Week One of Andrew's New Toddler Bed

While I was going to convert Andrew's crib to a toddler bed right after Christmas, Andrew had plans of his own! Last Monday and Tuesday night, when I put him in his crib, he jumped out onto the ground and made it very clear he didn't want to go to bed! I spent a couple of hours both nights getting him to stay in his crib and go to sleep. On Wednesday, I got a text from the girl that watches him that she heard some running around upstairs at nap time. She thought it was the 3 year old that sleeps in the same room as Andrew. When she went up there, she saw Andrew had jumped out of his pack and play and was playing in the room. She said she put him into the other twin bed in the room, and he fell right asleep! She then sent me this picture:

That was a good indicator that it was time. I was not prepared for this! You have to be on the top of your game for this kind of transition! December was not what I had in mind. It's a busy month, and there are all sorts of goodies to get into while roaming around outside of his bed! That night, Mike took apart the crib and changed the front panel so he could get in and out. Here he is seeing it for the first time. He was so excited that he ran back and forth and jumped up and down. 

I was curious to see how things would go, so at 8:00 I put him in his bed and walked out. Within 1 or 2 seconds he started screaming and flung the door open. He then stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind him. I was debating what to do when he headed to the guest room and turned on the TV. He then went into the living room and turned that TV on. After turning both TV's on, he went to the kitchen and opened the pantry for a snack. After he got his snack, he realized that he forgot his blanket. He opened the door to his room, grabbed the blanket, and shut the door behind him again. I'm panicking in my head at this moment. I may never sleep again as long as I live! 

The first two nights, I got him down at about 10:30 and he slept in the guest bed with me. I think he knows he is being naughty, because he kept going "mmmm" and kissing me on the lips while we are trying to fall asleep. Here he is in the morning (the dog slept here too):

I got him to sleep in his bed from 10:30 to 6 on two nights so far. I had to fall asleep in his bed with him and sneak out. He didn't like that idea last night, so this week I am going to start the technique where I put him him back in his bed over and over again (In Andrew's case, it could be 100 times). :) On one night where I tried to fall asleep in his bed with him, he brought in every Christmas ornament from the tree one by one. That was a night where he slept in my bed. Ha! We'll see how this all plays out, because I am getting NOTHING done. Not that I don't love spending every waking moment together, but things need to get done around here!