I've got a feeling. Or the parents should be smarter than the baby crib.

All the moms out there will know what I'm talking about.  I had a feeling.  A feeling that Madeline was going to figure out how to pull up in her crib tonight and flip out over the side because it still isn't lowered.

Because of this feeling, I decided that we should lower the crib after dinner.  With 20 minutes til bedtime we take out the mattress and Ryan gets to work.  Since I was hastily induced, my dad raised the crib for us while we were in the hospital.  Therefore, the last time we messed with this crib was about two years ago.  So we have no idea what we're doing.

But it shouldn't be hard to lower a crib, right?  RIGHT? 

Well guess what?  It is.  Bedtime was looming and a cranky nine month hold sitting on the floor isn't making the situation any better either.  Finally there is a wrench...or ratchet, something that speeds up the process of loosening all of the screws around the springs.  We lower it down and........nothing.  Apparently there must be another step. 

When I first got a feeling, I contacted Dutailier's customer service because at some point in the last 3.25 years we misplaced the instructions.  A lovely French Canadian emailed me a PDF file with directions on how to assemble the crib in English and French.  Lovely.  They literally are directions on how to assemble the crib, the directions to lower the crib aren't included.  Fabulous.

I have to note that through every step of this Ellie is laying on the floor on her back right next to Ryan.  She is the assistant and offering to help every step of the way.  Ellie collects screws and bolts putting them in sandwich bags.  She runs tools back and forth and is involved with the entire process.  Ellie also gets to stay up an hour past her bedtime tonight.

Finally I get another feeling.  I feel that really the entire little bracket thingy {the technical term, of course} is supposed to come off leaving the mattress spring directly on the wood frame.  Ryan isn't convinced.  He asks me how, if I have never taken part in assembling or taking down this crib before, I could be so sure that I have the answer. 

But I do.  Because I'm the one always taking out the mattress when the crib sheets need to be changed. 

Four more bolts later Ellie and I throw on the crib skirt, put the mattress back in with fresh clean sheets and tie on the bumpers {after heavily weighing the pros and cons of bumpers, we feel it is more beneficial for Madeline's paci's to stay in the crib and her to not get a concussion with bumpers on versus the alternative}.

At 8:50 pm Madeline finally gets to pass out in her crib.  Only a tad shy of TWO HOURS late.  But my girl hardly fussed at all, she was a total rock star.  Ellie was out by 8:55 forgoing the usually bedtime routine of Lama Lama Red Pajama, prayers and family hugs.

So there you have it.  We {eventually} persevered.

Now I have a feeling that Madeline probably won't figure out how to pull up in her crib for a while because it's a little more tricky now that it's lowered.

But she can stand up holding on!