Bassinets are SO Passe

The time has come for Otter to leave the snug comfort of her bassinet and move into the wide, uncertain world of the crib. For most babies, this step down the road towards independent living comes at 3-4 months, when they outgrow the tiny, portable bed. Otter, being a petite young lass, has lasted 7 months.

But for the past few weeks, we've been noticing the bassinet tilt precariously as she shifted her weight. And with her not-so-feeble attempts to sit up on her own, its only a matter of time before the bough was to break and the cradle was to fall.

The process began with the undoing of a lot of hard work: clothes needed to be removed from Bree's dresser and the crib, which had been meticulously assembled in Otter's room before she arrived in this world, had to be disassembled, having never been used for sleep.

Then, furniture musical chairs began. The dresser had to depart for greener pastures, making room for crib (which would then have to be put together again). And since all of our doorways cannot accomdate human sized furniture passing through, the game had to be played with a detour through the living room and out into the back yard.

Bree was in charge of all things furniture, while I made helpful suggestions from a safe distance. To his credit, Bree both demolished and re-molished like a champ. The rooms were repurposed (Otter's for clothes, ours for housing even more beds) and then it was my turn to convince SB that this new space, where she'd formerly enjoyed rolling around and playing, was now to be considered ideal for her afternoon siesta.

It took some convincing. The first few times, I came back to find SB rolled to the other end of the crib, lying on her stomach, while screaming at the top of her lungs. But, after wedging her so tightly into her sleep positioner that breathing, let alone turning was a challenge we achieved success. Either tiredness or lack of oxygen overtook her and after a few more plaintive moans she fell asleep (or passed out, whatever).

Now, we have a few more weeks to get her used to her bigger-girl bed before ousting her from our room. At which point Musical Chairs will have to be performed in reverse. Rest up, Bree.