The little angel's class at the Emerald City has entered a new realm of kid-dom:  the banishment of the cribs.  Yes, Waddler B has hit the big time.

They sent a note home earlier this week asking permission to get rid of the cribs.  Now the little angel and her pint-sized colleagues will be snuggling up on...mats.  Doesn't sound as comfy as a crib, does it?  Still, I won't have to wash her Pack-n-Play-sized sheet every week, and I guess the slight reduction in laundry should be counted as a Major Milestone.  I feel sort of like the Other Parents and we have embarked on a new journey together.  Or else it's another sign of the newest rage:  parent peer-pressure.

Though I signed her permission slip with the heady joy that a parent feels when freeing oneself from yet another baby accessory, I am a little worried about her transition to the mat.  Will she sleep on it?  Will she start skipping naps altogether?  Will the waddlers band together in yet another Baby Mutiny?  Her lead teacher is taking the rest of the month off to travel with her husband, and her favorite teacher, ShaKeiva (or KaSheiva, when I'm drunk), is taking over.  Hopefully ShaKeiva of the Multicolored Cornrows will know just how to handle this new change.  I have faith in her mellow smile and easygoing attitude.

Still, the mat.  I'm not so sure about this one.  What's she going to want next?  A big-kid bed?  My beloved suggested this when he found out about the mats.  I'm still a fan of the Kid Cage and all the freedom it provides.  Hopefully the mat will not mean I next have to buy her a training bra.  Eek.