I'm certain that with each and every child I've gone through this, but for some reason Jack is completely different.

There comes a time in a child's life where they are no longer kept in by the crib and must be put into a big bed. Now, for us this was also accompanied by the introduction of a new sibling which invariably happened around the time when the older child would have naturally transitioned.  I believe with Cecelia she was in a big-girl bed by a little over 1 years old. Sophia and Bella made this transition around that 18 month old mark. I know many parents keep their kids in the crib for much longer, but for us it just never made sense when they were already climbing out or propelling themselves out of the crib.

Jack stayed in his crib for a little longer as we shared our home for awhile and didn't have the necessary space for his bed.  I started to notice that he'd jump out of his bed and fall asleep on the ground with his bear and blanket. I remember Sophia doing this routine as she would fall asleep with her blankets in the hallway or in a doorway. I'm not sure why kids do this as the floor does not seem nearly as comfortable as a mattress. Anyway, I switched him over a couple of months ago at around 27 months.

Of course, the transition doesn't necessarily mean that the child stops the floor-sleeping, and we've continued to see him fall asleep in any number of places.

Last night, he had climbed into our bed and had fallen asleep. At around midnight and after a full evening of tile-setting, we were both exhausted and didn't move him to his bed.

Around 2am, he started his moaning/ squirming routine and I had to put him in his bed. I carried him to his bedroom and tucked him in, and then he woke up. At 2am, he proceeded to scream and have a temper tantrum of momentous proportions. He growled at me, stomped his feet, turned the light on and refused to lay down. I told him he needed to sleep in his room and I went into mine, closing the door behind me. I heard him growl for a little bit longer, but soon it was quiet again. I simply assumed he realized that I wasn't budging and had gone to sleep. He tends to get angry fast, but it goes away fairly quickly.

Then, around 5am, I woke up to make some coffee and breakfast for my husband and I noticed that Jack's light was still on in his room. I walked into his little room and the butterflies attacked my stomach as I didn't see his little curly head under the blankets. I rushed into the playroom and did a quick sweep of the room to find no Jack.

Then, I rushed upstairs with my heart pounding and my coffee-less mind suddenly awake with no caffeine aid. The adrenaline propelled me to check every bedroom and the couch. Then, I saw him.... asleep on the floor in Bella's room with his bear as a pillow and his blanket covering his curled little body.

*sigh*

I hate this stage. I don't think I can handle too many more of these freak out moments, where I have to find where Jack decided to wander to.