The End of an Era...

If you haven't caught on yet, Seth and I have three darling children. And there definitely are NOT plans being made for any more to come. Being out-numbered by three has proved to be plenty, especially since they are so close in age.

Over the last several weeks we have been battling all sorts of illnesses, from pink eye to the flu and I have missed more work this year than ever before. (Luckily, I have a wonderful boss and coworkers who all seem to understand the joys of motherhood.) And the last few weeks have reminded me why I would like to stop at the magic number 3!

This morning, as I was getting the boys' breakfast on the table, I heard Emma Jo begin to cry from her crib. I quickly finished putting jelly on the toast and made the boys' drinks so they could get started eating and then went to get Emma out of bed.

Well, I guess Emma wasn't in a patient mood this morning. This isn't Emma, but what I saw looked similar:

Oh dear! This isn't good! I know I should not have been surprised. Both of our boys started climbing out of their cribs at an early age. (Daniel around 18 months, Mann at 15 months....yeah, 15 months....ridiculous!) But I had hoped Emma Jo would stay in her crib for AT LEAST another 6 months or so.

Now, yes, I know you can make that happen. The crib is already on its lowest setting, but you can buy these things to lengthen the crib life in your home:

But to me, it's too much like putting your child in jail. Emma Jo is 20 months old. In another couple months we are going to start potty-training. I know it is about time, BUT it just made me sad. It's the end of the crib era in our house. No longer will there be a baby crib in our home. We have had one here for almost 5 years! Yes, Daniel is turning 5 this year and will be headed off to Kindergarten in the fall.

Time sure does fly! I am loving my babies while they are little!