"It's like my crib, but different."

"THE DECONSTRUCTION OF THE CRIB"

Well I made a big change today. I moved Emma from the crib to the toddler bed. Which really just means I took the crib rail down and put on the toddler rail. I have told her "rules" of sleeping in a big girl bed. The main rule is you do not get out of bed in the morning until Mommy and Daddy come to get you. I have warned that if she can not follow the big girl "rules" that the old crib will come back! This was a very hard day for me one I have dreaded for a long time. I was a strong believer in "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Well lately she has been asking to get in her crib and snuggle with her animals periodically through the day. Which requires I lift her in and lift her out. Today I talked to the pediatrician and he said "Diana, I think it is time!!!" He said he usually recommends children be out of the crib by three. These is primarily because they tend to venture and climb out. Well Emma has never even tried to climb out, but all the same I felt her time had come to "graduate" so to speak. She has been so excited about the big girl bed that several times she has gone to her crib and just played since we changed it. She also told me she was so happy to get to play with her crib toys. It was like she felt those were crib property that could not be removed or played with unless within the confines of the crib. She had panda in the stroller for the first time. He has lived in the crib since Christmas (and had never ventured out). Well she is talking in her crib and she just told Ming-Ming that Mommy will be back in the morning and then we can get out. Then she very quietly said no talking. I hope she goes to sleep and sleeps well, since she did not nap today. I say tomorrow will be even worse for napping.

To add to my day of chaos. I also took Ellie for 6 month shots by myself. I like to take her while Emma is in school that way only one child is at the doctor at a time. Dr. Rawlings is off on Thursdays so I have to take her on Tuesdays. Tuesday happens to be Paul's worse work day so he can't make it. It is seriously impossible to take Emma and Ellie to the doctor because Emma begins screaming as soon as he enters the room, even when she is not the patient. It is literally impossible to carry on an adult conversation with screaming two year old in the background. Ellie is 100% healthy. She was slightly above 50th percentile in height and somewhere between 90-95th percentile in weight. He said to start offering solids twice a day and try to stop feeding her at night. I knew that was coming. She hates all the solids I have offered her. I tried again at dinner tonight. I forced 10 baby spoonfuls of apple on her before she let me know that was all!! She did pretty horrible with the shots. She first had to take an oral rotovirus vaccine which she gagged on and immediately began to scream. The nurse asked if I wanted to try to calm her down before the shots. I said "no, please just get it over." She actually stopped crying by the time we were checking out of the office. She took a nice snooze on the way home and was pretty normal for the rest of the day.

This is Ellie post-bath yesterday. She had no idea what was in store for her today. LOL!