"I"m freeeee!"

Six months ago, Trenton finally learned to climb out of his crib. This week, he finally learned to get out of his bed. It cracks me up that he treated the bed exactly like a crib for the last six months, and still does, to some extent. But last week, he started to realize his freedom. At 9 or 10pm, several nights in a row, he woke up and sneakily opened his door, saying "Ra!" (like a scary tiger, of course).

At the same time, he decided that this little spot right next to crib-sleeping Chase was the perfect place to curl up for naps and nighttime sleep. I'd tuck him into his bed and find him sleeping here a little later.


No one loves sleep like a mother, so I worried a bit that this newfound freedom could lead to sleep problems. So I "encouraged" (bribed? rewarded?) him by saying he could earn a treat by sleeping in his bed for his whole nap. As I tucked him in, he said, all on his own, "I won't sleep on the ground, Mom." An hour later, I checked—and there he was, in his favorite spot on the ground. Then when he woke up, I went in to his room only to find him on his bed (blankies and all), serenely requesting his treat. I called him on it, told him I had checked and found him sleeping on the ground, and he didn't push his luck. :) At least he has enough good sense to know when he's been caught!

The next time, he did sleep all night on the bed, and when he woke up, he asked me, "Did you check?" Haha. Yeah, kid. I checked. I gave him the treat, and he said, "I had a nice nap. The bed is nice and soft."

I'm not sure yet how all this will turn out, and as long as he isn't disturbing Chase or us, I don't really mind when he sleeps on the floor. But for now, I think I'll keep "encouraging" him to choose the bed. :)