The Great Escape

I made a promise to myself that as a resolution this year, I would be better about keeping my blog updated. As I haven't posted since mid-October, that shouldn't be too hard! I'll try to post about Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, New Years, and what ever else I've missed in one big "our life in pictures" slide show thing but that will have to wait for another day (hopefully. :) For now, I'll start anew and commit myself to do better.

What an adventurous week we've had here at the Auernig's! Brad went to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronic Show on a business trip. (I might have Brad post about this one. It was a week full of surprises from driving down there with his boss and staying in a retirement home to having dinner with an obscure rapper whom they thought was Warren G. A trip definitely worthy of a post.) As for the boys and I we did our best to keep busy while Brad was away. On Friday, we spent the morning at the Kangaroo Zoo with the Elliotts. The kids had a great time and released some pent up energy. On previous visits, Owen ran and climbed to his hearts content but Sam had stayed in the four and under bounce houses. Friday, however, I was surprised to see Sam climb to the top of some pretty tall ladders and head down the slides that looked much too big for a 22 month old toddler. I watched him thinking "I know he's a climber but when did he get so good at it?" That night he showed me just how good he really is....
Already on edge from being home alone with the kids, I awoke with a start to the pitter-patter of little blanket-sleepered feet running down the hall. Sam made his first escape from his crib in complete silence! Not even a thud when he hit the floor! When Brad came home Saturday night we put him in the crib and encouraged him to climb out again for posterity's sake. And thus began the preparations for Sam's big boy bed. The best advice given to me so far has been "Put the crib mattress on the floor and turn the crib over on top of it. They won't get out and you'll sleep great until DFCS comes for you!" YIKES!

Daddy-Brad taking down the crib with more help than he bargained for.

Sam saying "No Daddy! ME!"

Thanks for the great "choo-choo" sheets Gi-gi & Pop-pop!

The first time being tucked in and praying that he'll stay there! In all honesty, Sam did really well. I laid by him for about 20 minutes and he fell sound asleep and stayed there the whole night!

In the days of his crib, Sam was a painfully early riser. We were up between six and six-thirty pretty much every morning. Sleeping in was 7:00 a.m. for us. His first night in his big boy bed he slept until 8:10 a.m. when Owen crawled in his bed and woke him up! I'm not going to expect this ever again but it was wonderful for just one day. (I'll keep a little prayer in my heart that it will happen at least once again sometime in the next decade.)

Good morning boys! I love their sleepy faces.

Owen telling me about how funny it was to wake up Sam. Real funny...

I did it!

We had a successful nap in the big bed today also. So here's to the next chapter in our lives. No more cribs at our house for a while...at least until I feel comfortable with the thought of never sleeping again and being completely outnumbered.