Be careful what you wish for
cause you just might get it all
you just might get it all
and then some you don’t want
Daughtry
Today was a wonderfully peaceful day for me. Nik slept through the night —second night in a row —and I awoke feeling rested and refreshed. No special plans today; Niksdad ended up having tons of studying to do for school so we opted to stick close to home. I had a leisurely start to the day and went to work out while Nik and Daddy went to the park. I even managed to get out to a matinee all by myself. God bless Niksdad!
The movie was wonderful —bittersweet with no chance of a happy ending as it is loosely based on presumed history. None the less, it was a couple of hours of delightful entertainment which tugged at my heartstrings. I had a good time. Niksdad? Not such a good time.
I called home after the movie to find out if Nik had slept. “Oh, no,” Niksdad said in a cryptic tone. “Um, OK, did he poop and you’re cleaning up after Poocasso?” “Nope.” “Everything OK?” “I’ll tell you about it when you get home,” he replied in that odd tone that said no one was hurt but something serious had transpired in my absence. Breaking a few local speed laws, I made it home to find my son playing happily in the family room; his father sat at the dining room table with a worn, weary expression on his face. In the moment our eyes met and he started to laugh quietly, I knew exactly what had happened.
“I put Nik down for his nap and was in the loft studying. He was really quiet for a while,” he told me. “After about 45 minutes, I thought I heard what sounded like the armoire door opening and closing; I went to investigate.” My jaw dropped in disbelief. “I opened the door and saw this little body come walking toward me in the dark. I looked in the crib; sure enough, Nik was not there!”
“Um, honey, if a small body was walking toward you in the dark, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t one of the cats or any of Nik’s stuffed animals,” I said in that tone one reserves for people who are in a deep state of shock. Clearly, Niksdad was a tad traumatized by the events of the preceding hours. “Any idea how he did it,” I asked. “I mean, you didn’t hear the thump or anything?” Niksdad wearily shook his head. “I was dumbfounded,” he sighed. “I put him back in and went to get the net from his closet. If I hadn’t turned around when I did, I would have missed the second time, too.”
Apparently, my son —whom one doctor once described as having “diminished mental capacity,” and who cannot talk and does not eat but is rapidly perfecting his new skill of walking —cogitated, analyzed, visualized and what-have-you his way to figuring out how to get out of his crib without making a sound. That’s right —my stealthy monkey figured out a masterful bit of advanced motor planning which would make Miss D exceedingly proud. But I’ll let Niksdad tell the rest.
“The whole thing took maybe a full minute. He threw one leg over the side and then, somehow, hoisted himself up so he was actually sitting on the rail.” “You mean, both legs dangling over one side?” I asked incredulously. “No, more like he was straddling a fence. But what amazed me was the balance; he wasn’t wobbly at all and it wasn’t like he was clinging with his legs very much at all—like he’s done it a few times.” Uh-oh. “Then he held on, swung his other leg over so he was facing the crib and shinnied down to the floor. Never made a sound.”
I know it’s not a very loving and wifely sentiment, but damn I’m glad Nik did this on his daddy’s watch and not mine! Whew! We both kind of knew it was coming but thought we might have a little while longer before Nik made the cognitive leap to realize he already has the physical skill to get out of the crib.
It’s amazing to me this incredible spurt that Nik seems to be going through. In the past few weeks he’s just made amazing progress in so many areas. More on that in another post. I’m going to go pour myself a big glass of wine and recover from the shock…
More of a bounce than a leap, I’ll be bound!
My daughter escaped from her crib at about 9 months. By the time we moved here, she was 16 months old and her brother was due any minute [would need the crib] So we put her straight into a double bed [only other bed free at the time] as we couldn’t keep her in anywhere anyway.
When her brother arrived she would nip out of the double bed into the baby’s nursery and clamber into the crib.
17 months later, she’d help her little brother clambour into the new baby’s crib – the nesting instinct is a strong one around here.
Wishing you the best of luck with your next campaign, [whatever that turns out to be?]
Hmmm. You said you had a net? I think it’s time for plan B. My son never did figure out how to climb out of his crib, but at two, he was too tall. We didn’t actually know he was too tall, until he toppled out heels over head and broke his wrist.
Anyway, trust me. Time for plan B.
And, yes, within this story are some amazing feats of accomplishment!! Hooray for Nik?!?!
YOU GO, NIK!
Niksmom and Niksdad, you have officially started the next chapter. I can’t wait to see what comes next! 🙂
Leaps and bounds. You know…Superman leaps over tall buildings!
Your little man is just showing you all that there is no holding him back!
Scary for mom and dad, but WOO HOO for Nik! My own little monkey mastered this very same feat this week…thankfully he has four siblings looking out for him and just waiting to tattle the second he escapes!
Touble. [shaking head] Trouble.
I always dread the able-to-get-out-of-the-crib independence. But kudos to the little man for his feat of engineering and balance!
This is exactly the reason why we have never used a crib!! I don’t think I could take the stess of wondering when something would get broken! My kids went straight from the womb to a mattress on the floor. Not that THAT was any less stressful because then I just had to worry about the stairs!
Anyway, I’m cheering for Nik. What an amazing little guy you’ve got.
Wow, I feel wimpy after reading the other comments. We use crib tents, and we love ’em.
Eventually they’ll escape from the crib tents, but I hope they’ll be better at negotiating stairs by then!
OMG. Time for a bed. I have to tell you that was a huge transition for us, but such a great one. We got a twin–not a toddler bed–and after about three or four nights of adjustment, he’s been happily sleeping in it ever since. For half the night. Then our little wanderer comes down to our room for a cuddle and if he’s lucky to displace Daddy. So, my dear, if your life were a book (which it should be), this would clearly be a BRAND NEW CHAPTER. Go Nik!!!
He has mastered the “Great Escape!” there is no holdong him back now! You are in for it. I just would always be afraid of that inevitable “THUMP” and the crying. Noddy was always climbing or falling out of bed. Niles just worked one of his spokes on the “baby bed” out. He came to me one day and said “See. A door”.
By the way, as I am sure you already know, doctors do not know everything.
Ah yes, and the fun begins!
Conor managed to climb onto the top of the dining room table before he was able to walk.
He was climbing out of his crib somewhere around 16-18 months and we had to put him in a toddler bed. Of course, then we had the issue of how to keep him in his ROOM during rest time. I’ll pass this lifesaver to you: turn his doorknob around so that the lock is on the outside. Yes. Lock him in his room. Sounds cruel, yes. But, after we found Conor walking around the house at 3 am and not quite 2, we realized that we’d rather have a locked-in child than an injured (or worse!) one.
Congrats Nik! Sorry for the gray hairs you’ll be causing mom and dad. 🙂
More surprises are just around the corner.
How great for Nik
Not so great for you guys now you have to come up with a new strategy
WOW, fabulous! This is wonderful, wonderful news! It’s the kind of news that (once you’ve had that glass of cab) is so amazing because it’s one that MANY parents of many (non-special-needs) children face every day. I love milestones like that. LOVE them!
🙂 🙂