one climbing out of his crib. And while I know he was certainly capable of it, he just didn't try to get out. He slept through the night in it, and when he woke up in the morning, would talk to himself or play music for a few minutes before calling, "Mommy!" or "Daddy!" He's always been my good little sleeper, but I was still nervous about the transition to a big boy bed. So why were we moving him? Why fix it if it ain't broke, you might wonder? Well, with Will making his debut in April, we didn't want Alex to associate being "kicked out" of his room with the arrival of the baby. And we wanted to have plenty of time before Will arrives to make sure our two big boys are sleeping through the night.

I'm getting to the current story, I promise.

Over the weekend, we took a family trip to Target. On our list: a waterproof mattress pad for Alex's new bed and a new set of twin sheets. I mentioned that Alex has begun playing action figures with Jacob. One of his favorite characters is Wolverine. So when I noticed a set of Wolverine twin sheets on the shelf, I excitedly picked them up, held them out to Alex, and he yelled, "Wolverine!!!"

We had to buy them.

We were ready. And Monday night was our first shot at having the boys in the same room.

Alex was thrilled not only about his new bed and new Wolverine (!!!) sheets, but also about sleeping in Bo's room.


Jacob was also excited to have a roommate.


Jacob actually asked if he and Alex could share the same bed. Two squirmy, wiggly boys sharing a twin bed...hmm. I think I convinced him that their beds were close enough together.


Before it was time to sleep, big brother had to share some bedtime wisdom.

Jacob: "Alex, you need to sleep in your bed all night. Don't get in Mommy and Daddy's bed. You can't go in there until it's mornin' time, OK?" (If only Jacob would heed that advice every night.)

Alex: "Otay."


A goodnight kiss.


And about 20 minutes later, both were asleep.

However.

Oh, what a night that first night was. Jacob slept horribly, making multiple trips to our room and telling us, "I can't sleep."
Alex even woke up, crying, a couple of times, and didn't want Mommy to leave.
So I spent a good portion of the night sleeping in Jacob's bed. Do I even need to explain how comfy it is sharing a twin bed when you're big and pregnant?

At bedtime the next night, I told Jeff, "It just has to be better than last night."

And it was better, although not the home run we were hoping for. More like a base hit.

Alex slept through the night, with just a couple of brief fussy moments, but soothed himself right back to sleep.

And Jacob ended up in our bed sometime around 2 a.m.

Sigh. So close.

Even though Jacob gets $1 every time he sleeps all night in his bed, and in spite of the fact that he's saving up to buy a new Spiderman costume that doesn't give him wedgies or have high water pants, he still got in our bed. How much bribery does one 4-year old need??

So Jeff and I each had a little talk with Jacob, reminding him of the bribe- I mean, reward. We reminded him of the Spiderman costume he talks about getting every day. We explained that we love to snuggle with him, but that we need to do that in the morning after he sleeps in his bed all night. And we reminded him that he's a big boy.

Night #3. Last night.

We have success! Alex slept straight through the night again and this time, so did Jacob! Let's hope they both keep it up.

And so far, Alex is staying put in his bed, even after he wakes up for the day. It's almost like he doesn't realize he can go ahead and climb out, which is more than fine with me. He sits up and calls for me. Is it mean for me to hope he takes a long, long time to figure that one out?
After he called for me this morning, I walked in, picked him up, and he said, "I sleep in my Wolverine bed all night!" Except, Alex likes to drag out the syllables in the last word of his sentences, so it was more like, "I sleep in my Wolverine bed all niiiiiiight!"


He was so proud. And so am I.

After they fall asleep, I keep going into their room to look at them both. Especially on that first night.

Me: "They're so cute. I can't stop looking at them."
Jeff: "Why is it any different from when Alex was in his crib?" After all, they're always cute.

Because it just is.

Because it means they're growing up. And I'm so glad to be home every day to watch it happen. Especially since it's happening so fast.