End of the Baby Stage

This weekend marks the bittersweet end of an era: the baby years are over. The twins aren't babies anymore - they are well into toddlerhood. This weekend marked the move into the next stage for our family.



For the first time in six and-a-half years we have no one sleeping in a crib. We've picked up our babies out of their cribs in the morning for the last time. From now on they'll be getting out of bed on their own. This weekend the twins got new beds and their room decorated in their chosen theme: Dora the Explorer. They have: Dora sheets, Dora blankets, a Dora laundry basket, and Dora appliques on their walls. When we brought them into their newly docrated room Megan and Maribeth were thrilled and kept squealing "Dora beds! Dora beds!"

Unlike our older children, this transition has gone remarkably well. They are still taking naps; still going to bed more or less on time. The only difference is just that we have to sit with them a little bit longer than before.

The other sign of the end of the baby years was that Saturday night I took Michael to the store to buy him several sets of regular Legos: little Legos, choking hazard Legos, Legos that I said years ago I would NOT buy until the youngest child didn't put things in their mouth anymore. That time has come.



Michael has been frustrated by the twins knocking over his Duplo creations in the living room. He's a sheltered boy. He didn't realize there were smaller Legos and kits to build things, like cars. He's now got a Lego workstation set up on the desk in his room. We brought a lamp in so he would have more light. He can work on his Lego creations there in his room and let them sit on his desk or shelves now; without worrying about either the twins knocking them over or Melissa and Maddy swiping the blocks to build a house.

It's the end of the baby stage... and the beginning of life with kids.