My Reesey is a very independent girl...

I was able to get out of work early tonite, just in time to come home to my girl's bath and bedtime! After her splish splash, I was getting her dressed into her jammies, but SHE was determined to put her top on by herself!

I wanna do it myself, Mommy!

Figured it out - look how proud she is!

Yep, I pretty much rock!

Time to take it off and try again (not without a bit of a struggle first!)

There, it's off! Let's make sure that wasn't just beginner's luck!

Figuring it out again...

....there's the hole....

....hmmmm, didn't quite work as smoothly as the first try, I'd better inspect it first...

.....almost got it!

Phew! Did it again! Man, I DO rock!

And again, because hey, this is more fun than going to sleep!

Silly girl!

Here, let Mommy help you...

Mommy helped the Roo, and the Roo was not pleased! Look at how I'm laughing! Man! "And the award for Mom of the Year DOESN'T go to...."! lol

The morning after!

After staying up late to make sure our Reesey was settled and finally asleep, all was quiet in the room - but she was nowhere to be seen in the video monitor!

So I went to her room and proceeded to open her door, only to find myself struggling - something was on the OTHER side of the door, something that was preventing me from opening it. Not just ANY something....MY DAUGHTER! She had curled up on her blankie on the floor RIGHT in front of the door, and I was only able to open it an inch before I figured out it was in fact HER - I could see just her tiny hand in the sliver of light that crept through the cracked open door.....so I gently pushed on the door with the intention that she would either roll over so I could open it more, or just wake up and consciously move.

That wasn't working.

So I tried to tickle her little hand to get her to move. But her hand was cold. She wasn't moving. I panicked.

I ran to the top of the stairs to call for Donovan, who raced upstairs, both of us in a state of anxiety and sheer terror.

Did she bump her head on something? Did something fall on her and pin her down?

I wasn't so careful with the door this time, I pushed and nudged with a much more forceful pressure, but still ensuring I was maintaining some semblance of gentleness. This WAS my daughter on the other side, but who knew what state she was in?!

Next thing I knew, she jumped up, startled, and started to cry!

PHEW!

I mean, OH NUTS!!!

I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, and nudged my way into her room to find her behind the door now, startled from her solid sleep and confused at why she was so rudely awoken. I picked her up, wiped away her tears, gave her lots of kisses and snuggles as I quickly carried her to her bed, not wanting her to wake up too much. She curled right up under the blanket and thankfully went right back to sleep.

She slept through the rest of the night.

The next morning, Donovan and I woke up to the sounds of the Roo waking up over the monitor, as she greeted all her friends in the way she always does every morning.

"Hiya Woodsy, hiya Floppy, hiya lamp, hiya curtains....."

We were both still half asleep, but smiled with the sweet sounds we were listening to.

Next thing y'know, I hear a voice, less muffled than it normally is over the monitor - a bit clearer, a bit louder - saying, "Hiya Daddy's keys".

"Hiya Daddy's keys," I thought. Still half asleep, I smiled, confused..........Daddy's keys aren't in her room, they're at the top of the stairs leading to the back door. THEY'RE ON THE TOP OF THE STAIRS!!!!

I ripped the quilt off of me and FLEW down the stairs, just praying I reached her in time before she fell down the stairs to the landing....only instead I was greeted by a little happy face looking up at me, watching me as I ran down to it, holding up Daddy's keys!

"Want....some.....faffles!" she told me!

I scooped her up and laughed! I guess I didn't close the door all the way the night before when she gave me that scare as she curled up by her door! What a STINKER!!! Both of us! lol

Changes

Dear Madelyn,

Mommy and Daddy are so very sorry we haven't kept up with this blog as much as we wanted - every day you give us a new memory to hold on to - to make us smile or laugh, moments in time we want to hang on to and cherish forever - moments we'd like to believe will be ingrained in our memories until long after we've become old and gray. But some moments, big events such as tonight, need to be documented and shared with everyone who loves you.

Tonight, my girl, is your first night in your toddler bed.

Mommy took pictures of you waking up from your nap this afternoon - the last time you'll be waking up in your crib (well, we hope it's the last time anyways - Daddy doesn't seem too convinced - he's keeping your crib, mostly still assembled, in the dining room in case you don't like your "new bed", as you so articulately call it). I've told Daddy that's ridiculous, that OF COURSE you'll love your new bed, you've been such an easy baby when it comes to changes around here and in your life, you adjust to new things with no worries, I wish I had the ability to do the same. Maybe I can learn that from you.

So this afternoon, you helped Daddy put your new bed together (you were mostly playing with the rods that support the mattress, and you gave kisses to Cinderella). Once it was all done, you took to it like you'd been waiting for it for a while now. "New bed," you said, as you climbed all over it. We even bought you your first real pillow to sleep with. You did have a bout of "no no pee-woah" and threw it off your bed momentarily, but you seem to have come around to the idea of it since then.

I began to wheel your crib out of your room to move your new bed into the crib's old place, and you even helped to push it out the door (until we realized it was too big to fit through the door frame, and Daddy had to take it apart before taking it to the dining room).

For the rest of the day, "new bed" was the latest in Reesey vocab, you seemed anxious to get to it already. After your splish splash, we got you ready for "patchi" time, and even while you were brushing your teeth, you couldn't stop mentioning the newest addition to your room.

We got you into your jammies, and Daddy snapped pics of you looking like a sweet little angel all bundled up in the blankets of your bed as Mommy read you your favourite nighttime book, "Goodnight Moon".

As soon as the book was done, I gave you a little kiss, reminded you that it's patchi time in your new bed, and that Mommy and Daddy love you. You rolled over on your pillow and hugged Woodsy tight, looking like a natural in that bed. I was/am so proud!

Now here I sit, typing this out, with the video monitor just to the left of me so I can keep an eye on you and see how well you're adjusting - for the first 20 minutes, I've watched you get out of your bed with your blanket and wander around your room (to get a handle on this new-found nighttime freedom, no doubt); you crawled back into bed with the blanket pulled up over you, then you whipped it off, sat at the edge (where your toy box is), exclaimed "Puppy!" as you held up your furry friend and stared at him for a bit, and then you continued to roll around a bit more, sitting up, playing with the curtains and exploring the room from this lower perspective.

At this moment, all is still in your room - I can see you curled up on top of your blankets, your little bum sticking up in the air (how you've always slept), and all I can hear over the monitor are the sounds of your lullaby CD and you sucking on your soother.

Daddy placed as many cushions as he could find around the base of your bed in case you roll off the edge and fall the four inches to the ground! I hope you have a wonderful sleep, baby girl, and I can't wait to hear about all the dreams you had in your new bed when I see you in the morning!

I can't believe you're growing up so quickly! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!