Celebrate the wins! Learn from the losses and keep a record of the milestones. Wins, losses, and milestones vary from person to person.
Today, I am celebrating a milestone in Jaxon’s life. Admittedly, I wasn’t ready for this to happen, but I couldn’t continue to ignore the indicators. It was time for Jaxon to take the next step – convert his crib to a toddler bed. Jaxon turned three in early November, and while I wasn’t ready for the change, he was.
Here lately, he has been climbing out of his crib. Several months ago, I lowered his mattress to the lowest setting available. The setting wasn’t low enough, so I drilled new holes into the frame and lowered the mattress even further. His mattress was a few inches off the floor but just enough to close the gap between the mattress and the frame. This worked for several months, and I slept peacefully.
However, as of late, Jaxon has figured out how to climb over the rail, hiking one leg up and over, carefully lowering the rest of his body down to the floor. I finally caught him doing it, and I must say, he does it very carefully.
We ran into trouble when he decided to straddle the top crib rail as if he was on a pommel horse. He stayed there for several seconds, which seemed like an eternity to us. Through the camera, we could see his legs dangling on both sides of the crib rail. We told him to get down. Within a few minutes, he was back on top of the crib rail. One wrong move toward freedom, and he would suffer a nasty fall onto the tile.
The next day I decided to convert his bed. I had squeezed out as much crib time as possible, and I didn’t want to add a net. His poor bed was already a mess. I drilled new holes for the mattress. I added slats all around the perimeter to keep his arms and legs inside the crib. How many of you can relate? Your baby manages to squeeze their chunky little arm or leg in between slats, only to get stuck. Screaming ensues at 2 am, and it takes two people to get them loose. We went through that scenario several times, so I added the extra slats, and we never had the problem again.
I was so nervous about converting his bed and dreading night number one. Jaxon was curious about the change and didn’t quite understand what was happening. Jaxon is not very verbal, so he couldn’t express his delight with his newfound freedom.
We tucked him into bed that first night and grabbed the camera anticipating more trips to his bedroom. But there were none. He fell fast asleep. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The milestone moment was a success. Jaxon never once went for the door, which by the way, we turned the knob around so we could lock him in. Jaxon is too curious and knows how to unlock doors, and we couldn’t risk him getting outside in the middle of the night.
At 3:30 am, the first sound came from Jaxon’s room. I looked at the camera, and all I could see was this little boy sitting up in bed shaking his hands and crying. He had vomited all over himself and his bed. For the next two hours, this poor little guy dry heaved several times. I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I was for converting his bed earlier that day.
Jaxon caught some kind of gastrointestinal bug, and the poor thing was not feeling well. It makes me wonder if that’s why he went to bed so quickly that night. And, of course, I thought about what it might be like when he is back to feeling better. Will he play around in his room, or will he lay there in bed like he has the last several nights? We’ll wait and see. I can say this with confidence; it’s a lot easier on my 55-year-old back not having to lower him down into the crib each night.
It reminds me of the milestones and changes I have experienced in my life.
Thirty-two years ago, my life changed drastically with the loss of my best friend. Little did I know that one day I would be sitting here writing about all that I am living today.
Like Jaxon’s crib, there were things in my life I wasn’t ready to give up. I wasn’t ready to make changes, but looking back, I can see more clearly those changes needed to happen if I was going to grow in my faith. As a dear older woman said to me one day, “Pick a side, Jeanette. Either you’re all in for Christ or all in for the world. Quit straddling the fence.”
Wow, her words pierced my heart that day, and I knew I needed to make a change. And like converting Jaxon’s crib to a toddler bed, there was no going back, only forward.
Living for the Lord is a journey, and some would say it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
My relationship with the Lord has taken years to build, but I have enjoyed the Lord’s fellowship and intimacy along the way.
What have you been hesitant to change? Is there something you know you need to do, but you have been holding off? Is fear holding you back, or do you love it or them more?
Celebrate the wins! Learn from the losses, and keep a record of the milestones. One day like me, you will look back and see how far you have come. In those moments, give glory to God, for he is worthy of your praise.
Blessings!
The Teaching Lady
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