To everything, there is a season (Big-Girl-Bed season just arrived over here)

A few months ago we moved Maya into a toddler bed.  Well, we didn't move her as much as we just took off the front wall of the crib and put the toddler bed rail on.  We called it a big girl bed and she was proud. 

The initial plan was to leave her in the toddler bed and get a new crib for the baby this fall, but that plan changed when we realized that our tall girl (she's over the 90th percentile for height on 4 yr olds) wasn't fitting in the toddler bed that well.  She constantly had limbs hanging over the edge of the bed, and often fell out onto the floor.  (To be fair, the assortment of alligators, books, princesses and plastic school bus that she takes to bed occupy significant space as well.)  So we adjusted the plan-we would get her a twin bed this summer, baby #2 would inherit her crib. 

Last week the plan was adjusted again---we shifted moving into a bed "sometime this summer" to moving into a bed ASAP, after seeing her sleeping standing up 3 days last week (her torso was laying in the bed, but her legs had fallen out so that her feet were on the floor).  That can't be conducive to restful sleep.  We took her mattress shopping (she thought that a store full of beds was basically the coolest thing ever) and by tonight she was ready. 

Yesterday the mattress arrived.  She warmly welcomed it with kisses.

I took a few sentimental last pictures of the room before the crib was gone.

Maya is an excellent assistant . . .

 . . . and a good cheerleader, too. 

She was so, so excited (thankfully, as I was nervous that she might be sad to see the crib go, despite her big girl bed enthusiasm).  Just when we thought she couldn't get any more excited, Dave went to bring in the new big mattress . . . and she just about fell over with delight.

My new big girl bed!!!!

In her new bed, my big girl looked kind of . . . little.  And alone.

So we loaded in her usual bedtime stuff.

 And added a safety rail.

She got busy setting up her princesses right away.

And tested out her new pillow, too.

And here she is, sound asleep.  The princesses are apparently set up to stand guard while she sleeps.  As are the alligators.  Obviously.

Sleep tight, big girl.