The Amazing Madness of Motherhood: Violet's 3!

Violet turned 3 yesterday. I know I say this at every kid's birthday, but I really can't believe it.

We celebrated with our friends and family Friday night at Chick-fil-a. It was a little crazy, but what fun party isn't a little crazy? All of Vi's little friends and her cousins came, and we overflowed out of our designated party area. The kids had fun, ate nuggets, cake, ice cream, and enjoyed a visit from the cow. Well, some of them enjoyed the cow. Others, including the birthday girl, could have gone without him. Ha!

I was really overwhelmed by the amount of love people showed us. I was stressed out because lots of things about the party didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked, but Violet had a blast and that's all that mattered. She wracked up on all things Peppa Pig, Sofia the First, and Frozen... all of which were on her list. She also received several crafty items that she loved.

And, just in case you're wondering, Wal-Mart is the only place in Gainesville that makes a Sofia the First cake.

On Sunday, the actual BIRTH DAY, Violet proved that she really is a big girl by climbing out of her crib. This was a first. I guess it had to happen sometime. I really can't believe it took this long. Both of the boys were out of the cribs and into big beds by the time they were two. Violet had just never tried to climb out, even though she constantly climbed and jumped on everything else. She even climbed into her crib most nights.

She was very cranky that afternoon and I decided she needed a nap. I put her down, closed the door, and about 5 minutes later heard the door to her room creak open. And then she waltzed into the room and said, "I got out". Ha ha!

So, on Violet's 3rd birthday, we converted her crib into a toddler bed. I cried a little. She's growing up so fast. The tears might have also been tears of dread...I was not looking forward to her first night in this new bed. With free reign, I didn't know how bed time was going to go. But, she surprised me. We read our stories, and then before bed we talked about how important it is that she stay in bed until morning. She knows that if she needs me, she can call and I'll hear her over the monitor. She said she understood, but I had my doubts. Jordan used to take hours to fall asleep, every single night. But Violet went right to sleep and stayed there all night. I just put her down tonight and she didn't get up either. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My girl does love her sleep, but I'm still in disbelief that she hasn't gotten out. I'm knocking on wood right now.

This was Sunday afternoon, right after we converted the crib. She's still using her "baby bedding". I had planned to make a big deal and take her shopping for new bed clothes when it was time to make this transition, but it happened so suddenly! A shopping trip has been planned for later in the week. She wants a Sofia the First bed spread. Of course, my feelings about character bedspreads mirror my feelings about character shoes. I guess I'll just have to deal.