Yeah, I know that title makes no sense.

There was only one appointment on the books this week and that turned out to be a “no show”, so things were pretty dull around the Center that day.

Until a man called saying he had some donations for the center.

He arrived and we helped him bring all the donations inside. One item was a white toddler bed.

The director told me we would need to go through the bags and salvage what the Center could use and the rest would go to Good Will.

She told me the Center cannot keep the toddler bed and I was welcome to take it if I wanted it.

I could totally see Little Bug thinking that was the coolest thing on earth if I brought that home.

I wondered for a slight moment if this wasn’t a sign that I just need to go ahead and take the plunge and give this girl a bed.

And so Operation Get-Toddler-Bed-Into-My-Car began.

We tried every way imaginable to fit this bed in my car and failed. I even took both car seats out of the back seat to try and fit it in that way. Didn’t work. We had no tools to take it apart.

In the end, the director was nice enough to let me store the bed in her office and my dad went later and disassembled it and brought it to our house. He offered to set it up in Little Bug’s room, but I told him I wasn’t ready to go there yet and he could just put it in the garage.

Before seeing this toddler bed, I had every intention of leaving Little Bug in her crib for a few more months. But, when I look at this toddler bed, I think that I could see this bed working in making this transition with Little Bug be smooth sailing.

Something about that little bed (instead of a ‘big’ twin bed – the one in Sweet Pea’s nursery right now) says that it might be the key to making this transition work now.

Question is: Am I brave enough to go for it now that I literally had this toddler bed fall into my lap?

Things to consider:

• Little Bug is obedient. I can verbally tell her to do something and she does it – most of the time and especially when she is not in one of those “trying times”. Hopefully this is to my favor in making this transition because I can expect her to obey me and go back to her bed if she gets out before it is time to wake up.
• She is THREE! Please tell me I am not the only one that has a 3-year-old still in a crib.
• I would LOVE to redecorate her room and make it into a big girl room for her! How fun! (But I also know that is no reason to make this transition prematurely – even if she is already 3.)
• Little Bug is ready. Now, that can mean two different things. She asked me months ago for a ‘big girl bed’, but that doesn’t mean she is really ready in my standards! Before I make this move with her I want to be sure she understands that when it is time to go to bed, she stays in her bed until Mommy comes to get her in the morning – just like she does now in her crib. In other words, no midnight walks to the park by yourself, Little Bug! (I totally wouldn’t put that past her. The door chimes will definitely go on as soon as Little Bug is out of a crib.)

Hmmmmm. LOTS to think about.

Or am I just being silly and I just need to GO FOR IT?!

One thing I know I WILL do. I will keep her crib in her room for awhile until she learns the “big girl bed” rules. First time she leaves that toddler bed before she has permission to, she will sleep the remainder of the night in her crib and we will try again the next night.

I seriously dread this transition WAY more than I dreaded potty training her.

I hope it is not going to be as bad as I predict.

- Elaine