Hi Mommy

Yesterday the girls demonstrated some new climbing skills. It started off in the morning - I was working on packing some stuff and cleaning out in our room (only a week until the movers come!), and the girls were in and out of our room playing. They were playing in the upstairs den and I could hear them going in and out of their rooms on the baby monitors. They were playing really nicely together! After about an hour, I hear Amanda and Claire just laughing hysterically in their room. So I walk in to see what's so funny and find them both in Amanda's big crib! They were quite proud of themselves for climbing in - and it's probably a good thing I wasn't there to see how they did it!

Later this same day, I got the girls down for naps and a few minutes later I hear Melissa crying. I waited about 5 minutes to see if she'd settle down, but she only got louder - so I went to see why she was upset. There was a bracelet in her pack-n-play (did I mention that Claire and Amanda had also climbed in there earlier that day??!!) and it was upsetting her that it was there while she was supposed to be napping. She did not want to take a nap in there anymore, but asked to go to her big crib. However, Claire was napping in their room in her big crib. Melissa insisted that she only wanted to take a nap in there. I thought it might be okay - by now it had been about 30 minutes since I had put the girls down for naps - surely Claire would be asleep... not! She was sitting up in her bed. When I walked in w/ Melissa I told Claire what I was doing and she said okay, but then stood up and said, "I want to take nap in Sissa Grace's bed." What could that hurt, right? So I told Melissa good night and Claire and I left. Now, if you remember, Claire usually naps in her room in the crib w/ the tent. Amanda usually naps in our room in a pack-n-play. And Melissa usually naps in the guest room in a pack-n-play. So I gave Claire a few instructions... lay down and hug your baby, close your eyes, time to nap. And laid her down to go night-night. She seemed to follow all those instructions, so I closed the door and went back downstairs. Melissa was quiet. Amanda was quiet. Claire was quiet. Meredith was watching her afternoon show and drinking her juice...

"Hi Mommy!" Claire comes walking into the (downstairs) den. What!??!

Claire was supposed to be "napping" upstairs in the guest room. She climbed out of the pack-n-play, opened the door, and came downstairs. All by herself. When I asked her what she was doing, she simply said she wanted to play downstairs with Meredith.

I fear that the end of naptime is near... but they still really need their naps (you would understand if you were here last night!) and generally nap at least 2 hours every afternoon. I want to hold on to those cribs and crib tents as long as possible. Think they'll hold up until the girls are 18?