Baby A is a Big Girl:

Once we found out we were pregnant again, we knew we needed to start working on transitioning Baby A to a big girl bed. A big girl bed and a new sibling meant it was time for her to become a big girl - on her own time of course.

Through all this transitioning with the PCS, she has naturally settled into new ways. All for the best, too. She sleeps in large beds without railings (pillows stuffed around her) and all by herself. She's always slept by herself, but never in a big bed by herself. She decided she was too big for the bottle and now only drinks from a sippy cup. Then she began starting to only lay down on the side of us to fall asleep instead of having to be rocked.

All of this was so wonderful because -
1. It was time for her to give up the crib. I never planned on moving her out so early, but I did plan on having a baby again this soon. After we thought about it, I had decided that I really didn't want two cribs in the house with Baby A being so close to two years old when this baby is born. With that said, we invested in her a new bedroom set before we PCS'd so we would have it to set up for her in her new room in our new house.

2. I never thought about weaning her off a bottle. She never took a bottle her first year since I nursed her until she weaned. When she weaned, we started giving her cow's milk. I thought it was normal for children to take a bottle until they were 2. I know some babies who never take bottles because they are never interested and some who take a bottle until they are 3. Once I got pregnant, I knew it would be nice to have her off the bottle but I wasn't going to push it. Especially with all the new transitions and moving. It was just easier to give her what she knew rather than try and take it away when there was so much going on. Well while we were home on vacation, she decided she just didn't need it anymore. One day she stopped taking it and never went back.

3. She use to always be rocked to sleep. I always had my recliner in her bedroom because it was where I nursed. It was nice and convenient since I never had her in our room with us except for the first week and a half when she was born. It was nice because I could fall asleep with her when I needed and sleep with her in her own room if I wanted. It was great. I knew I needed to put the recliner in the new baby's room. So during our time traveling and moving, we were without a recliner in her room. With that said, she has now learned to just lay down and fall asleep. I never ever thought it would happen this soon.

So here we are with moving her up into being a big sister. Not because we forced it on her, but because one day she just decided herself. Now she is interested in the toilet and has sat on it several times since we have arrived here in Italy. Of course, I never dreamed she would be potty trained before 2 so I am definitely not pushing it. She lets us know when she wants to sit on the potty and that is that. Some days she is more interested than others... and some days she isn't interested at all.

Next we can move on to the inspiration and ideas of her new big girl room!