Unexpected transitions

This contraption, credit: my inventive husband.

The contraption is two milk jugs set up outside pocket doors, straws taped to the inside of the doors and beer cans sitting on top - so that when the doors open they knock the cans off and make a loud noise - you dig?

This little no-cost invention saved our nights on vacation. Let me explain.

You know that milestone when babies grow out of their beds, climb out of them, and then you have to get them a big boy/big girl bed?

Well, my son is 22 months. And we’re there. Already. Like, what the actual… my first kid was probably almost 3 and he didn’t outgrow his crib, we just felt that he was old enough, and bought him a big boy bed. To this day, he still calls out to us in the morning to help him start his day – he has no real interest in leaving his room until we come to get him.

My second little monkey, total escape artist and 100% ready to grow up! Makes me sad and proud all at the same time.

This is a big change all of a sudden, like so many things in parenting. Take for instance the fact that he decided to grow out of his baby bed ON VACATION. We had him in a playpen in a master bedroom closet in a house we were renting (this closet was big, and was open concept to the master bath so no need to call child services, we didn’t shove him in a small dingy cave).

A week in and my husband watched on the monitor as he got out of the playpen, shuffled over to the pocket doors, opened them, and sauntered into the next room. Yep – no more sleeping for us until we figured out how to devise a system where we would hear him come out of the room. Otherwise, he could be anywhere. Like a ninja. A small, adorable, mischievous ninja.

So there ya have it. Bye bye baby #2, hello new stage of growing up! When we get home, it’s big boy bed time. And hopefully some more sleep for mom and dad.

How did the time go so fast? He was just a newborn, like, yesterday.

Guh.

xo Sara