Milestones
I put off my two-year-old son Drake’s haircut as long as I could. Playground mothers warned me, when they admired his curls, that they often disappeared at that first cut. Additionally, they added sadly about their own sons’ haircuts, “He stopped looking like my baby; he looked like a little boy.” So I ignored all pointed remarks, but eventually had to admit that Drake’s hair looked unkempt and uncute, and was in his eyes. I made an appointment at a kids’ haircuttery that a friend recommended. Mostly, he was very good, though multiple lollipops helped more than did the TV at the station. He was frightened by the razor even though the woman was very slow to introduce it, and tried to accustom him to it before she began. She cut off quite a bit of hair–almost an inch all around–and sent us home with an envelop filled with red-brown-gold curls. His hair still has some curl to it, and he still looks like my little boy to me, so I think it was all to the good.
With his sibling due in less than two months, it was also time for him to move out of his crib. We have been extraordinarily fortunate both that Drake has become a good sleeper and that he slept well in his crib. As far as I know, he never tried to climb out of it. I checked out children’s beds at Ikea, but chose a simple futon for a very good price at a local store, instead. It’s a twin bed that folds up to a chair, so it can be useful for years even if we end up getting him a different bed later, plus it’s low enough to the ground, even on the frame, that should he fall, it will be startling, but not painful. We assembled the frame first and left it in his room, then added the futon and the sheets. For a few naps and nights, we asked if he wanted to sleep in the crib or his big-boy bed. The first few times he chose the crib, but ever after he chose the bed decisively and would hop off my husband’s or my lap and charge straight for the bed and get in. We left the crib in the room for a while, then began to ask him if it was OK if we took it apart and put it away. He said yes, then no, then yes several times in a row, so we took the crib down yesterday. As with most milestones, he hardly seemed to notice. His sleeping patterns haven’t changed; he is still sleeping well. Some of this I credit to our routine and the set up of his room. In the afternoon, we have lunch, short playtime, books, then nap. At night we have dinner, short playtime, bath, books, and bed. The times vary, and sometimes we skip some of the steps like playtime or bath, but the general order remains the same so he knows what to expect. The toys he has in his room are mostly his bedtime friends, and the books are all ones that we read prior to sleep, so he associates his room with sleep, not with play.
My “baby” now has a haircut and his own bed. I suppose he’ll be asking for the car keys next.