Update on the Crib Climber...

EDIT: Here is the pic of the coverted crib that I mentioned earlier.

Well, I'm sure you are all dying to know what the "crib climber" has been up to lately. We had planned on converting her crib to a toddler bed the night after she climbed out of her crib for the first time, but time got away from us and it didn't get converted. We decided to let her sleep in her crib again and just put a baby gate at the door. So we did. And guess what? The little toot climbed OVER the baby gate the next morning when she woke up and pranced to our room to greet us. The good news is she slept in her bed all night until morning. The bad news is she is VERY smart!

We saw a taller gate at Wal-Mart and I went back and bought it. We were going to put it up right before we went to bed and realized that you had to mount it to the wall, which we were not about to do. So, we just closed her door almost all the way, but left a little crack. She slept all night in her bed and then greeted us in our room the next morning.

Sunday afternoon, Gabe finally was able to covert her crib. It's still a crib, but the front has a toddler rail instead of the regular front crib panel. It's pretty cute, and she really likes it. She still tries to climb out of it the old way, but that will soon get old. I'm not afraid of her getting hurt because she's a monkey at heart, and can climb her way up or down almost anything.

Last night she slept in her converted bed all night long, but came and greeted us this morning. That's just part of it. She's waking up earlier and instead of talking and playing in her crib, she comes to greet us. Yay us! I wondered how naptime would go, but she's down now for a nap and didn't make a fuss. Now, I don't know if she stayed in her bed because the door is closed, but I know she's asleep and has been for a while.

So, maybe it's not so bad after all. Check back later for a pic of her new converted crib! I'm not about to wake my sleeping beauty.

Toddler on the Loose!

This morning as I was sleeping, I heard someone walk into my room. Several, soft footsteps. I immediately knew who it was and thought to myself, unbelievable! She be bopped in like it was no big deal. Normal. Oh, my. What are we going to do with her?

Yes, she. Miss Priss. She climbed out of her crib, walked across the house, and into my room. This was a first. She's climbed in and out of the crib before, but only with me sitting in the rocking chair next to the crib. I had playfully assisted her in and out of her crib as she climbed all over me while I was nursing her Bubba.

I thought maybe she would forget about her new trick come nap time. Well, she didn't. I put her in her crib a little before noon and went into the living room to nurse Logan. I was sitting on the couch when I heard what sounded like someone running into a door. I thought to myself, "Could it be?" I dismissed the idea until I heard her playing with the door knob trying to open the door. "Mama"... "Mama".... followed by frustrated cries. I couldn't believe it. The little toot had climbed out of her crib again. She had mastered her trick and there was no turning back. I went into her room, put her back into the crib, and told her I'd go get her some more juice. As I came back to her room, I peeked in the crack in the doorway and watched her throw her leg over the side of the crib, lower herself down on her stomach, put her feet in between the bars of her crib onto her mattress, and gracefully lower herself down to the ground.

Unbelievable!

She never took a nap. Don't know if she ever will again. And I just thought motherhood was hard! Merry Christmas, Momma!

D.P.T.

Congratulations, Gabe Matthew Freyaldenhoven, D.P.T.

I'm so proud of you Gabe! You have spent NUMEROUS hours reading, studying, taking tests, and completing projects over the past year and a half, and you have finally graduated with your doctorate in Physical Therapy! Way to go! I think you deserve this...

(Garmin running watch w/heart rate monitor that he's had his eye on!)

I'm so ready to have my baby daddy back. Being a single mom is NO FUN!

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

Christmas Parade

We decided last minute to take Madison to the Christmas Parade tonight. I drove her around our neighborhood a little the other night to show her Christmas lights and in Madison words, she "loved it!" At each house she would say, "I love it!" Since she liked the lights so much, we figured she would love the parade...

...and she did!

She saw several snowmen, Santa, a monkey, several bands, and LOTS of lights!

She loved it!