Monday, September 13, 2010

The Next Step on the Journey

Our two-year-old is growing up.

Yes, just like he's supposed to!

I've been noticing lately how big he seems in his crib. I was especially aware of that last week when I watched our 6-week-old grandbaby and saw how little he looked (and he was nearly 9 pounds at birth, so this isn't a tee-tiny baby) napping in the crib.

Well, apparently the two-year-old has noticed how big he seems in his crib, too. Because the last several mornings he has gotten himself out of bed when he woke up. Not only in the morning, but also over the weekend at the end of naptime.

This baby who used to lay in his crib for a while and play as he woke up...who would then call out, "Mommy!"...he now just quietly hauls himself over the side of the crib and toddles in to our room or wherever we happen to be.

I had dreams of keeping him in the crib until he was three. It's not that I want to keep him little. As I've talked about before here, although I love babies, I don't experience a big desire to keep my boys little - they are so much fun at each new stage. It's really just that I think he's going to be a challenge when it comes to keeping him in bed.

Our four-year-old moved to his big boy bed at 25 months...after all, a new baby was on the way and so we had to get him out of the crib. But he's the kind of kid who's always been fine by himself. And he is pretty good at knowing the expectations and living in to them. So much so that not only did he not climb out of his crib but it was after he turned four before he even got out of his twin bed without permission.

Our two-year-old is a different kind of boy. He has a little more fun challenging the rules. And he has always preferred to be around people. That's really what I think will be tough for him. I'm anticipating that when he is put to bed in his big boy bed he might just get up and wander in to his brother's room for some company. I'm anticipating that if he gets up in the middle of the night, he might just come into our room and climb in bed. These are things we haven't experienced with the four-year-old.

But, the two-year-old is his own person. And this is just the next step on the journey.

4 comments:

Sharon said...

Isn't it fun to find out how your children are unique? This brought back a fun memory of how astonished I was the first time a little tyke climbed out of the crib and appeared, as if by magic, by my side.

This Heavenly Life said...

Hey! I wrote about something like this today, too! Not about big-boy beds, but about how our kids are their own people, and it's fun to watch them be themselves. Only with THIS fun, you might get some added frustration...but I hope it's adorable in the meantime.

And really, your boys could be nothing less than adorable, so I think you're safe :)

Cristina said...

ah, just like my two boys. The oldest, at almost 4 will rarely get out of bed on his own. He calls for me to go get him. My youngest? oh boy.. that gate on top of the stairs HAS to be closed.

Hyacynth said...

Ah, yes. Each is so his own person.
Have you thought about the boys sharing a bed or a room? Mine have been for about three months, and it's been working out pretty well. My oldest is like your two year old. People, people, people. :)