As we near Lola's 2nd birthday (oh my gosh!) we are heading for some big kid transitions.
We remain 0-24 or some similar and not at all exaggerated insane ratio of success to failure on Lola's potty training. I don't know how Lola has managed to rule us all with her tiny iron fist but she has succeeded. We bow down to her in awe of her prowess in evading our every attempt to get her to go to the bathroom on her potty.
But we have had good luck this week in getting Lola into a big kid bed!
I have been terrified of transitioning her and picturing all kinds
of nightmare scenarios of her not sleeping, or wandering into our
bedroom - and with the twins newly arriving to boot. But I finally decided it was time to bite the bullet, and we had best do it now before the twins show up.
I spent a lot of time trying to find a bed that would be flexible and allow this transition, because I know she is an incredibly active sleeper who would need side guards. However I still wanted her to have a little bit of autonomy to get in and out of the bed on her own, as the point was for her to leave the crib. I also didn't want the jump to be too big and I was worried she would lose some security in a full twin. But I also didn't want to spend all this money on a toddler bed that she would likely outgrow within the year.
After a lot of agonizing, I bought Lola a Stompa convertible bed that goes from a toddler bed (the size she is at now) to a twin. The mattress is a bit wonky shaped and is comprised of 3 bits (the main part and two equally sized add-ons) that together make up the toddler bed and then eventually the twin bed. I had to get custom sheets made at a fabric store in Wan Chai, but luckily we live in Hong Kong and that is one of the easiest things to find and have made here. I picked a very luxurious light pink silk linen blend that is the softest fabric they had, but I will likely go back and have a couple more sets made that are more fun and colorful.
On Monday we started in earnest with Lola's afternoon nap, by having her nap on her mattress on the floor. When she saw it, she was so excited and immediately shrieked and jumped on her "new bed." She was so excited it took her over an hour to fall asleep. She was clearly testing her autonomy and relishing her ability to just pop up and run and bounce onto her mattress by herself.
Ditto sleeping on just the mattress on Monday night, but with towels and blankets on the sides. Ditto Tuesday nap and bedtime, but this time with her foam playmat under the mattress as she kept rolling off. She didn't get to sleep until nearly 9:30 pm on Tuesday night, an epic 2 hours after we tried to get her to sleep - ouch! She spent so much of Tuesday night sleeping on the playmat on the floor that she woke up on Wednesday morning with imprints on her cheek. ...As I said, she is a very active sleeper.
Overnight, in an act of utter fatherly devotion (I think I woke up to the sound of hammering and banging at 3 am) Michael put her bed frame together so that it would be ready for her Thursday afternoon nap.
So far, the bed frame seems perfect because it has a slight ledge around almost all of the sides, a high headboard and a medium sized footboard, ensuring that Lola is prevented from rolling out on almost all sides. It is also relatively low to the ground. The only danger would be if she decided to stand up and jump or somehow vault over the edge of the bed in her sleep or during playtime. To proof that, we currently have her crib mattress laid out on the floor next to the bed just in case.
The verdict so far seems to be that Lola loves it. She told her teacher at playgroup today that she has a new bed. She likes to climb up and wiggle down from it by herself. She has room for her bunnies (all 3 or 4 of them) and her small pillow and light blanket (which she kicks off and never uses anyway). So far so good and please, fingers crossed, may this transition be smooth and safe.
The other huge development in our lives is that we have hired a part time driver. I expect this to be life changing.
He had his first day on the job today (still on a temporary and trial basis) but I think, barring any mishaps that pop up over the next couple of days, we will proceed. He is a former police officer (now retired) who served in various departments in the police department for over 30 years, including a special security unit for visiting diplomats and VIPs.
He is only driving for us for a few hours each morning during the week, but essentially that takes care of getting our nanny to our apartment from the MTR station, Lola's round trip journeys to classes or playgroup, my morning commute to work, and picking up or helping with delivery of groceries. He is super professional, responsible, polite and neat, and so far seems a very steady and smooth driver.
Only time will tell but I am pretty sure having a driver is a luxury we will be loathe to give up!
We remain 0-24 or some similar and not at all exaggerated insane ratio of success to failure on Lola's potty training. I don't know how Lola has managed to rule us all with her tiny iron fist but she has succeeded. We bow down to her in awe of her prowess in evading our every attempt to get her to go to the bathroom on her potty.
But we have had good luck this week in getting Lola into a big kid bed!
I spent a lot of time trying to find a bed that would be flexible and allow this transition, because I know she is an incredibly active sleeper who would need side guards. However I still wanted her to have a little bit of autonomy to get in and out of the bed on her own, as the point was for her to leave the crib. I also didn't want the jump to be too big and I was worried she would lose some security in a full twin. But I also didn't want to spend all this money on a toddler bed that she would likely outgrow within the year.
After a lot of agonizing, I bought Lola a Stompa convertible bed that goes from a toddler bed (the size she is at now) to a twin. The mattress is a bit wonky shaped and is comprised of 3 bits (the main part and two equally sized add-ons) that together make up the toddler bed and then eventually the twin bed. I had to get custom sheets made at a fabric store in Wan Chai, but luckily we live in Hong Kong and that is one of the easiest things to find and have made here. I picked a very luxurious light pink silk linen blend that is the softest fabric they had, but I will likely go back and have a couple more sets made that are more fun and colorful.
On Monday we started in earnest with Lola's afternoon nap, by having her nap on her mattress on the floor. When she saw it, she was so excited and immediately shrieked and jumped on her "new bed." She was so excited it took her over an hour to fall asleep. She was clearly testing her autonomy and relishing her ability to just pop up and run and bounce onto her mattress by herself.
Ditto sleeping on just the mattress on Monday night, but with towels and blankets on the sides. Ditto Tuesday nap and bedtime, but this time with her foam playmat under the mattress as she kept rolling off. She didn't get to sleep until nearly 9:30 pm on Tuesday night, an epic 2 hours after we tried to get her to sleep - ouch! She spent so much of Tuesday night sleeping on the playmat on the floor that she woke up on Wednesday morning with imprints on her cheek. ...As I said, she is a very active sleeper.
Overnight, in an act of utter fatherly devotion (I think I woke up to the sound of hammering and banging at 3 am) Michael put her bed frame together so that it would be ready for her Thursday afternoon nap.
So far, the bed frame seems perfect because it has a slight ledge around almost all of the sides, a high headboard and a medium sized footboard, ensuring that Lola is prevented from rolling out on almost all sides. It is also relatively low to the ground. The only danger would be if she decided to stand up and jump or somehow vault over the edge of the bed in her sleep or during playtime. To proof that, we currently have her crib mattress laid out on the floor next to the bed just in case.
The verdict so far seems to be that Lola loves it. She told her teacher at playgroup today that she has a new bed. She likes to climb up and wiggle down from it by herself. She has room for her bunnies (all 3 or 4 of them) and her small pillow and light blanket (which she kicks off and never uses anyway). So far so good and please, fingers crossed, may this transition be smooth and safe.
The other huge development in our lives is that we have hired a part time driver. I expect this to be life changing.
He had his first day on the job today (still on a temporary and trial basis) but I think, barring any mishaps that pop up over the next couple of days, we will proceed. He is a former police officer (now retired) who served in various departments in the police department for over 30 years, including a special security unit for visiting diplomats and VIPs.
He is only driving for us for a few hours each morning during the week, but essentially that takes care of getting our nanny to our apartment from the MTR station, Lola's round trip journeys to classes or playgroup, my morning commute to work, and picking up or helping with delivery of groceries. He is super professional, responsible, polite and neat, and so far seems a very steady and smooth driver.
Only time will tell but I am pretty sure having a driver is a luxury we will be loathe to give up!
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