Bye, Bye Crib

I didn't do well in the newborn stage. I was way too overwhelmed and didn't take enough time to just gaze into my daughter's eyes and be amazed by her. Each passing milestone was very much anticipated and waited upon. Her first smile? Very much anticipated. Her first night she slept completely through? Made me giddy with joy. Her first sit-up, her first crawl, her first step were all very much hoped for and wanted. The first day without diapers and no accidents was a day where I felt I had accomplished something. When she began to make coherent sentences and voice them - was an exciting time.

When we set up her bed in her room, I didn't anticipate it clicking right away. I assumed she would need me to comfort her and be by her side the first night. Call it a "trial night" if you will. After all, there was no need for her to get out of the crib. There was no new sibling or even one on the way. There were no escape attempts from the crib that would harm her. We had the bed so we just set it up and tucked her in there one night to see how it would go.

I peeked into the room a few minutes after I had tucked her in. I thought after the usual hug and kiss goodnight, I would find her opening her bedroom door and wanting to explore her new-found nighttime freedom. Nope. She had other plans. Not only did she sleep soundly the entire night, she also slept until her normal wake up time and greeted me happily in my bedroom come morning time. There were no tears, no fears needing to be consoled. There was only one happy toddler, being so grown-up in her big-girl bed.

Wow. I didn't expect this to be the most emotional milestone of all. Yesterday we packed the crib away for good. I have a big girl now. I don't know if I'm ready for it. Where has the time gone?

{The easy transition, though, was something to be very, very thankful for :).}

Linked to:
Thankful Thursday
Finer Things Friday