the missing piece

Well, it could have been a lot worse, but it is done. The "Big Girl Bed" is complete! Dadoo got up early Saturday morning and cleared the room out.

Note still-assembled crib, just in case things went awry.

Pal Shawn volunteered/was suckered in to coming over and helping with the heavy lifting and confusing assembly.

How many doofuses does it take ...

We were making pretty good progress ...

Things were going smoothly. Too smoothly.

When the proverbial wrench was dropped into the works (which is impressive, since it's an Ikea bed and you have to supply your own wrench). Turns out we were missing a piece. Not a big piece, but kind of a crucial piece in that it held the part that held two parts that created the side that would hold the kid up in bed.

Now, if you know anything about Ikea, you know that they are not often in the most convenient locations. The "Seattle Ikea" owns the distinction of being not actually in Seattle and being not even convenient to its own parking lot. Anyway, pal Shawn saved us all by, first, stopping me from using gum or wadded up tissue in place of the missing part, and second, by driving me the 30 minutes each way to get the part in question. Yes, we drove an hour for this:

grumblegrumblegrumble

Meanwhile, wife and daughter were waiting patiently at home.

Hmm. Not impressed so far.

We returned and got back to work. Mimi commented that it was nice of us to both wear navy blue t-shirts so we looked like actual Ikea jerks while assembling the bed. Kiddo moved in for a closer look, too.

Please to enjoy my underpants.

Then she moved in for a closer look ... TO THE EXTREME!

"Is that how you're going to do it?"

And then, finally, the pièce de something-or-other ...

She went from looking huge in her crib to practically disappearing in her new bed.

She loves it. In fact, she loves it so much that one of the first things she did was spin herself around so hard that she hurled herself off of the bed and onto the floor.

So we went out and got one of these:

"Oh, I will figure out how to lower this."

It's been interesting so far. We get to have "Super Cozy Snuggle Time" before bed and/or first thing in the morning, and we get to tuck her in before we read books, which is nice. But because she is no longer confined by a crib (the bed rail is just so she doesn't roll out in her sleep), she likes to get up and roam around her bedroom after we think we've tucked her in. Mimi had to talk her back into bed during her nap this afternoon and I listened on the monitor this evening as she got out of bed and restarted her CD player three times. I also took the locking doorknob off her door so she can't lock herself in her bedroom (note to 12-year-old Yuki, "No, you may not put it back") and we are just waiting for her to wander into our bedroom in the middle of the night. That should be ... fun(?).

Anyway, Big Girl Bed is up. Crib is disassembled. Not feeling nearly as philosophical about it as I thought I would. Mostly just surprised at the second, unexpected round of child-proofing we now have to do. Also, recovering from "Ikea Wrist" which, if it is not a recorded malady in some medical journal, it needs to be.

Whee!