What’s Up Lately

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Happy Fourth of July!  The long weekend is almost here.  Wahoo.  We don’t really have any firm plans, but I admit – I’m looking forward to doing a whole lot of nothing.

 

Fitness Lately

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Meh.  It’s going okay.  I’m trying really hard to stay active through this pregnancy, as I did with Henry, but I’m struggling a bit.  I can still run, but it’s rough with the heat.  Instead, I’ve been opting for a daily long walk, and I try to make it to the gym every other day or so.  Today I mixed up the cardio equipment with 15 minutes on the stairclimber and 15 minutes on the elliptical.  My basic goal is just to sweat a little every single day until I deliver.  And in the meantime, I’m already starting to plot my post-pregnancy return to fit-fitness (I really want to participate in triathlons next summer!).

 

Baby Lately

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I didn’t mean to leave you guys hanging about our ultrasound.  Our one (and probably only) ultrasound was on Monday.  This was our first chance to get confirmation that the baby is healthy, so I was pretty nervous going in.  But everything looks great!   Baby is estimated to weight 8 ounces and is measuring on track in terms of size.  And we didn’t accidentally find out the sex, so win-win.  PS – How creepy but cool is that 4D photo?  All the grandparents are amazed.

 

Food Lately

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A lot of my recent meals look like this – a bunch of little things.  I’m trying to eat more protein, so I’ve been doing almonds and eggs and cheese like it’s my job.  Not a bad job, huh?  Also – I’m super into iced decaf green tea.  SO GOOD.

 

Operation Beautiful Lately

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My diaper bag recently broke (wahhh <—you can file that one under ‘things I don’t want to spend money on’) so I’ve been using an old big purse.  I found a bunch of Operation Beautiful notes that a group of 7 – 9 year old girls wrote me when I did an event with a Girls on the Run troop.  So I’ve been reposting them everywhere I go.  I love them because the notes are filled with cute misspellings and adorable phrasing. 

 

Henry Lately

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I was writing this post during Henry’s naptime when I heard his bedroom door open with a SLAM.  And then I heard, “Momma! I fell out of bed, and I hurt myself!”  Let it be known – at 2 years, 3 weeks old, my son figured out that he could actually escape the crib (no worries – he wasn’t really hurt).  Other mommas – WHAT DO I DO?!  I don’t want to put him in a big boy bed yet!  Do I have to?!

{ 53 comments }

 

  • Rachel July 3, 2014, 2:42 pm

    I don’t know that this would work in all types of cribs, but when the crib was as low as it could get and my niece could still escape if she wanted, my sister in law put the mattress on the floor. My niece is still surrounded by crib all the way around, but can’t climb out. I don’t remember what type of crib you have though, so that might not work for you guys!

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 2:45 pm

      That is awesome. I don’t know if it could safely work with Henry’s crib – I will investigate!!

      • Amy July 6, 2014, 9:26 am

        I had to do the same thing. The crib basically acted as a cage around the mattress. Worked like a charm til we were ready for the bed!

  • Maryea {happy healthy mama} July 3, 2014, 2:51 pm

    My son Luke did the same thing a few months ago (he’s 2 1/2 now) and I told him how much he could hurt himself by trying to climb out of the crib. Miraculously, he was scared enough to not keep trying! We’ll probably make the switch soon, but I was so glad I didn’t have to do it right away!

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 2:58 pm

      I tried to put on my super serious face when I explained the dangers. I think I scared him. Let’s hope it was a one-off thing like with your son!!!

  • meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles July 3, 2014, 2:53 pm

    My son attempted to climb out a little after his second birthday. The next day I believe is when I bought the toddler bed. I don’t know what other people do, I just remember being nervous. You can also put the crib mattress on the floor instead of jumping out the door to find the new bed. It’s not fun to give up the crib. Out of the crib means no longer putting them on in and knowing they can’t get out to walk around or come find you lol.

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 2:57 pm

      Hah my thoughts exactly.

  • LT July 3, 2014, 2:54 pm

    You might want to read about green tea in pregnancy. I think it can interrupt absorption of folic acid which is related to neural tube defects. Like all things, it’s probably a “everything in moderation”, but I thought I’d mention it.

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 2:57 pm

      Hmmm, really? never heard that! ill look into this – thank you 🙂

      • Amy July 6, 2014, 9:27 am

        I was going to comment the same thing. My OB said to avoid it because they “aren’t sure” how safe it is.

  • Anne Weber-Falk July 3, 2014, 3:01 pm

    As much as you do not want to, it’s time for the big boy bed. If you’re nervous about falling out you could put just the mattress on the floor for a while. My son was just about Henry’s age when he climbed out, but we didn’t hear a bang we heard a whimper. I went in to check on JC and found him hanging on to the outside of the crib with his foot caught between the slats. If he had let go he would have broken his ankle. The transition to the big boy bed is not always easy but once he’s used to it all will be fine. Oh, and don’t forget toddler size beds. The can be found at tag sales are resale shops. The crib mattress fits in these. Also, if you’re going right to the twin size you could get a rail for the outside of the bed. Mine slipped between the mattress and was made of a heavy netting, kind of looked like a very big ping pong table net. It was my best toddler find. It gave us peace of mind that the kids wouldn’t fall out of the bed and for my youngest actually prevented her from trying to climb out of bed. Good luck!

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 3:06 pm

      Ahhhh this scares me. Maybe you are right – I have to just suck it up and do it. If he’s going to crawl out all the time, it’s just not safe… I have a mattress for him already, I was just hoping to do the transition from nursery to big boy room/big boy bed all at once and not in stages. I’m going to do some research on transitioning techniques tonight – guess we have a fun project lined up for this weekend!!!:-/

      • Sara July 3, 2014, 3:52 pm

        It’s just one of those things, and the time has come. When my son first figured out how to escape the crib, we tried lots of tricks to keep him in there, but you know what? Once they know they can do it, they want to do it again (regardless of danger)…..and they get better at it each time they try! They can be like little Houdinis.
        Henry’s getting older, so this is an inevitable next step. Like most milestones, it does often “just happen” on a random day. I would definitely recommend a toddler bed – postponing is really only trying to postpone the inevitable, and in your shoes I’d rather go through the process of transitioning him now rather than a few weeks or months from now, when you’re either much farther along in your pregnancy or dealing with a newborn. By starting now, you should have a good bed sleeper by the time you need the crib for your newborn*. On that note, IKEA has some great toddler beds – some with lower, crib-like rails and a side barrier, others that are extendable (so the kids can grow into them as they get older, as well). We loved ours!

        *Yes, you will likely have some nights where you wake up to find a little face staring at you….it’s honestly only creepy the first time, LOL!

        • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 3:54 pm

          This comment made me feel a lot better – you’re right, it is just a milestone. I just wasn’t expecting it. Thanks for the IKEA rec. I was just browsing beds on overstock and felt all overwhelmed.

          • Sara July 3, 2014, 8:50 pm

            I’m glad it helped! 🙂 Honestly, reminding yourself that all this is normal, and even appropriate for his age, goes a long way towards being able to embrace the change.
            Transition can take time, but on the other hand, some kids do very well right from the start. Just put him back to bed if he comes out, firmly and decisively, each time. Odds are any novelty should wear off quickly – they are tired, and once they’re used to their new beds things can settle pretty quickly.
            It’s something we all go through, and we all survive it! As a mom to an almost 12 year old boy now, I can promise you that any transitional phase won’t last long, and you’ll be so glad it’s out of the way once your new baby has arrived. Good luck!

  • Rachel July 3, 2014, 3:11 pm

    Good for you for staying active! I did the same through my last pregnancy through 8mo. There were definitely days where I was *not* feeling it, but ultimately I knew I could muddle through 🙂

    My 2yr old son also recently discovered he can climb out of his crib. Not. Cool. But I’m also not surprised b/c the kid climbs everything! I swear he’s part monkey. I’m holding off putting him in a “big” bed b/c I know he’d just climb out of that as well. So in the meantime, we switched the handle on his bedroom door so it locks on the outside. I know, it sounds cruel, but hear me out! All it took was for him to climb out and discover that the door was locked and now he doesn’t try to escape anymore. And I’m not being woken up at 3am with his tiny face in front of me saying “cockadoodle doo, mama!”

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 3:13 pm

      hahah that last sentence made me laugh.

  • Sarah C July 3, 2014, 3:18 pm

    I was very sad when my daughter climbed out of her crib at 18 months old. Her crib is a convertible one, so we took the rail off and put on a toddler guard rail. Ever since switching to the “big girl bed” she sleeps better and longer. Plus, we bought one of those Onaroo Time to Wake clocks that turns green at the selected wake up time. We love it and she isn’t allowed to get up until 7am.

  • Priyanka July 3, 2014, 3:19 pm

    I think he is completely ready to transition into the big boy bed. I had to transition my son at about 20 months since one day he decided he had no business with the crib. Also I think it may be easier to transition him now than later during your pregnancy. When are you planning to potty train him?

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 3:20 pm

      Oh good question. I don’t think he’s ready to be potty trained yet at all. He sometimes pees on ‘command’ after bathtime (it’s so funny – he says “HERE IT GOES! HERE IT GOES!” and scrunches up his face really hard, LOL) but I think we’re still a long way off. I wasn’t even kind of thinking about it. Do big boy beds and potty training go hand and hand??

      • Helen July 3, 2014, 3:47 pm

        You just want him in a big boy bed so he can get out to potty, if you were training.

        • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 3:48 pm

          Right – that makes sense!

  • Eileen July 3, 2014, 3:32 pm

    Ok, my kids aged out of cribs a LONG time ago, but I thought we could just remove one side of the crib and it becomes a “day bed” like thing. Do cribs still do that? We put one of those ‘side things’ (LOL I can’t remember what anything was called) so they wouldn’t roll out but wasn’t hard to climb over (it could also be used later with the twin bed if needed/wanted).

    As far as keeping them in bed…not sure there’s much you can do on that front. 🙂 My first one didn’t realize he could get out of bed (even in a twin) and would just lay there shouting “Mama….can I get up!?”. LOL.

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 3:43 pm

      I just googled the owners manual and you’re total right – I can convert my crib to a daybed!!! I may try this.

  • Grace July 3, 2014, 3:35 pm

    I love the flag painting, what a great idea! So cute!

    I’ll join the others by saying it’s time for a big kid bed! Kids can get pretty seriously hurt falling out of cribs (I used to work in a pediatric ER, and you don’t want to hear the horror stories 🙁 ). We transitioned my daughter to a big kid bed right after she turned two (because she tried to climb out after her nap one day), and it was a non-event. Well, there was one week of 1+ hour bedtimes, but then things calmed down and her sleep was back to normal really quickly. However, I think we were lucky; from talking to my friends and reading parenting forums, I’d say about half of the kids have a rough time. My friend’s boy is the same age as Henry, and after they switched his bed, his bedtime switched from 8 pm to 10 pm (they literally can’t get him to go to sleep earlier than that!), and it’s really rough for them! My advice is to make the transition, like, TOMORROW. You want Henry completely used to it and adjusted WAY before the new baby comes, because the addition of a new sibling can be really tough and often results in lots of regressions and limit testing (which is totally normal). Good luck!

  • Kaella (KaellaOnTheRun) July 3, 2014, 3:47 pm

    Awwww that photo is adorable!!!! It’s hard to stay motivated to work out sometimes (pregnant or not pregnant) so good for you mama!!

  • Julie July 3, 2014, 4:06 pm

    Wow, cool 4D shot. I had my anatomy scan done at 18w4d (by measurement), and they gave me a pic of the face in regular 2D… looks like an alien. They estimated 9 oz for the weight, so maybe it’ll be giant?

    Also, my tech seemed pretty happy that we didn’t want to know the sex because she said she often feels pressured to look, even if baby is not in a good position.

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed July 3, 2014, 4:12 pm

    So many things going on! Love the flag craft pic, so cute. Those 4D photos are so creepy, but I can’t say I won’t want one whenever I have a little one growing inside of me 🙂 Have you been swimming lately? I know that was something you loved during your last pregnancy. Can’t believe Henry is such a dare devil!

    Happy 4th of July 😀

  • Lisa @ Life as Lisa Knows It July 3, 2014, 4:53 pm

    awww, love the last picture of you and Henry! 🙂

  • lynne July 3, 2014, 5:04 pm

    Love the flag! You should really frame it. I know you probably helped, but still, it’s very cool. Is it on poster board? or?

    • Caitlin July 3, 2014, 6:39 pm

      The ladies at gym childcare did it with him! I am not that creative 🙂

  • Jennifer July 3, 2014, 5:25 pm

    I think it depends on the personality of the child. My oldest climbed out once when he was at an in-home daycare. Only did it at her house, only did it once, and never attempted it at home. He was more of the mindset of now I know I can do it but I don’t really need to.

    My youngest is 2 and 1/2 and climbed out probably 6 months ago right at bedtime. We put him right back to bed and watched him on the monitor. He tried to climb out again right away but we got on the intercom on the monitor and told him to stay in his bed. He laid back down and went right to sleep. He talks about climbing out on his nearly every day but I always tell him he can’t get out of his by himself, that he can get hurt and he just needs to call for mommy or daddy and we will come get him out. So far he hasn’t tried again.

    Good luck. I think if they do keep climbing out it’s time for a big boy bed or a toddler bed and that’s a whole different fight. Our oldest would come out no less than 20 times every night and that makes you feel like you are going to lose your mind! 🙂

  • Angela July 3, 2014, 5:31 pm

    crib tent 🙂

  • Nicole @ Broken Road Creative July 3, 2014, 6:04 pm

    Poor Henry! I’m so glad he’s okay! My little girl never really slept in her crib. I bought one while I was pregnant but co-sleeping ended up working best for us until she was about a year old. At that point, she hated the crib, so I dropped the base as low as it would go (a couple inches off the ground) and took off one of the sides.

    I’m sure some people would freak at that idea but her room was completely child-proof and she couldn’t get out of her bedroom without my help (child-proof door handles). Plus, as a Montessori mom, I enjoyed encouraging her independence. Did she fall asleep on the floor instead of her bed sometimes because she got up to play? Yes. But is she healthy, happy, and thriving? YES.

    Do what works for you, Caitlin, but take Henry’s lead! 🙂

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat July 3, 2014, 6:54 pm

    I’m not a mum so I can’t advise on what to do, but I’m just glad he didn’t really hurt himself! Like some of the other commenters, I’d probably be fond of the matress crash mat solution but I suppose it’d still be possible for him to fall in a weird way. So maybe the bed with the rail is better? Sorry I can’t be of more help than than! On another note, Henry’s flag picture is adorable!

  • Vicki July 3, 2014, 7:03 pm

    My daughter is one month younger than Henry and figured out how to climb out of the crib months ago! We put the mattress on the floor inside the crib (worked with our Jenny Lind) and that worked for a while until she figured out how to climb out of that! The first time I found her outside of her crib after the new arrangement, she looked at me, smiled, then climbed BACK IN her crib to get her doll. She’s never fallen, but of course we still wanted to curb the behavior.

    Putting her in a sleepsack bought us a lot of time. I bought an Aden and Anais muslin sack that was a tad too small and she sleeps in just that (and a diaper). The sack keeps her from spreading her legs wide enough to climb and makes it too slippery to get a foothold. Totally works.

    That being said, we just took the side rail off the crib and put the toddler rail on last night. So far it hasn’t been bad. She can’t open her bedroom door (old house = sticky doors), so we fully closed it and kept an eye on her with the video monitor. She wandered around her room for about an hour, then climbed back into bed and fell asleep. No crying. This morning I found her on the floor on the other side of the door, but once again she didn’t cry when she did it. Hopefully tonight will be even better. Nap time took her about an hour and a half to stop playing and go down.

    We read her some “big kid bed” books first, which helped.

  • Elizabeth July 3, 2014, 9:24 pm

    We had to do a toddler bed w my eldest at 15 months when she learned to escape her crib.

  • Sara July 3, 2014, 9:28 pm

    I love that flag – what a great idea. Next year I’m going to do one but a Canadian one with the hand print as the maple leaf – thanks for the idea!

    As for Henry – my son climbed out just before he turned 2 and we knew he was not ready. My friend Amanda works for Good Night Sleep Site and recommend we read this article:
    http://goodnightsleepsite.com/blog/2013/04/18/avoiding-a-crib-to-bed-transition-before-youre-ready/
    And it worked a charm. Since last October he has only climbed out one other time (just last week actually).

    If Henry is ready then do the transition but if your gut tells you he is not then there are other options!

  • April July 3, 2014, 10:57 pm

    I’d say it’s toddler bed time! My son escaped his crib a few times and since it was rare and he didn’t get hurt we kept things the same (he was 2.5yrs old). I put him down for a nap one day and he came running in the living room 10 min later with his arm clearly broken. It’s a sight that still makes my heart stop when I think of it. He broke his ulna and radius and had a cast for 6 weeks (he was a trooper, never once complained). He day after he broke it we took the crib down and he’s been great ever since. All kids are different though, and I doubt most kids will break their arm by hopping out of the bed but when I hear of bed escapees I have to share my experience. Good luck with Henry, he is such a clever little guy!

    • Caitlin July 4, 2014, 7:20 am

      Ahhh your poor son.

  • Louise July 3, 2014, 11:54 pm

    My 2 year old avid climber did this a few months ago. Only the first time I couldn’t find him and he’d climbed into his cot and was pretending to sleep, and the second time I rolled over to find him staring at me proudly beside our bed. We panicked but fortunately life got in the way of our weekend plan to convert his cot to a toddler bed and he just never did it again. I’m not sure what it was that made him stop (he certainly doesn’t pay any attention to what I say) so perhaps it was just that we didn’t make a big deal and casually said “Oh, don’t climb out of your cot, you’ll hurt yourself, just call for us”.
    At the time we thought we needed to free up the cot anyway but it sadly wasn’t to be so I’m really glad we didn’t move him straight away. Maybe give it a week or two – it could just be the excitement of discovering he can do it and it may pass. Good luck – 2 is a wonderful and terrifying age 🙂

  • Mary July 4, 2014, 2:28 am

    Our sister-in-law had a 4D image of her baby quite late on her pregnancy and it’s amazing how much you can see on the shot.

  • Angie July 4, 2014, 7:51 am

    My oldest started leaping out of his crib the week of his 2nd birthday. We made his room really really safe for him to be in, put a mattress on the floor and then put a gate in his doorway. He could get off the mattress and come to the door but couldn’t get out. He quickly learned that it was no fun to stand at the gate and slept fine after a couple of days (and continued to nap with no problems).

  • leatitia July 4, 2014, 8:47 am

    it’s time for a big boy bed! I put a mattress on the floor for my toddler. 🙂

    You pretty much have to, because next time he could really hurt himself.

  • Ali July 4, 2014, 9:56 am

    Time for a big boy bed! It’s just a natural part of growing up and another milestone that all kids will reach eventually. It does happen out of nowhere and can be kind of a shock to the parent, but it’s just another step – like eating solid foods or potty training. The good news is that you can get him settled into a new bed and a new normal before the big change of the new baby! It will help him not feel so jealous (BIG brothers sleep in a BIG bed!) of the baby and feel secure in his surroundings and routine when there is so much change going on around him that he doesn’t really understand yet.

  • Beaty July 4, 2014, 10:06 am

    We just put the crib mattress on the floor, put away the crib and put a baby gate in the doorway. Took a bit of adjustment, but it was safer than our daughter jumping out of the crib. Our 2nd daughter told me she was going to jump out and after I explained why she shouldn’t do that (injuries, etc..) she said she would climb out then. Crib came down that day. Good luck! He’s growing up. 🙂

  • Valere July 4, 2014, 11:07 am

    I put my son (who is now 3) in a big boys bed after the first fall out of the crib. Scared me too much to want it to happen again. I actually found he slept better in a bed as well so that was a bonus! We had a convertible crib so it was pretty easy to go from a crib to a single bed.

  • Katie July 4, 2014, 1:08 pm

    My son is about a week older than Henry, and we moved him into a big boy bed when he was just under 18 months old. He sometimes comes through at night, but it’s definitely the exception. It has made it easier if we travel because he can now go to sleep in a guest room and we know he’s ok. He’s fallen off a few times, but we put some soft pillows and spare blankets next to the bed for a while and now he’s ok. I’m sure Henry will be absolutely fine

  • nancy July 4, 2014, 2:38 pm

    It never would have occurred to my older two kids to attempt to climb out of their crib. The third one? She’s a different story. The day she climbed out is the day we took the crib down. We don’t do toddler beds in our house and we weren’t in a position to get her a big bed yet so we just put her crib mattress on the floor. I did put a little bed rail around it on the open side (it was in a corner so only one spot to fall off) to keep her feeling safe. I put her favorite blanket and stuffed animals in it and told her it was just like a “kitty nest”. She was big on Hello Kitty at the time and that was all it took. She couldn’t wait to sleep in her kitty nest. She never got up and wandered around at all. I can’t remember how long she slept there but we didn’t have any issues. Good luck with working out what works best for Henry 🙂

  • Carla July 5, 2014, 7:18 am

    When mine figured that out I was able to flip the crib around and put the short side against the wall. The back of my crib was taller than the front.

  • Chris July 5, 2014, 11:24 am

    I hear the odd parent say the transition from crib to bed goes smoothly. For the rest of us it seems to be a week of interrupted sleep with lots of attempts to convince the toddler that it’s ok to stay in bed at 3am. (My only rule of parenting is not to generalize and I’m totally doing it!) And then one night they get it, mercifully. Now we have the odd morning of little feet running into our room when he wakes up first and wants to cuddle. I love it. For some reason it hasn’t occurred to him that he could be getting into mischief on his own. Do the transition before the baby comes. There are lots of positives with it and yet another sign that Henry is getting to be a big kid! 🙂 good luck.

  • MIka July 6, 2014, 11:00 pm

    Poor Henry! Our little Nathaniel (20 m/o), began climbing out of his crib around 15 months. The best thing we did for our sanity is turn the crib around. Nate is strong as an ox and quite the climber but he cannot climb over the high end of the crib – win! Good luck and congrats on the second pregnancy.

  • Runner Girl Eats July 7, 2014, 6:01 am

    A lot of my friends are going through this now. I say follow Henry’s lead and hang in there.

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