Tavish-o-Lantern

Halloween has been so much fun this year! Tavish's interest in 'ba-gum-pa-gums'a year ago remained and evolved - he proudly stated he was going to be 'a pumpkin` when asked, even before we re-introduced the holiday to him.

MOMENT: Carving, Creating, Parading and 'Treat'ing

There's been build up to this holiday involving themed crafts and colourful creating. I even got to work re-purposing an old orange sweater to turn our Tavish into a jack-o-lantern. Tavish and his construction-worker Daddy led the charge in their bright orange costumes at the second annual neighbourhood Halloween parade. Then he experienced Trick-or-Treating for the first time at the neighbour's. Grandpa Mike is such a good sport!

Hope your Halloween was as spooktacular as ours was. BOO!

Transition - Final Phase

It was time for a bigger bed for our bigger little boy. The assembly was a job for the Bedford boys - Grandpa Mike, Handy Daddy and Builder Tavish had a project ...

MOMENT: Handy Helper

Tavish was Daddy's Little Helper by providing entertainment, company and some more 'twisting'. He's all settled into his 'new' room with his "big crib". He can crawl in and out with ease but would find it difficult to fall out of while sleeping. Perfect. The final touch involved dusting off the ol' sewing machine - Mommy made a duvet cover! He's all set up and very excited about it ...

Seeing Seattle

Tom's sister and family moved to the Pacific northwest for work. We missed them so made a trip out of it! Grandpa Mike came too - the whole Bedford family was together again.

MOMENTS: Rain brings Rainbows

So many adventures were had. We hit up the Aquarium where Tavish touched and watched all kinds of neat things; we hiked through lush forests; enjoyed ferry rides with family; let Tavish take the wheel during our lunch visit to Microsoft; and enjoyed three boys playing and singing together as cousins. So, although being in Seattle in October means rain, the end of the rainbow accompanied us on a highway one day providing a nice reminder that if you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain!

Transition - Phase I

Tavish loves his crib, often referring to to his nap time as "playing in my crib". Although it might seem wrong to take that happiness away from him (fine, it's our happiness too - the confinement has been handy), it's time for the crib to go. Phase(out) I involves removing the bars and putting the mattress on the floor.

The "before" photo: A Baby's Bedroom

MOMENT: Twisting with Tavish

Tavish was integral to the phase-out construction. He twists and likes to help with little assistance.

So far, the absence of bars have led to three smooth nights of sleep with few 'thuds' and lots of excitement. It is worth noting though, that there has been no 'napping' at all since the rails came down. Surely the novelty of bedroom freedom will fade at some point, right? Let's just hope that excitement isn't replaced with the joy of escaping because (knock in wood) there have yet to be bedroom break-out attempts.

Stay tuned for Phase II - single bed assembly. Coming soon ...