Creating New Brain Maps

Posted by Justine | October 18, 2008 | 7 Comments

Monday, life at our house changed forever. It happened suddenly, although I imagine I should have seen it coming for months. Things around here have been a big mess ever since. But it’s a big mess in a good way. I think.

Monday, I gave the crib away.

I gave away the crib that we’ve had for more than a decade. The one that has the varnish chewed off in spots by various children as they attempted to gnaw their way to freedom. The one that was only $200 at the consignment store that we bought when we could scarcely afford the crib, let alone the living thing that was about to move into it.

We gave it to a cute young couple. We packed it up and it was towed away. I watched it drive off, and I wondered, “Am I supposed to feel sad?” “Should I be mourning the passing of this moment in my life?”

I tried pretty hard to be sad. I really did, I tell you! I walked inside and told myself about all the things that this moment means. It means we’re done having more babies. It means I’m getting older. It means snuggles and cuddles have a definite horizon in sight.

I just couldn’t pull it off. I couldn’t muster tears. Smiles were all I had.

The tears were saved for Monday night when, at almost midnight, we were still carting the kid back into bed every thirty seconds, telling him he has to stay in the bed, he can’t get out, he’s got to stay put.

There’s this thing about little people that I’ve noticed. They don’t really respond to threats. I don’t even think they understand them in the slightest.

“Stay in bed or we’ll have to turn out all the lights!”
“Stay in bed or your blankie will have to go sleep somewhere else.”
“Stay in bed or we’ll all go upstairs!”
“Stay in bed or we’ll have to close the door!”
“Stay in bed…do you even know what ‘stay in bed’ means?”

We’re on night 6 tonight. We’re down to about a half an hour of bed-returning. We’re hoping for the new neural pathways to take on full implementation in about another 5 weeks. We’ll let you know.

Category: Daily Special

Comments

7 Responses to “Creating New Brain Maps”

5monsters
October 18th, 2008 @ 9:45 am

Our crib was too outdated to give away. We took it on a campout and burned it in the fire. It was very liberating.
wendy
October 18th, 2008 @ 10:14 am

I can just picture this adjustment!

And of course, you know what getting rid of the crib means. Just give it a couple of more years. My friend, with six, who got rid of everything, is now taking donations for number 7.

I’m happy for you and the changes and relatively smooth transions!
dalene
October 18th, 2008 @ 11:55 am

I saved our crib for grandbabies. Don’t laugh–it’s closer than I think.
JKS
October 18th, 2008 @ 10:47 pm

I actually cried (gotta love those annoying post-partum tears) when my husband came home with the craigslist crib and was setting it up for our baby #4. All of our other precious little babies had been in our other crib. This baby had to be in a different one.
DH was sweet and told me how this one was better and much easier to change the mattress height so he’d be able to do it whenever I requested a level change. I quit crying. Practicality wins over sentimentality for me, apparently.
elizabeth-w
October 18th, 2008 @ 11:45 pm

When young, neural pathways are much, much easier to establish.
There.
Don’t you feel better now?
What I mean is, you can do this now, or when baby is 15
Leslie
October 19th, 2008 @ 10:21 am

I think smiles are good, it means you are finding joy in each season as it comes
annie
October 20th, 2008 @ 1:41 am

It was wonderful to meet you on Saturday! I smiled when I saw the crib at the “cute young couple’s” house today.