Growing Up

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but Brooke still sleeps in her crib. She's almost THREE and still in her crib. It's just so easy, though. She's never tried to climb out of it. She can unwind and fall asleep, and I know she hasn't gotten out of bed.

The crib is also, I think, the last piece of babyness, you know? Bottles and pacifiers are long gone. Baby toys have been handed down. Diapers are (mostly) gone. Brooke speaks in sentences and understands things. She recounted the story of Jonah and the whale after church today. She's learning to pedal a bike and knows when to say "please" and "sorry." It makes me happy and proud and makes my heart hurt all at the same time.

So, tonight I tried a little experiment. I put Brooke in my bed to see if she'd sleep there. I lay down with her for a while and we had a little talk. "You get to sleep in my bed tonight!" I told her. "Just stay right here and go to sleep."

I went back downstairs and listened. For a long time it was quiet...and then I heard a little giggle from the steps. I looked up to see her sweet little face poking through the stair rails. I laughed out loud.

Experiment failed. Brooke happily went back into her crib. She's asleep right now.

I know I can't let her sleep in her crib forever. She's a big girl and big girls don't sleep in cribs.

But I'll worry about that another time. For tonight, at least, she's still my baby.