The big boy bed.

One night, several weeks ago, James and I heard a big thump followed by Oliver's screams. Yup, our little Houdini had climbed over the side of his cot and plummeted to the ground. He was okay, but we were not. Every time he woke up I would wake up too, and wait, and hope. He fell/dived a few more times and that was when we knew, it was time to say goodbye to the cot. We decided on a big boy room theme, and started stocking up and creating decor for Oliver's new room.

Oliver's Babcia, James' mum, offered to get Oliver's new bed when she came to visit. Last weekend was that weekend, and off we went to pick out his first single bed. We opted for a wooden frame and a good mattress, something that will stand the test of time and see our toddler become , GULP, a boy. 

If you want your toddler to look like a baby again, put him in a single bed.

We went with the theme of dinosaurs, of course. I picked up the Adair Kids duvet cover off eBay for more than 50% off the RRP. The framed pictures are a DIY job, I picked up the frames from spotlight, and I found the dinosaur images at The National Dinosaur Museum. The bookshelf I mounted myself and was a find for Masters. As is everything we do, his room was completed on a budget thanks to a little bit of time and luck.

We were very concerned that Mr "I'm twenty months and still don't sleep through the night", would be up all through the night running around like a maniac. But no, he slept. He woke up at 5:30AM, not 1:30, not 2:30, but 5:30. Babcia called it an early morning, I called it a victory.
Since then he has slept through every.single.night. Thank you, Oliver's big boy bed.

However naps have a very different matter. We have had a talcum powder covered toddler, he has slept under towels, on photo frames and not at all. The times he has napped he has fallen asleep on the floor or in the car and then been transferred into bed. Often he ends up watching a movie, just to get a bit of a rest. It's a work in progress, and I am very much aware that naps will not last forever but I plan to hang onto them for as long as possible.

The first few times I put Oliver to bed in his single bed I was relieved with how much he looked like a teeny tiny baby again, just like the first time we laid our new born baby down onto his cot mattress. He was lost in the duvet, the pillows and the toys. 

Every night, as I put him to bed, I remember how quickly he outgrew his cot, I think to how fast those 20 months flew by. I cuddle him a little longer, I hold him a little tighter and I will him to stay my little Oliver J forever. 

Like everything with this Motherhood gig, Oliver's single bed is bitter sweet. I am so happy to have a full nights sleep, I am so happy to have a well slept baby, and I am so happy to be able to jump into his bed and even have a bit of a cuddle before bed or first thing in the morning. I also have that longing; you know that longing that comes with going to get your baby out of bed in the morning and instead finding your child. As is everything, this too shall pass, and I'll just continue to savour every moment.

Love always,

Mama J.

xx