The last thing tying Calem to babyhood is gone now.
He was always so happy, so we figured, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." We're talking about the crib. He was so comfy cozy, so content, so good at staying in, even though he could climb out with the same ease we walk through a door. So, we just didn't push "the big boy bed." (And we lacked motivation to actually build the darn thing.)
But Calem's not a baby any more, so we finally took all the pieces out of the IKEA box that had been sitting in our dining room since August and assembled Calem's big boy bed. It's so cute. It is a reversable bed, and can turn into a sort of loft or bunk bed once he is a bit bigger. It has a really cool tent-like canopy thing that makes the bed much more of a "fort" than a boring old bed. It is a hit. He instantly made friends with the new bed and never glanced a longing eye toward the crib. So long, old friend.
That first night he settled right in, tucked himself under the covers just like a grown-up, and slumbered peacefully until morning. When we checked on him before we went to sleep, he looked so adorable. Scott smiled and said, "He looks like a person, now." Hmmm. What was he before, I wonder? Well, yes, as opposed to a baby, he is a person now. A rather unstable "person"--what with the mood swings, temper tantrums and bursts of crazy nonsensical babble--but a person nonetheless.
A ride on the Polar Express
Adventures in Gingerbread House Making
And making Christmas cookies with Mommy, Aunt Cheryl and cousin, Heather.
More importantly, Calem grasped the idea that Christmas is also Jesus' birthday. He asked me once if we would have birthday cake. I know a lot of people do make a cake to have on Christmas, but I opted out this year. We went to the family service at church on Christmas Eve, where kids under the age of 8 EASILY outnumbered the adults 2 to 1, and Calem still remembers that the message from the pastor was that we celebrate Christmas because we celebrate Jesus Christ and Jesus is the light of the world. Everyone at the service was given little glow-sticks, and when they turned out the lights and everyone made their glow sticks glow, it really made an impression on the kids. Calem is a bit of a pack-rat and so we still have the glow sticks. When he sees them he says, "Jesus is the light of the world."
