When your child turns 1, a lot of people seem to think your child is all grown up. I didn’t quite see Cora as all grown up by any means. She was still my baby with a diaper butt and a binky in that chubby hand. She turned two and I remember rocking her to sleep that birthday night thinking, it will all be very different soon. I knew that soon she really would start growing up on me. It took her until these past couple of weeks but man, my baby is gone and a full toddler is in front of me.
First it was my husband removing the rocking chair in her room. We had to take it out to get the carpets cleaned and my husband thought we might just go ahead and leave it out. No more rocking my baby, while reading books before bed. I cried because I didn’t know the previous night was our last night to rock. It hurt me more than her because she was excited to have a new reading nook with her own little chair.
At 14 months Cora started showing signs of potty training and we bought the potty, bribed with stickers and pretty much left it at that. Some days she would be great all day and other days she would stick to her diaper. We didn’t push. Then a few weeks ago she decided panties were cool and diapers were not. She is now potty trained aside from wearing a diaper at night, although those have been dry the past few nights so we might be done with that. The changing pad and diaper pail was moved to storage, creating more space in her room.
Remember the great big girl bed fail? The weekend she decided she was done with diapers was the same weekend she asked for her big girl bed back. (It is still her crib but with a toddler railing on the side that opens.) Aside from falling out of it on a daily basis, we are having total success with it. But seriously, this kid flips every which way allllll night long.
Just like that her room is changing from the nursery to a toddler’s room. The last of the baby items are being tucked away and the house is filling with toddler everything. It is bittersweet moment and seems to be happening all at once. At the same time I can’t help but think, yep, we made it through that baby stage. Whew!
Through My Mistakes 
Oh man. This made my heart feel for the feels that you’re feeling. Did I say “feel” enough? lol. Removing the rocking chair from the room is such a big moment. All of those hours spent in it during one of the biggest moments of your life. So many memories connected to one physical item. We ended up going with a leather recliner style chair, figuring that once we are no longer cuddling H before bed, he can sit on it and read books as he gets bigger, and then, if it lasts until he’s a teenager, it can be a chill out chair. I know deep down in my mama heart that I will cry too the day the chair is no longer used by me.
I wish H would have some of the head strong-ness that Cora has and dictates things like underwear and whatnot. It must make things a little easier for you guys knowing that you don’t have a battle on your hands. I know for potty training there will be a LOT of tears at our end. Totally dreading it!
The rocking chair is suuuuuch a weird thing to be attached to. One of those that you just don’t quite “get it” until you have a baby. We bought a recliner type as well but her room is really too small for it or trust me, I would have done the same as you, and left it in her room!!
I will say potty training has been a breeze and I say that knowing that is not the norm. Her little boyfriend at daycare turned 3 back in Feb and he fought it until two weeks ago. He decided since Cora was doing it, he would too. My nephew holds his pee until someone will put a diaper back on him, causing bladder infections for holding it so long. Stubborn boys!
Oh, this made me smile. Yes, they do grow up so quickly!! Some days it’s almost like they change over night!
So, we bought a cheap used rocker for in Little MPB’s room. We sold it a few months ago because we never used the thing! I suspect we never used it because because it was uncomfortable (I got what I paid for) and because Little MPB just went to sleep without rocking. I was happy to see it go, but clearly I had no attachment to it.