big change

two days ago, betsy finally did it - she, with grace and ease, climbed right on out of her crib. it happened at naptime as she was supposed to be falling asleep. i heard a thump and a giggle and as a lump formed in my throat, i thought "i remember that sound"... the sound of the crib dismount. she had done it and was perfectly pleased with her accomplishment. she was quite delighted as i appeared each time and returned her to her crib without a word and left again.  each dismount lead to a new discovery: turning off the noise machine, peeking through the blinds, peaking under the blinds, reading a book, opening the closet, pushing the fire safe buttons, climbing the closet shelf to retrieve her backpack, climbing onto the bed to throw pillows and dolls off. oh yes, it wasn't just a "one time thing".  she didn't just give up and go back to bed, happy to continue blissfully napping for three straight hours as she has been for the past 9 months (my, my i sure i have gotten used to that!). oh no, once she discovered this neat trick, she was out of her crib before i got the door shut again. over and over. and over. and then, naptime was over. big brother was waking up, and she was still messing around. so, that was that. no nap for little betsy bear.  but thanks to exhaustion, there were no games at bedtime. or the next day before her nap, still catching up on missed sleep from the day before. but after that nap the next day, after she was rested up, rest assured she greeted me at the door with evidence scattered around the room that she had woken awhile before i had heard her shuffling sounds through the door.  i must say, the second time around, its not as shocking or distressing. i feel more prepared to handle it and feel i have some serious lessons-learned on how to (and NOT to) handle all the new freedoms that come with escaping one's crib.  that night we had a babysitter and i warned her about betsy's new tricks, unsure whether or not she would try it at sleepy bedtime, in the dark. when i got home the sitter said she was so glad i had warned her, she went to check on betsy to find her standing next to the crib in the dark, grinning from ear to ear.  there were more antics today, almost an hour, but she did finally give up and go to bed. and after her nap, i promptly converted her crib into a big girl bed. good heavens, seeing that child in that bed - knowing i have no babies in a crib right now, that hits home just how grown up they are!  she seems pretty pleased with the new bed arrangement and now that the trick of escape has been removed, i am hoping she is more happy to stay put. she has at bedtime anyway. fingers crossed no night-time wriggling will lead to an accidental dismount.  it will be even more interesting to see how she does tomorrow at naptime without any "deterrent" keeping her in bed. she will learn and soon it will be no big deal. i've decided to give her a few days getting used to sleeping in the big bed and then we will try some potty learning. she's essentially demanding it which freaks me out even more than the big girl bed. my baby has morphed into a little lady overnight it seems. i am here every single day watching the changes slowly trickle in, i can't even imagine how shocking it will be for daddy to come home to such grown up babes. luckily we'll also have a brand new baby around to slow down some of the growing up - although, as i remember the day bringing betsy home to meet peter, he was launched even further into big-kid category. he looked so very old and big and grown up compared to that new little bundle of baby. i guess this is part of being a parent, they keep on changing and growing and morphing for the rest of their lives. lucky me to have a front row seat!