Take Care of My Crib

Yesterday we took down our crib for the last time. I cried the whole time. It's going to a good home where it will be put to good use. But the problem is, see, it's not in my home...with one of my babies in it. And that's hard. But it's time.

To the couple putting their baby to sleep in that crib, take care of it. I know it may not look brand-spanking new, but it's been well used, loved, and taken care of. Let me tell you about its history.

It's 13 years old. We excitedly got it when we found out we were expecting our first child. We really couldn't afford it at the time--it was a pretty high-end purchase for us--but we wanted our babies to have a top-of-the-line bed. Sometimes I would go into the nursery and just stare at it before Maddie was born. I'd arrange and rearrange the blanket and stuffed animals awaiting her arrival. Now we're filling out high school registrations for her.

When she decided to escape one day, we converted it to the daybed, which she also bucked. We dismantled it and put it in storage for the next time.

When Alex came along, he didn't spend much time in it the first year. He was sick, you see, so he stayed in our room most of the time. But in time, he also made his way into the crib, where he treated the mattress like a trampoline. But don't worry, we fixed the springs he detached in the process, so it's fine now.

Then there was Riley. If you see the teethmarks on the side of the bed, that would be from her. Her height was just at that level and she used to chew on it when she woke up before we got her out. Never crying, never yelling, just standing there chewing when we'd walk in.

And finally came Kacey. Thanks to this damn disease, I knew she would be my last. Not by choice. In fact, I was already pushing the limits of my MS by foregoing treatment so I could have both her and Riley. My brain and body knew it was time. My heart still doesn't.

It was while I was out of town that I found out she had left her crib for a big-girl bed, never to return again. I'm not taking it well. So yesterday when I dismantled the crib and loaded it up to be delivered to you, I was closing a door I wasn't ready to close yet. But I send it to you with love and hopes that years from now, you, too, will be able to remember all the times you laid your baby to sleep in that crib. I know I do.