On Saturday morning Yoda yelled up the stairs
“Wot ya doin’ Daddy?”
There had been a tremendous clattering as I removed the bars from his cot. A sign that he’s getting bigger and more responsible. After much discussion we had decided the best thing was to make the adjustments switch to locking the front door at night with the chain just in case he goes walk about (he can and does open the door from time-to-time).
“Don’t come up yet! It’s a surprise.” (We’d been promising this for a while and I felt this was a special occasion to be savoured).
After repeated haranguing (oh and how he just loves a repeated harangue) I let him come up whilst I was just half way through taking the cot to bits.
“Wot ya doin’ Daddy?” he asked for the billionth time.
“I’m making your cot into a bed. I’m taking the bars off!” I offered waiting for the squeal of delight.
Long pause.
“… Where’s my present?”
“… what, what present? … I said it was a surprise not a present.”
“I want a present. Where’s my present.”
You can imagine how this glum exchange would escalate. But I’ll cut to the scene where he’s getting a hug from Mummy noting aloud that “Daddy made me sad”.
Eventually the prison cage is transformed into a bed quilted with liberty. His gloomy face examines the new object in his room.
“Get in.” I suggest.
He looks at me puzzled. He asks to be put in.
“Just get in by yourself.”
He does. He even manages to get out as well. A sense of freedom crosses his face and he smiles at last. Later on an afternoon nap goes very well as he tests it out. Following that a full nights sleep. In the morning he shouts “Muuuummmy!!!” as normal before remembering he can get out and run through to our room. There, he stands for a while before realising he is too sleepy and heads back to bed. Result!
Last night though I came upstairs to find him standing at the top of the stairs like Damien out of The Omen. I almost died of shock which shocked him more. It must have taken L till 10pm to get him back to sleep.
Needless to say our exchanges this morning were a little curt. He stuck to building his giant railway empire whilst I sat glumly popping pills and watching thunderously dull breakfast news. Not a good morning. Too late for biking to work, I changed out of cycling garb and slipped into my chauffeur costume.
You’re too good!
We just tok his matress out of the cot and put it on the floor for a few weeks.
H got used to it very quickly, regrettably he doesn’t go back to bed EVER when he wakes in the morning.
C
As we are now discovering as well (asleep 10pm, up 6:30am)
There are other disadvantages. D appeared in Kat’s bed with 4 biscuits in his hand, he had managed to bypass the stair gate and the first K&R knew about it was when he appeared with the booty! Not quite got it that it is best to eat them in his room then go to their bed.
I spoke to a woman at the weekend who was telling us about a 2 year old that appeared at Mummy’s bedside with a freshly made hot cup of tea (slightly too much milk). She wasn’t sure whether to congratulate her or smack her.