Trying to keep that kid in his bed...

...is proving to be quite difficult! The first few nights Jack slept in his big boy bed, he actually stayed there. I knew it could not be that easy. Maybe it just took him a little while to figure out that he is not confined by the four sides of a crib anymore. I imagine this as his thought process: "Holy shit! I can do whatever I want in here and as long as I'm quiet they won't have a clue! I can finally turn this room upside down! Hooray!" And off he goes. Yesterday I put him in his bed for a nap, as is our routine, and he got all snuggled up in his bed like he was going to go to sleep. I shut his door and went down to my room so I could put clean sheets on the bed. After about 10 minutes, I heard hangers banging together. So I go into Jack's room and find him in his closet, using a box of diapers as a step stool, taking all his shirts off the hangers. When he saw me in the doorway, he held up his little hand and waved at me and said "bye!" That's his way of saying "get the hell out". I told him it was nap time and to go back to his bed, and he looks at me all confused and says, "oooohhh, okay." He was playing like that was new information to him. So he gets back in his bed and I told him to stay there, and he agreed. Five minutes later, I hear more noise...I go back to his room and find him taking all the dirty clothes from his hamper and piling them into one of his dresser drawers. All the clean clothes that had been in that drawer were now on the floor. Again, I put him back to bed and I said, "I don't want to hear any more noise, you need to take a nap." Sure enough, I did not hear anymore noise! After about 15 minutes, I went back up there, thinking I was going to find him asleep. No. I go to open the door slowly and knock over the laundry hamper he has put in front of it! He thought he was going to keep me out of there! I had to stifle my laughter, because that was just so funny, but I didn't want him to know that! So I find him laying in the corner reading a book. I figured that was fine...at least he was quiet and not creating another mess. So I told him to finish his book and then take a nap. And he did...when I went in a couple hours later, I found him sound asleep...on the other side of the door.

Last night, I thought we would go through the same thing when bedtime rolled around, but we didn't. I think he was so tired...his short nap on the floor must not have rejuvenated him much, that he went right to bed and we didn't here a thing out of him. Joel's alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and I was a little worried when, after hearing Joel roll out of bed, he came over to me and said, "Lauren, I'm sorry to wake you, but you have to see this." I got out of bed and followed him to the doorway of our bedroom...where a little boy slept, using his teddy bear as a pillow. It was so cute. We nudged him a little and said, "let's go back to your bed", and he picked his head up and said okay. He went to back to sleep in his bed until 9:30, which was a nice treat for me! Luckily, we have been putting a gate at the top of the stairs so if Jack gets up in the night, he can't come downstairs to party. Well, after he wandered last night, I started worrying that he would wander into Emma's room one night and scare her. So tonight when Jack went to bed, we put the gate in the doorway of his room instead. I told him "when you wake up, or if you need something, just call me." And he practiced for me..."I call mommy, MOMMEEEEE!" So he totally understood what I said. Well, about a half hour after Jack 'went to bed', Joel went upstairs to brush his teeth and I heard him say, "what do you think you're doing?" Oh, that Jack is so smart. He had pulled his little rocking chair over to the door and already had one leg over the gate. Never underestimate the intelligence and creativity of a two-year-old.