Mr. Independent

Tucker is my most independent child. Here he is barely 14 months old and he is sleeping in a big boy bed-- earlier than either of the other kids. We put up bunk beds in the boys room because I was tired of them taking up room and didn't want to wait until Christmas to put them up as planned. I figured that we would keep Tucker in his crib for awhile longer, but at least this way I was not trying to store the bunk beds. The first night they were up, I put Tucker on the bottom one while I was taking care of Hallie's bed time routine (not a quick thing). When I came back to check on him, he had fallen asleep. I was a little hesitant to let him sleep there, but decided that I would see how it goes. He has slept there ever since. We took down the crib the other day. He can get in and out by himself, and he will usually get out 2-3 times before finally settling down and going to sleep. Last night, I found him at the top of the stairs and as I headed up to put him back in bed, he turned and ran back to bed and was scurrying to get in, when I caught up to him. Darn-- he got caught. I can't believe how easy the transition has been, though. Carson would play in his room for hours with the door shut before finally falling asleep on the floor. He even slept in a tent for a few months. Not Tucker. It has been way too easy.

And speaking of easy, Tucker LOVES to shower. And I am not talking about liking it or enjoying it. He is having a love affair with the shower. He begs, cries and pleads to get in the shower multiple times a day. This morning, Derrick was showering and wouldn't let Tucker get in with him. You would have thought the world was coming to an end. He sobbed his little guts out. And he wouldn't stop until after Derrick had gotten out and started the water again so that Tucker could get in by himself. He just stands and plays in the water. Goofy kid! The other day, Carson turned the water on so that it would warm up while he took his clothes off. He didn't shut the door all of the way and the next thing I knew, Tucker was in there-- clothes and all. He would gladly shower with every family member and then a few times by himself if I let him. If I want to shower by myself, I have to wait until he is down for a nap. He is a funny kid. He makes me laugh every day, which I desperately need righ now.