the big boy bed boondoggle

don't let this adorable boy, with his pet mukah (supposed to be the orangutan from the zoo:), his cheerful smile, snugly sheets all tucked in tight to his big boy bed fool you...the last 7 days have not gone by this happily!

i've been dreading this day for quite some time. it's a huge milestone for my baby, i suppose. and more freedom for him seems to translate to less freedom (or more vigilance) for me. josh, for some reason, has been way more excited about it. hmmm...maybe excited is not the right word, but he has definately been the big advocate for the 'transition'.

for ease of scrolling, captions will be at the top of each pic today. let's begin our story:

The 'before' shot

my men working hard! to da da da daaaaa...

create the 'after' shot

patriot 1st cautious recline in the big boy bed

his quick exit...

and re-entry.

this is pretty comfy!

the christmas lights used as a night-light the first 3 nights

the old bumper/pst first official luvie!
even shaped itself like a heart for it's final pic:)

patriot & daddy muggin for the cam.
they both seem to have high hopes for the 1st night!

one last glance as i exit the room with tears in my eyes...
my little baby is growing up SO fast!
i'll cry again when he's out of his toddler bed, i'm sure!

12/15/09--the first night was full of josh's facebook status updates:

Well it's 3:39 a.m. - you can guess how the night is going...here are some of my favorite quotes so far..."I don't need to sleep; I need my motorcycles; close the door...leave the door open; I'm in trouble; come check on me..." I'm hoping sleep deprivation sets in soon and I'll find him alseep on the floor (but preferably the bed) ;)

December 15 at 3:41am

PT update...still going...still crying...new quotes: "this is a cool bed; I got a boo-boo; I need some ice; can we rock and then get in bed?"

December 15 at 4:11am

PT Update: Well PT woke up about 9:30 this morning after falling asleep sometime after 5:00 a.m. When quizzed about the night's events PT was happy as a clam - loved his big boy bed...now that of course didn't ring true at nap time later this afternoon...check out Kelly's FB for an update on the nap :) We'll see how tonight goes...

my day 1 nap status: Folks, it did NOT go well last night. But, josh took the lead, so he deserves all the credit for Patriot living thru the night. He was patient, repetitious, and firm. I watched the monitor most the night trying not to cry! I would have given up HOURS before he did...so, no promises tonight, if I'm on the night shift.

ps--i'm sorry to alarm any of my friends who thought my child was in the hospital!! i was definitely sleep deprived and didn't think how my words out of context would be read! my fave quote of the night---"mama...i need my nails clipped...come clip my nails... mama ... MAMA ...i want you to come here and clip my nails..." this from the boy who detests this particular grooming habit! my little drama king:)

night #2 --12/16/09:

/The BED v. Patriot, Night 2: PT started off the night swinging! He dealt the first blow by slamming the Bed with a wall of tears, a feat that would throw any mother into a tizzy. But fear not, PT's mom had already broke under the pressure from the earlier bout at nap time...she's out with the girls and was unaffected.... But in a surprise move, the Bed struck back and lured PT in to curl up under a blanket......Not knowing how to react, PT wimpered his usual excuses (new favorite quote of the night: "I don't want to get in the bed, I just want to cry"), but the Bed held strong. PT's been in there over 30 minutes now...not alseep, but appearing content, i.e. not crying...let the prayer vigils continue...December 15 at 11:01pm

PTL!! Patriot slept ALL night in his bed! I hear the 3rd night is charm, so I'll keep you posted this evening...December 16 at 10:08am

here's a naptime post from thursday:
Kelly Wheeler Tetens doesn't want to count her chickens...BUT patriot did stay in his bed AND fall asleep at nap w/out me sitting in his room to keep the 'cwows' away! Josh Tetens, does this call for a celebration? one day at a time...!December 17 at 2:43pm

friday's post:
The BED v. Patriot, Nights 3 &4: We're making some great progress...It's still rough going down and he's waking up at least once during the night, but overall, PT is doing great. Last night he woke up about 3:45 a.m. and was pretty upset, but sitting back and reading a little Charlie & Lola seemed to help :)Fri at 11:04am

and today, monday 12/21/09, a full week later:

I'm happy to report Patriot not only went to bed on his own last night, but slept through the night without getting up...PTL!! Let's pray this continues :) And props to Kelly Wheeler Tetens for getting him to do the same at nap time yesterday!

so far so good tonight. did i mention that we started this transition on a MONDAY NIGHT?!? blame it on jt, who decided to go hunting the weekend we planned to originally do this, but decided, why the hey not try it on a weeknight, b/c pst was having some crazy sleep issues anyway!

whew...thanks for reading along with us, but now it's time to hit the hay while the boy is snoozing!