Toddler Bed

I get a lot of questions from other Moms about whether or not my kiddo is in a toddler bed or still in a crib.

Emma started climbing out of her crib mid-summer; maybe a month after her second birthday. It was the cutest thing to watch. She’d prop one leg up on top of the bed rail, and then like a gymnast use her leg strength to pull the rest of her body up and over. She was a pro at it the majority of the time. However, the few times that she got “stuck” were enough to scare me into getting a rail for her toddler bed.

I went onto the crib manufacturer’s website a few times to look at my options, but wow, the prices for the little rails were expensive! So, I switched gears to look on Amazon and found that they sell universal crib conversion rails for $23! Even though it’s not very cute, I bought two of those right away! Momma’s on a budget!

Here is the finished product! *The picture was taken mid-sheet-changing.

I had Gene put it on to where the left side had a smaller gap than the right. This way, she can't fall out when she sleeps (she sleeps on the left), and she has plenty of room to get in and out on the right.

 

Another huge bonus for me right now, is that when you convert it, you raise it back up a notch or two. So now this lady doesn't have to strain her back getting Emma in and out of bed! Woohoo! My growing belly is loving that!

The next questions I tend to get are all about her cooperation with it. Knock on wood, so far so good. 

We've been using the toddler bed for well over a month now, and she loves it! She can climb in and out as she pleases, she gets up on her own in the morning and comes in to get me, and she can even play in it throughout the day if she wants to.

Now, Emma is a great sleeper (again, knock on wood), so if you have a problematic sleeper at home, I’m not sure I’d be switching so quickly. I’d wait until the very last second possible to switch your child. Don’t just do it because they are “old enough” or they “seem ready.” Any doctor will tell you to keep them in the crib as long as possible, and I would totally agree.

There is one downside. If Emma isn't really ready for bed, she will get out of her bed two or three times before finally giving in. So far this has only happened three times, and twice were in the first week. But again, if your child doesn't like to sleep, hold out for your sanity!

Who’s ready for a slumber party?!?!

The Brinks Are Due With Baby #2

Well, it’s official! Gene and I are expecting another baby!

We’ve actually known for at least five weeks now but we’ve kept quiet until the doctor was satisfied and we had the “green light” to spread the news. We tried for a few months to conceive and I actually know the week this baby was created which was very helpful to know for scheduling the ultrasound (instead of the traditional first-day-of-your-last-period).

I had one ultrasound done around 5 weeks to confirm the positive tests, and low and behold, there were two baby sacks in there! How exciting, right?!?! The tech couldn’t get a clear shot of the baby in one of the sacks though because they were staggered so I had to make an appointment for another ultrasound three weeks later. Talk about agony! For three weeks I went around thinking I had two babies in my belly. Well, if you’re a Facebook friend, you would have already seen by now that there is only one baby.

In the second ultrasound, the second sack was gone. The baby didn’t develop and my body absorbed the sack. Talk about a bummer. I had myself all worked up for twins. It was supposed to happen; my Mom is a twin and my Dad is a twin. I was supposed to have twins (if not five at once)!!! But, I am still 100% happy with one baby.

It was so precious to watch them in there dancing around and wiggling away. They’re probably going to be a rockstar. It made me remember when we saw Emma in there for the first time. She looked like a little gummy bear and she was just as spry as this baby is. However, this baby looks more like a sour patch kid than a gummy bear. So, I’m thinking maybe a boy??? Wouldn’t Gene be happy.

In case you’re wondering, this time around is way different than the first. Or at least I think it is. When I got pregnant with Emma I was still bartending at PYC on top of my full-time job so maybe I didn’t notice all the symptoms (if you didn’t know, I took six tests my last pregnancy and they were all negative so I didn’t find out until nine weeks in). This time around I’m so unbelievably tired all day long (I even asked my doc for a note that says I need to nap each day). My breasts hurt like you wouldn’t believe. I have gained twelve pounds already somehow. I had morning sickness each night (that just ended thank goodness). What’s funny though, is that now that I think of it, maybe it isn’t all that different. I remember wondering why I was gaining so much weight and chalked it up to eating bar food all the time. I didn’t care to drink alcohol at all and I was sick each night, which I thought was because I had drunk myself into a funk. And I vaguely remember my breasts hurting, but I thought it was because I was gaining so much weight. And of course, who wouldn’t be tired each day from working two jobs (one being until 2am some nights)? So, maybe it’s not so different after all.

So, now that we are past all of the “what ifs,” we can move on to fixing up the house to put on the market in the spring (or maybe just rent it out). I want to move on with the next chapter of our lives by finding our “forever” home in the school district that we like. So if you know of anyone interested in living in Hazelwood, or if you have some good vibes built up, please send them our way!

Thank you everyone for the well wishes on Facebook!