say hello to the big girl bed

It all started two nights ago, when Britton told me she wanted a bigger bed. She's still in her crib, mostly because my sister said that if you don't move a kid into a bed too early, they don't have as many issues (getting up 500 times a night, screaming, refusing to actually get in said bed, you get the gist). And she likes the crib and hasn't had any problems with it, so why mess with a good thing? Well, we were brewing about her desire for a bigger bed, then during nap time yesterday she actually climbed out of her crib by herself. I looked at the monitor, saw her wandering around her room, and ran outside to show the hub, who was cutting the grass. He said, "Guess it's time to get a bed."

 So we spent last night checking out the internet to see what was out there. We decided to just go ahead and get an actual bed instead of a mattress on the floor, so it would feel more like a crib. But that of course means we needed side rails. And since we don't know how a bed will fit in Britton's room (we may have to move furniture around depending on how far it sticks out into the room), we didn't know if the bed would be against a wall, so we went ahead and just got the double rail. Here's the bed we decided on - the "Catalina Bed" from Pottery Barn Kids. We got it in "Simply White," and I didn't even notice that there were options of "White" and "Simply White" until after I ordered it. Turns out that "Simply White" is white and "White" is cream. Ridiculous, I know. But I got the right color because Britton's dresser is white. We got a twin size so it wouldn't take up her entire room. Here is the bed...

And a bed needs a bedspread, but dang it all I couldn't find a set I just LOVED. So I checked out Pottery Barn Kids quilts and decided on the "Sasha Quilt," after checking Target, JC Penney, The Company Store Kids, One Step Ahead, and Overstock and not being blown away. I guess I could have made a quilt, but not in a week! And Memaw made Britton a quilt for her bed, but it fits a toddler bed and not a twin, so it will sit at the end of Britton's bed.

I asked Britton what color sheets she wants, and she said purple. It seemed odd, since she gravitates towards pink, but I figured she knew what she wanted. The quilt is also the only one I found that incorporates purple, pink, and green. Her curtains are pink gingham and her walls are green, and I was not going to redo her entire room to accommodate purple! Truthfully, the hub and I have a weak spot for Pottery Barn sheets, as they are the softest ever, and hold up after hundreds of washings (and get softer after each wash). I checked the prices, and the sheet set we got was the same price as a comparable set at Target! So we went with what we know, and I hope Britton loves them too. They are "Garden Party," and include a lovely shade of lavender.

Last, but not least, the bed rails! I didn't want to spend $100 on the Pottery Barn Kids rails, because I don't really care if they match her bed finish or not. However, I didn't think that the best-reviewed rails would mean I'd be choosing between pink or blue! We went with pink, and I really hope they hold up as well as the reviews said. We ordered them from Wal-Mart.

Everything is set to arrive by the end of the week (yes, the UPS guy is going to hate us!) so we're taking Britton mattress shopping next Saturday. We're also crossing our fingers that by involving her in the mattress shopping and the assembly of the bed and linens that she'll get excited about her new bed. Because ya'll know I'm not going to be a happy camper if Britton gets up 500 times during the night! Next thing to buy...

For all the outside doors, because Britton knows how unlock our doors!