Introduction to Toddler Beds

We have been trying to work out how we can go see Cody's family for an overnight visit.  The boys are too big and smart to allow themselves to be trapped in a pack and play now, but they have not had the chance to prove that they can handle a non-crib bed.  They definitely will not sleep in the same adult bed as each other or the same bed as us.  We've been in a holding pattern trying to decide what to do.  You may think we could just go and let them tire out so they would comply.  That will not happen.  My boys are like gremlins if they don't get enough sleep.  They will not tire out.  They will just scream until daylight.

 

Anyway, we decided we would give toddler beds a shot.  The cribs convert to a toddler day bed by removing the front panel.  This is the path we chose.

 

Let the games begin.

 

Cody prepping to remove the first panel.  Ben unsure of what is going on.

 

 

Cody asked him to get a screw driver, so he went to his tool bench to get the tool. 

 

 

It's coming along

 

 

 

It's off!  He figured out what was happening and was filled with GLEE

 

 

Alex came to join the party

 

(Alex long hair + yellow shirt.  Ben short hair + gray shirt)

 

 

Alex filled with GLEE

 

 

At this point they basically just jumped around in circles.  Once the other bed's front panel was off, they ran between beds jumping on each one.  They tackled each other and laughed their booties off.

 

 

Video proof

 

 

Then things calmed down.  We were getting close to nap time. 

 

 

Ben testing out the bed

 

 

Alex slowing down 

 

 

 

Talking to us about how much fun he was having

 

 

Getting irritated by all the pictures

 

 

FUN TIME AGAIN.  Alex making a run for Ben

 

 

 

 

Chasing each other in circles up and down on the bed

 

 

Alex belly flop

 

 

This is probably the highest degree of happiness I've ever been able to capture on camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diving on to the bed

 

 

Sleepy time again. 

 

 

Running out of steam

 

 

 

Just kidding!

 

 

Slamming the closet door.  He would then hop down run around the crib, open the door, run back to this spot, and slam it again

 

 

They like to do summersaults.  Sometimes it is successful.  Sometimes it really looks like they are going to snap their head right off their body

 

 

 

Talking about the closet some more

 

 

 

Here they finally started calming down.  We were about 45 minutes past their nap time, and they had been going strong bouncing and jumping on the beds for over an hour.  They settled in to Ben's crib together and I gave them a snack.

 

 

Watching them sit together peacefully, we thought maybe we had a shot of putting them down for a nap and things going well.  They were really... really tired.  They had burnt some of the excitement off.  They were in a nice-to-each other mood.  We had high hopes.

 

 

After their snack, we put each baby in his own bed.  We calmly explained the situation and our expectations of good behavior. 

 

We gave them kisses, turned off the light, and shut the door to quiet, exhausted little angels.

 

 

Oh.  Boy. 

 

The things we heard inside that room through the door are not easily forgotten.  They went bananas.  Each baby took a turn being calm, reasonable, and tired, but the other boy was always in the opposite mood.  One would snuggle in, and the other would come jump on his face and start screaming.  Alex wanted to be with Ben, and Ben was angry that Alex was touching his blanket.  They found a diaper cream tube and smeared it all over their walls, beds, faces, and tool box. They moved their furniture around and messed up their closet and dresser.

 

I sat outside the door telling them to go to sleep and holding it closed when they tried to open it.  They went back and forth from laughing hysterically and  screaming/crying.  I would check on them, put them back in bed, and tell them to go to sleep.  There was no "own bed".  One would just run to the other's bed and start jumping. 

 

They would be quiet for a while and then start craziness again.  After maybe an hour of this circus, we officially threw in the towel and opened the door to find this.

 

 

Boys - 1, Parents/Beds- 0.

 

We put the front back on the crib and rode through the giant mood swings until they could get to sleep that night. 

 

When we do it again in the future, we'll try to bring a little more order to the process.  I have no idea how we are going to be successful with two in one room. This is exactly how potty training goes awry when one starts slamming the one on the toilet in the head with the toilet seat. 

 

 

Bonus pictures I found on the camera

 

Alex

 

 

 

Ben

 

 

Alex.

 

They can put on their own pants and boots.  They are also getting more picky about the shirts they wear.  Since they are basically dressing themselves, their outfits are sometimes pretty interesting.  Truth be told, 99% of their outfits are boots, a diaper, and a shirt (often times their police costume shirt or their fireman yellow jacket)

 

 

 

Snow, Hair Cuts, Sleeping

This one will be updated/edited again.  It's been a long time since I updated, so I had an alarming number of files to go through.  I eventually gave up and this is what I posted.  The babies have been dumping out all toy boxes immediately, so there are huge messes everywhere, always.  Don't judge.

Alex giving Cody nose kisses.  They both do this a lot.  It is weird.

Ben

Ben and his tractor

They found a new way to play with their trampolines.  Ben I think.

Alex

Ben tangled in the streamers when I took down the tree.  I took the tree down the first couple of days of January.  This is not a picture from February.  Not that I'm one to judge.  I took the tree down in April one year in Texas.  Trees are fun!

The boys exploring the new toilet.  Ben on top Alex on the floor

The little monkeys occasionally grab this towel bar and hang off of it.  Good thing we put that in the studs!

Alex pulling a teddy bear around in a wagon

The boys were sick for a week this month.  Nothing serious.  Just a lot of snot, not a lot of eating, a lot of fussing, and not enough sleeping.  Since I went in to check on them more when they were sleeping, I got some cute sleeping pics.

Ben, I think.

Sharing food.  Alex blue/green.  Ben yellow

The little monsters figured out how to open cans with the pop top lids.  I discovered this one day when they opened the sweetened condensed milk and got it everywhere in/around the can cabinet.  Mama was not happy.  They have since done it to a few other cans.  They like to stack them and move them around.  I don't want to take that joy away from them.  I figure an open can once in a while is a small price to pay...until I'm cleaning sweetened condensed milk off of the underside of a lazy susan.

Another cabinet adventure.  They pulled all my crap out so they could play in there.

Alex yellow.  Ben blue.

I turned 30 this year.  This is what a cake looks like with 30 candles.  

This is what a cake looks like with 30 candle holes.

Baby art.  It is fun and messy.  Ben's creation.

Alex's creation

Yum!  The I'm cute shirt is really just kind of mocking me in this situation.

Ben sick and snuggling with a bear on the couch.

We broke out the baby leashes and took them around the neighborhood.  They do really, really well on a leash.  It is a lot like walking a dog.  You occasionally have to stop and wait while they sniff under a tree.

Ben?

Ben climbed in this collapsible cooler.  Toddlers are a lot like cats.

Ben making funny face

He loved dinner.  Couldn't even wait to use his hands or utensils.

Alex, not so happy.

Hilarious.

I have no idea why he was so unhappy.  He was not in trouble.  I made food he likes.  He was not in an overall bad mood.  Who knows.

Alex sleeping

I'll have to go back and look to see who is who.  This might be Alex.

The boys each got a hair cut.  I was pretty traumatized by Ben's cut, but I'm getting used to it.  Cody used the clippers on them.  He said Ben moved, so the top right got clipped way too closely, but I didn't see him move.

Ben and a screw gun with nothing sharp or pokey attached

Alex is my longer hair boy this time.  I like how his hair turned out.  Cody usually does a better job on the 2nd kid.  I am having trouble getting them mixed up because last time Alex was short hair and Ben was longer hair.

Ben

Ben in blue/green was getting a diaper change.  Alex came over and got in line for his turn.  I think we're going to have to start talking potty training soon.  Each time we've given them a chance before, they've turned it in to a way to hurt each other while one is on a toilet.  Not fun for anyone.

Ben maybe?

Ben with cornbread.  He REALLY loved this muffin shape.

Alex sick, showing me his tongue

Alex eye lashes.  Long!

More Alex versus a marker

They went through this super cloth diaper fascination.  They wanted to wear a cover outside of their pants all the freaking time.  They wanted it changed every 15 or so minutes.  That was an exhausting couple of days.

We got quite a bit of snow.  I won't put a number on it because Cody will just disagree with me, I'm sure.  The first snow was probably 5-10 inches.  Then a few days later we got another 3-5 inches, or so.  Plus or minus 8 inches.  Prove me wrong, Cody! HA!  Anyway, I shoveled the 2nd snow because Cody was out of town.  I'm a little more loosey goosey with how I pile snow.  It finally got warm enough to go outside, so here are pics of the boys playing-ish in-ish the snow.

Alex green coat  Ben in camo coat.  They each had on a long sleeve shirt and a coat with 2 pairs of pants.  They weren't fully suited up, but it was pretty warm.  Just an fyi so it doesn't seem like I was freezing my boys.

Alex trying to drive his truck up the snow hill

Ben

His first snow foot print.  He enjoyed it so much he started making prints up and down the driveway.

Then Ben joined him.

Ben

Alex fell in the snow making two perfect baby hand prints in the center, so I made my hand print at the top and forced Ben to make a print at the bottom.  Cody was out of town for work, but his hand would be a little bigger than mine.

They found the puddles of melting snow.

And played in them.

And tried to slurp water up, YUCK.

Ben in his wildcat hat.  My mom called or went to nearly every Walmart in Kansas looking for this hat.  We already had one and needed another. It was very nice of her and dad to hunt it down for us.  I bet you guys had flash backs to going to all the different McD's to get Kim the right happy meal beanie baby!  They love their hats.

Alex fell and scraped his hands on the driveway.  We had to go in.  To be fair, they were wet and it was getting cold.

Ben

Another day.  Putting those boys to work shoveling.  Alex with shovel in darker pants.

Alex

Alex on the baby leash walking in the neighborhood.  (Don't worry about him being in the street.  This street is literally used by only about 4 houses. We were around there for almost an hour watching construction equipment and walking and only had 1 car go by.  It is also very clearly visible both ways, so nothing sneaks up on you.  We live in a very quiet neighborhood.)

Ben crossing his legs while he sits in his chair.

This was absolutely hilarious at the time.  People watching will probably not see the humor I did, but eh... this blog also entertains me. I was calling Ben over to me, but he wouldn't come.  He was just on the floor on his belly and wouldn't get up.  I kept calling.  Then he got up, but he was walking really slowly.  I was doing something else, so I was getting frustrated, but didn't really take in the scene.  Finally, he started crying.  I looked at him to see what was wrong.  That's when I realized I had accidentally put both legs in to one pant leg.  He was shuffling towards me as fast as his little two legs one hole situation would allow.  After I was finished laughing, I did give him a treat and extra hugs.  Sorry Buddy!

I'll add whatever pics/stories and proofread sometime soon.  I just wanted to get this part up now.