McKenzie moves to the big-girl bed

When we first rented this house we asked that they provide a crib. We were given what we in the states would call a pac-n-play. No worries. McKenzie was still small and didn't seem to mind. But, it didn't take long until she couldn't lay out flat unless she was lying corner to corner.

At the end of April, after returning from a near three week stay in the states, we tried, for the first time, to move her into the bed. It didn't go over so well. She wouldn't even stay in the bed! This may not seem like a big deal, except that, with McKenzie, we have always been able to just put her in her bed wide awake and she would sing/talk herself to sleep. What parent in their right mind wants to mess with that?!? So we went back to the pac-n-play.

Monday I was vacuuming her room and pulling the sheets and blankets out of her "crib" to wash them and ended up putting the whole thing in the closet. I announced to Alex that night that I was going to put her in the bed and see how she did. She didn't ask any questions and after I sang her a quick song she waved to me and said "bye bye." That was that. She fell asleep on her own and we didn't hear another word from her until in the middle of the night when a distinct thud came from her room followed by sad crying. I hurried up to her and she immediately stopped crying and went back to sleep. I slept on the edge of the bed that night so that she wouldn't fall off again.

Yesterday she napped on the bed with no problem. Alex had a genius idea for the long stretch at night - we filled a sleeping bag with three throw pillows from the sofa and zipped it up as a barrier for the side of the bed not against the wall. Today I put her down for her nap and 30 minutes later she was calling me. Not the usual sing-song "Mama, I'm awake" but a determined "Mama! Mama!" So I hurried upstairs thinking maybe she had to use the bathroom. When I opened her door she was sitting up with the three throw pillows around her and said matter-of-factly "these belong downstairs."

She was right, but I convinced her to keep them stowed away for now (until we get a bed rail).