Day__??? I don't know BUT it has been quite a few BUT who cares!

Truth be told, yes it has been almost a month but in toddler years it really translates into minutes (if not seconds)...although in dog years it could very well be decades (but lets not go there!) I just came to me - this bit of wisdom - so, yes I am asking for a little bit of latitude! lol ;-0

So WHAT in the world am I talking about?  Well if you read my previous post about the "transition" process from the "crib" to the "toddler bed" then you would somehow be linking my thought processes together.  (Yes, I know, I do realize as I type this that that is a lot to ask...sorry.)

Anyhow, I didn't want to go to bed without journaling the progress our daughter has made with feeling at ease in her big girl bed.  Her routine for the last month has been sleeping in the toddler bed for her nap and the crib for nighttime.  What used to be a simple nighttime routine turned into quite the process when the bed was introduced.  It used to take us ten minutes to put her to bed when the only option was her crib. 

We would read a book, say some prayers, then do butterfly and nose kisses, hugs and cheek kisses and then say the following: "Good night Ella, see you in the morning, God Bless you, Love you honey, night, night."  She would repeat every one of those little phrases after we said each one.   

Since the double option entered into the picture it has been more like 40 minutes to an hour and sometimes more than that to put her to bed.  She wasn't quite sure what to do with the new found freedom the bed offered her.

At first I thought, boy was this a bad idea, maybe we should take the bed out.  But that thought faded quickly, as God impressed it upon our hearts that this is an opportunity for us to parent.  An opportunity to show patience and love as she became better aquainted with a little more independance.

Having both the crib and her bed in her room at this time has really allowed Ella to sleep in whichever one she wants without feeling pressured to give up the one she has been so accustomed to for 3 years.  It really is such a big deal, more so then I could ever have imagined.

So yesterday was the first night where she didn't ask for us, not even once.  We kept waiting and waiting for the inevitable call..."Daddyyyy?" or "Mommyyyy?"..."I am having a hard time falling asleep."  None of the usual cries for comfort came forth from her bedroom door.

Some parents are sad when they see their little girl grow up but for Ethan and I it isn't a bittersweet moment.  I don't know why but when I look at our daughter, I just get so giddy when I see her "work it out." The "it" being figuring out daily life and overcoming obstacles and issues she has to the best of her ability...It is just so darn exciting that it brings me to tears.  I feel so blessed and I know Ethan does to to be chosen to be the parents of this precious little girl!