Yesterday, my little boy got his first “big” bed.
We took apart the toddler bed, the one that had marks in the wood from his teething phase. Several sets of thin little scratches parallel to one another because at the time, he only had two teeth on the bottom and two on the top.
Before it was a toddler bed, it was his crib. The crib that we excitedly purchased before he was born. We were “just going to look” that day, but instead came home with the crib and paint for his room. I honestly think we were so excited that we put it up as soon as we got home. I don’t even know that I was out of the first trimester, but we just couldn’t wait. A sign that he was coming.
The crib/toddler bed made the move last summer. His familiar bed in an unfamiliar place – his comfort, and my reminder that my first “baby” could be at home here.
Right before the move, we had to buy a second crib. Our baby girl came into the world two months before we moved…she’s now 8 months old and her crib will be here for a while longer (although we just had to lower it since she’s now standing).
The change in beds was a scary and sudden sign that he’s growing…too quickly.
A reminder that the two-year-old tantrums will end. That his love for tractors will fade and one day be replaced with texting. His rubber boot collection will be exchanged for the latest name brand shoes. The toys in his closet will be passed down, and the children’s books will be replaced with magazines about sports.
We put the crib out by the road this morning, and before we could even look back up, someone picked it up. I hope they giggle at the teeth marks, I hope they bring their baby home to a well-loved, cozy bed. I hope they all feel the love attached to it.
I hope they cherish every minute before their own baby grows out of it, and into a “big” bed.
My son absolutely has more than just four teeth now. He never stops talking, and he climbs in and out of this new “big boy bed” with ease. He’s a little boy in a bigger bed, but always my baby – there’s not a thing that can change that.
But the day before yesterday, I had my two babies asleep in their cribs.
And then, as of yesterday, there was only one.
And just as quickly, you will turn around and they will be grown..they will move to a foreign land with foreign people and they will still be your babies. You will still marvel at the love you feel for them, the pride you have in their accomplishments, the pain you feel when they hurt, and the complete joy that just seeing their face brings. We love you and your and thank God for your presence in our live.