Remants of our baby.

When we vacationed a few weeks ago, Ella slept in a big girl bed by herself, and loved it. She even needed steps to get up to it. We knew the toddler bed was on it's last days. We kept putting it off.

Today was gray, cool and somewhat rainy. It was a perfect day for Ella to shed the last of her baby-self.

Panda and Ella anxiously awaiting...

She was a big helper.

 

And she had to give it a good test run.

Bedtime rituals are big for Ella. Certain CD, always on repeat. Three blankets, always layered the same way, always with the 'tag at the bottom'. She will ask you at least once, "Is the music on repeat? Is the tag at the bottom?" before we leave her. With the door cracked. After I've made 'funny faces'. It must go in a particular order or the whole process of getting her to sleep falls apart.

So when we got her new bed all made up and she handed me her three special blankets and told me she didn't need them anymore, I buried my face in them and wept. Two of these three blankets were with us in China. They've wrapped her up for over three years. She knew I was sad and later she told me, "I'm pretty sad that little bed is gone."

She took an amazing afternoon nap today. Currently, she is snoring. She loves her new bed more than she misses her little bed. I know that is just the way it should be.

She looks like a little peanut in that bed with crisp, fresh, bright new bedding. Panda looks even smaller.

What a big day for Ella Man Li. What a big day for us!

~H