New Beds!

About two months ago, I ordered bed rails for Jackson's crib which would convert it to a full size bed.  He is just getting too tall for the toddler bed that the crib first converted to, so we realized it was time for another milestone to occur.  The bed rails finally came in, but we still didn't have the other "stuff" that we would need, like the mattress, the bedding, and so on.  So over the last month, I have been getting the pillows, sheets, mattress covers, but we still needed to get the mattress.  Then two Saturdays ago, we finished up Morgan's swim lesson and then decided to make a quick stop at the grocery store before heading to Delafield to run a few more errands.  As we pulled out of the Pick 'N Save lot, Tom said, "How about we stop at the mattress store over there?"  I figured we might as well, since I knew we would need to start shopping for the mattress at some point.  I really thought we would just be going in to get a feel for pricing, but by the end of the day, we had bought, not one, but three mattresses.  We knew we were going to need a bed for Morgan sooner than later too and Tom and I have also been wanting to get a new set for years now.  So we negotiated a deal to get better pricing by buying three at once.  Not an easy thing on the pocket book, but it really was better to get all of them at once. 

Last Thursday, they were all delivered (talk about a hectic evening with a swim lesson, dinner, mattress delivery, assembly of the bed, and then set up).  I wasn't sure how Jackson was actually going to do when he saw the new bed going into his room.  We had been talking about it for weeks prior (even before buying the mattress), and he seemed all for it, which was a relief since many times he likes to just be contrary to what he knows we want.  Like he would tell us for the longest time that he didn't want to eat his vegetables because he was going to stay small forever and not grow up.  But the idea of a really big bed seemed to excite him and he was true to his word when the delivery and set up happened.  Talk about an excited boy!  He loved it!  He wanted to help Tom with assembling his bed.  And then he wanted to jump and crawl all over it once the mattress was in place, which made it a bit difficult to put the sheets on.  We all crawled in and tried it out...we all love it!  It will be so nice on those nights when he won't sleep to actually be able to lay in a comfortable bed rather than the hard floor.  And I think it will make Morgan more ready when it is her turn.  Right now she is too short to get into Jackson's bed, so I think that is a good sign to hold off on setting hers up. 

Reading books the first night in Jackson's new bed.

Madi loves to curl up in Jackson's chair for some reason.  But she has also now discovered that she can hide out under Jackson's bed when she want to escape the kids' chaos.  Usually hides under our bed, but I am finding her more often under Jackson's bed now. 

This was his first night in his bed!  Did great other than waking us up at 2 AM with an accident.  Thank goodness for mattress protectors!  But we haven't had an accident since - knock on wood!

Then today, his bedspread finally came in that I ordered.  I scoured the internet looking for something that I liked, and could really only find one... unfortunately it was at Pottery Barn Kids.  It was a bit more than I wanted to spend but it was on sale and it is one that will grow with him for years... not too baby or toddler.  I'm really happy with it.  It was delivered during nap time, so after Jackson and Morgan got up and were playing nicely downstairs, I snuck back up to his room and got it onto his bed.  Finally I convinced him to come up to read some books in his room (he had no idea that I had gotten it for him).  He walked in and immediately smiled and said, "Wow, Mom!  My new blanket is SO cool and colorful! I love it!"  It made me laugh!  It was such a genuine response from him.  I'm so glad he likes it... because I was worried that he would say he didn't like it and that he wanted a Toy Story or Thomas the Train blanket.  Phew!  What a relief, because I love it and I wanted him to like it too.
   

I think he likes it!!

I'm so glad that we have transitioned Jackson to his new bed.  So sad to see it come in some ways... no more baby mattress or crib, it is all big boy now.  But it is great to see him love it so much!  And he is sleeping great now... goes to bed easier at night, doesn't wake in the middle of night (unless he needs to be covered up again), and he is sleeping longer in the mornings too!  This means better evenings and sleep for Tom and me!  Also this transition means we now have another bed for guests (hint, hint).  I'm sure Jackson would love the opportunity to have a campout on the living room floor so a visitor could sleep in his room!

In case you were wondering, Tom and I are getting used to our bed too.  A big change...we got a memory foam mattress set (like the TempurPedic kind but a cheaper version).  I have to say, I am really starting to like it.  I wasn't sure after the first night, but I really do feel like I am waking up more rested.  Tom loves it.  I hope we continue to feel this way with each day... we have 100 days to decide and can return it if we don't like it.  Thank goodness for that part of the deal.  But I think we will be keeping it.  And if you are looking for ideas for us for Christmas (I know it is nine months away), you can get us new queen size sheets that are extra deep.  This mattress is a good 4 or 5 inches deeper than our old one and it is a booger to get on our current sheets.   And man, is it harder to get into bed... I feel like I need a catapolt to get in (okay, maybe a step stool).  But seriously, I have to jump to get into bed!  It is worth it though. 

And one last picture to share... this little bird keeps returning to our deck every morning (usually with a friend too).  It makes me smile... spring is here even though the temps are still pretty cool!  I'm not sure what kind of bird it is, so I guess I'll have to go check out the Audubon Society's web site.  I've been seeing more and more robins too.  And the geese and ducks have returned to our pond.  The ducks even have little ducklings with them.  So sweet!  The kids are thrilled to see them all back too - they point them out to me each time they walk by the deck door.  Jackson can't stop talking about playing in the yard and going for bike rides when summer comes.  And Morgan just wants to do what Jackson does, so she wants to be outside digging in the dirt too.  I'm sure they will love the sandbox that Tom is building for them.