Don't sweat the big stuff

I would like to say that I chose to co-sleep with the babies, but the truth is that they decided to co-sleep with me.

It's a well known fact that I had the worst sleeping babies in the history of the universe.

Well, perhaps that is an overstatement, but after 5 years of not sleeping, that's what it felt like.

When I thought about having children close together, I don't think I considered the fact that I wouldn't sleep for, well, years.

Co-sleeping helped. It really did.

I loved the time with the babies. I really think I knew somewhere in my exhausted, hazy mind that these days would be over quickly. I muddled through desperately some days, and nights, but snuggling down with the kids at nights mostly felt like a huge privilege.

I felt a kinship with the families all over the world that share family beds. Or that's what I told myself as I wondered when I would ever have a kid free bed again. The good won out over the bad, but sometimes I would dream of a bed with no kids in it.

The baby kid went to a futon in our room last June. That transition was a pretty easy one, considering the kid.

There he stayed.

Then, recently, I told him that his brother's bed had a bunk bed that went with it.


He seemed interested.

After school one day, I decided this was the day. Bunk bed installation was a necessary component to the day. It was time.  

I pulled down some pieces from the garage attic, keeping in mind each second that my clumsy self really had no business dangling from the ceiling atop a high ladder. 

God is good. 

I retrieved the other pieces from the house attic, including the mattress. Getting that thing down was, well, comical.

Then the kids and I headed off to Home Depot for some wooden slats and a couple of other things.

I am quite sure that nothing makes the nice people at Home Depot shudder and/or quake in their boots more than a mom walking in with her three kids so obviously having no idea where or how to get what she/they need.

They are so very nice at Home Depot.

So we put together the bunk beds. It was a fun thing to do together. And special too. My dad and uncle had slept in these exact same bunk beds. My boys are so much like the two of them, and the thought of my boys sleeping in the same beds made me very happy.

And I really didn't think Zane would do it. Sleep in the new bed, I mean.

And guess what?

He did. 

That kid amazes me. The day to day stuff is so hard with him most days. But something big like this? 

No problem.

He nailed it. First night. All night in his new bed.

And every night since then.

He has come into our room and said he's scared a couple of times. He snuggles down with me, and then I walk him back to his bed.

And last night I rolled over and rolled right on top of him.

Guess he was scared again.

But I carried him back to bed, and he never mentioned it today.

So with the big stuff, Zane is awesome.

Just don't ask him to take his dish to the sink. He might fall apart. 

But that's okay. 

**Edited to add:

Ironically Zane got in bed with me again last night. I didn't realize he was there until I rolled over and unceremoniously dumped him off the bed. The loud thump of him hitting the floor woke me up. He was not too happy about the rude awakening, but I'm thinking he may now prefer the safety of his own bed from here on out. Or let's hope that's the case...