Big girl bed equals lots of deep breathing

The Saturday prior to Memorial weekend (like way back in May) we were headed to the car for our weekly trip to Target when Isaak asked if I'd ever gotten around to painting Marvelly's big girl bed.

Ha, ugh...no. That would require time and motivation. Both of which I did not have.

She had a big girl bed waiting in our garage after being generously donated to us by Holly. Thank ya ma'am. However, I have not exactly been in a hurry to put her in it.

Marvelly, shall we say, is a bit of a free spirit. And it's not just her age. Yes, she's 2, and currently going through an intense case of the 2's...but ever since she was born...she's been this way.

Feisty.
Exuberant.
Joyful.
Carefree.
Spunky.
Influential.
Spirited....both in really fun ways, and frustrating ways.

Combine all these qualities in the tiny little person of Marvelly and I was planning on keeping her behind bars in her crib till she was at least 5....maybe 30. But...when Isaak asked if I had painted her bed yet, and I said "no", that spontaneously drove this desire in him to get it done that weekend. Looks like 5 is out of the question.

So off we went to Target where I just happened to find cute bedding for 75% off. Boo-yeah.
Isaak primed, painted, got a mattress, and put it all together and had it waiting in her room when we came home from a birthday party that afternoon. What a good daddy.

I was leery because Isaak didn't put on mattress rails, and I suspected that she would at least need a visual reminder to stay put during bedtime, even though those rails are ridiculous, they go half way down the bed and that's it. All ya have to do is scoot around them and you're home free. Isaak thinks they're as lame as they really are so he wasn't putting them on there.

Bedtime came, and I was fully prepared to sit in the doorway all night to keep her in her room....
but to my absolute amazement...she actually stayed in her bed! She didn't even attempt to get out! What?! Marvelly, my Marvelly!? Shazzam! That was a million times easier than I was expecting it to be! We were just like, "wow, she just must really be ready."

A week goes by, still stays in her bed.
Another week goes by, still staying in her bed.
Another week and another and another....

untillllllll.......

she realized that she can get out of her bed a.ny.time.she.darn.well.wants.to.

*deeeeeep sigh with my eyes closed*

What the heck man!

It was going so great! And then...THIS is what I catch her doing every 5 minutes!




and then quietly sneaking out of her bedroom and going in to the playroom and playing. She's so small I can't even hear her squeaking across the floor out of her room. And oh my gosh, let me tell you.... this girl does.not.care.

She will quietly leave her bed, and then loudly play in the playroom, or my bedroom, or the hallway! Until I can run back up the stairs and stop her. Put her back in her bed. Tell her the same thing for the millionth time. And then....five minutes later...it's this again...



AHHHHHH!!!!!!! She just looks up and me, smiles her big toothy grin, and says, "mommy, I get out my bed."

Geesh, no kidding!

Nap times have become virtually extinct, thanks to her new found freedom. Sydaleigh made it till 3 1/2 before she stopped napping. But two?! Oh man....I was not ready for this. Most days I have to put up the gate just to keep her from carefreely roaming the house and having a party in the hallway.



I've also been having to put her in the pack n' play at night, the pack.n'.play! ( See the pack n' play, up there in the corner, that is where she's been falling asleep every night for the last two weeks.) All because she refuses to stay in bed, well, more like her bedroom at this point.

I'm hoping that after a month of this behavior it will switch like a light switch again and she'll go back to following directions, staying in her bed, yada yada ya....we shall see.

This girl...ohhhhh goodness, this girl.........