Bear Lake and The Big Boy Bed

*I actually wrote this post monday and forgot that I wasn't able to post it... So here it is now for you to read as you will. Also, Luke has continued to do well in his new bed.*

Did everyone know that we're already half way through August? I think it's a little bit insane how fast this year has gone by... and yet how slow time seems to be moving right now. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my end of pregnancy discomforts, but we won't get into those, that's not what this post is about.

Over the weekend we went to Bear Lake with my family. It has been a traditional vacation with my family for years, but we haven't really done it for 2 or so. I think the last time we went was the fall before I went to USU and met Tyler. My parents own a time share at some condos up there so we like to go hang out and play on the boat. I didn't really get to play so much as I got to watch Tyler and my family play. Luke did surprisingly well for having to wear a life jacket the whole time we were on the boat.

We left our house thursday evening later than we had planned. That happens when things don't happen according to plan. I got to my 3:30 check up at 3:20 and the lady at the front desk said my nurse-mid-wife was at a delivery and was expected back in 10 minutes but that she was an hour and a half behind schedule. I said I'd wait, downloaded sudoku onto my phone, and played that for the next hour and 40 minutes. At my appointment my mid-wife checked me even though I was only 35 weeks 5 days... they round me up each week since it's almost the next week mark. I'm pretty sure when I was checked for the first time when I was pregnant with Luke that I was dilated to a 1+ and not very effaced at all. Thursday she told me I was dilated to a 3 and 50% effaced. Now I know that those numbers don't necessarily say I will have this baby early, but it is pretty hard not to get my hopes up after hearing that. I'm not going to lie, I'm expecting this kid to come early and it's mostly because I really don't want to wait anymore. I can't wait to see him and for Luke to meet him! Anyway, there's no avoiding the fact that I just have to wait until he's ready to be born, but I'm so anxious to meet him.

So, obviously with my appointment not starting until an hour and 40 minutes after it was supposed to, we got a late start. We dropped Bo off and I thought for sure that since Luke usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 he would sleep the whole 2 hour drive there. It didn't matter that it was 8:00 and past his bed time, he talked and played the whole drive. I'm glad we wasn't whining hardly at all, but it sure made for one tired boy when we got to the condo at 10:00!

We tried to put Luke to bed in the port-a-crib, but Luke wasn't having it and he cried and decided to try to climb out of the crib. He succeeded. So Tyler ended up driving Luke around in the car again until he fell asleep and then bringing him back in. He only slept until 5:30... and the other kids didn't wake up until 7:30. We brought him up on the bed with us and I sang until he fell asleep again, which took about an hour. So he got to sleep for about an hour before the other kids woke up and he woke up to the sound of their voices.

When we went out on the boat that morning he was so tired he really didn't care much about anything. When we left the lake to take him back for a nap he was out within a few minutes! I was pretty disappointed about that because it was only a 25 minute drive and I knew he wouldn't transfer to the port-a-crib like he did that night before and he wouldn't go back to sleep after he'd woken up. So unfortunately, after only getting 5-6 hours of sleep, the poor kid only got a 30 minute nap.

After that I would put Luke down for bed or his nap and stand there and jiggle the port-a-crib until he fell asleep. It was effective and kept him from climbing out and falling on his neck. It made me wonder if he would try climbing out of his crib when we got home.

Sure enough. We got home Sunday afternoon and due to the little sleep he got on the trip I tried putting him down for an afternoon nap. It wasn't working but I put him in his crib anyway. A minute later he opened his door and came walking out with his comfort blanket and teddy bear. He had definitely decided to try climbing out of his crib... and did it without killing himself, luckily.

After that he spent the next hour trying to climb into and back out of his crib. Tyler and I kept our eyes on him and it was a good thing because there were a couple attempts that would have ended badly had we not been paying attention and close by. We decided that for his safety, it was time to move him to the toddler bed.

The thing is, we moved him once and he did fine except we didn't have a side rail and so he fell off 2 times in the middle of the night and then sat a played the second time so we moved him back to his crib. We knew we had to go get him a side rail or it wouldn't work. Sorry to go to Walmart on Sunday, we went and got him a safety rail and brought it home and set up his "Big Boy Bed". He loves it!

At bed time he was fighting the bed time ritual but once Tyler put him in the Big Boy Bed he was so surprised that he just laid there. He fell right to sleep and we didn't hear from him again until 6:15 am when he started screaming. I jumped up to go see what the problem was. I knew he couldn't have fallen off again so I was surprised to hear him screaming. I got in there and couldn't see him... he had crawled under the bed and was stuck. I lifted up the bed and helped him out and he cuddled with me on the rocking chair. When he started falling asleep I put him back in bed and tried to get back to sleep myself. Around 8 I heard him opening and closing his bedroom door so I got up and peaked my head in his room. He was sitting by his toys, playing with the new toys his cousins passed down to him this weekend. (Thank you so much, they are a welcome way to occupy his curiousity)

At nap time he was acting tired so I asked him if he was ready to take a nap in his Big Boy Bed and he went right in and grabbed his blanket and bear and brought them to me. After singing to him in the rocking chair for a minute or two he was ready to lay down. He fell right to sleep and didn't get up for an hour and 45 min.

I'm so excited that he has this freedom because he seems to wake up so much happier! I really hope it keeps being a positive thing. I know some days he'll refuse to stay in bed, but with the crib he was stuck and just screamed in the crib and didn't sleep. It isn't a whole lot different if he isn't getting sleep those days either way.

So, how's that for a more detail than you really needed post? What do you expect when I feel like talking about something and the only one here to talk to is Luke? Just walks away to play with the new and interesting toys...

Now the crib is empty and waiting for the new baby to come and grow big enough to use it. I'm ready! Let's do this!

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