Mila Gets a Big Girl Bed!

Since Mila is the size that Zoya was when Zoya was FOUR YEARS OLD, she's moving to a big girl bed a little earlier than Zoya did :) She's clearly too big for her crib as most nights her legs or arms are hanging out the sides and she just can't seem to get comfortable. She has started doing the same thing Zoya did when we decided to move Zoya...wedging herself the short way in the crib, when she could CLEARLY lay the other way and have more room HAHA! 

Here is Sofia "helping" to move the crib out :) You can see Mila's "new" big girl bed on the right. This bed used to be Zoya's and Zoya got a new "big big girl bed." 

We used this same idea for Zoya when she moved out of her crib. If you haven't priced "special needs beds" you're in for a rude awakening. A friend gave us the idea of getting a daybed and turning it backward against the wall so they won't fall out! Zoya used this bed for the last year and a half. (A few months ago, we turned the daybed around the right way for Zoya in preparation for her new bed so Mila could have this one). Mila, like Zoya, is a somewhat restless sleeper and tosses and turns quite a bit. She doesn't understand safety boundaries of furniture, for example, she will sit on the couch but roll right off if we aren't there. She pays no attention to the fact that the couch ends and the floor begins :) Since neither Zoya or Mila are climbers, the day bed idea works really well. I would NOT suggest this idea if you have a child is has typical or advanced gross motor skills, but it works for these two and we used their gross motor delays to our advantage in this situation :) Mila never stands up in her crib during nap times or sleeping times, but in these pictures she was just being silly. You can also see the camera on the wall behind her which goes directly to our video monitor. Shawn and I joke that when they move out some day maybe they can live close enough that the monitors will stills work ;) They give such a peace of mind! 

She LOVED the extra room! 

Little stinker! She turned the light on and off about 100 times and laughed. So far she hasn't tried it during sleep times...like I said once the lights are off this girl SLEEPS! We plan to relocate the bed though down to the other side of the wall :) 

Here she is sleeping peacefully the first night in her new big girl bed!!! The blanket you see is one we just purchased to try with her and Sofia. It is a weighted blanket to help with organizing the brain for better sleep. Weighted blankets are used in kids with sensory processing disorder, down syndrome, and autism, among other diagnoses. 

I wish I could sew, but I simply can't! The gal we ordered the blanket from makes BEAUTIFUL products and after we try this one out for a bit, I plan to order a second one so both girls have their own! Right now I have Mila using it at night and Sofia using it for naps. It takes Sofia an hour or longer some days to settle down for her MUCH NEEDED nap (and then she naps 2-3 hours), so I'm hoping it will help her fall asleep quicker! Mila has rocking movement disorder during her nighttime sleep when transitioning from one stage of sleep to another. She rocks and bangs her head on her mattress (not an orphanage related issue-it's actually fairly common in toddlers) and I'm hoping the blanket will help fulfill her sensory need in that area so she doesn't have to rock and bang her head. We will see! .....THIS JUST IN, Sofia is OUT LIKE A LIGHT after only 5 minutes with the blanket! Now let's see if it continues! YAY! 

You can check out the "Handmade Weighted Blankets" Facebook Page Here! 

I posted on facebook last night that I just wish I could slow time down. There's something about watching my girls sleep that reminds me how precious and fleeting time truly is. I still can't believe Mila is big enough to have outgrown her crib. Another milestone down for our miracle girl!