Bunk Bed Blues

Monday night was Rankin’s last night in his crib. I really hadn’t thought about it being one of his “last” baby moments until now.

Since we moved to the ranch, Wavy and Rankin have been sharing a room, which meant Rankin slept in his crib and Wavy avoided her bed and slept in ours.  I have always loved laying Rankin down in his crib. Since he was born, he has had this cute way of nestling into his pillow with a sweet, content grin on his face.

However - long story short - we were gifted Mike’s childhood bunk bed a few months ago and randomly decided to set it up Monday evening. (Shout out to Uncle Brad.) And while this seemed like a fun idea, because who doesn’t love redecorating bedrooms and laying out new bedding, it hadn’t occurred to me that the bunk bed and crib wouldn’t both fit.

So down came the crib.

Tonight, it feels like a monumental change in our life. Don’t get me wrong, I do not want anymore babies, but the idea of my baby not being a baby anymore is slightly breaking my heart. (It’s also slightly inconvenient because now I am laying with Rankin on the bottom bunk until he falls asleep… and then again when he wakes up in the middle of the night. And of course. Waverley is still in our bed, but I digress…) It’s a “last,” that I hadn’t prepared for. I don’t know why silly little things like the last bottle or last night with a paci hit me so hard, but those little milestones stick with me. I love watching my babies grow, but somedays it just hits a little harder how quickly it goes by.

Wavy and Rankin both used that crib, I would say they both slept in it, but Wavy never slept much - she did chew on the top rail quite a bit, though, so it’s covered in tiny teeth marks.  That crib marked two very different chapters in our lives. With Wavy it was hundreds of sleepless nights, and with Rankin it was a sense of peace.  He definitely was not planned, but God knew he was exactly what we all needed - especially Wavy.  He completed our family and is the calm to Waverley’s storm.

Now this bunk bed marks a new chapter - one of a toddler, a preschooler, and of course a teenager who thinks she is grown. And I know that one day not too far from now, taking down this bunk bed will break my heart, too. So, tonight I’ll lay here a little longer, sneak in an extra kiss, and be thankful I get to experience each and every “last” moment with these babies.