Happy Father's Day!

Dear Daddy,
It is very hard for me to tell you how much you mean to me and how lucky I am that you are my daddy. As you know, I am not one for talking very much....but I did learn to sign "I love you" just a few weeks ago!

You are an amazing and wonderful daddy. Mommy says you are the best daddy she could have picked to be my daddy. You love me exactly as I am and I know that. You can see the pure joy on my face when you talk to me and let me eat your face. And I love signing your name, "Daddy, daddy, daddy" a million times when you are at work. Like today. Today is daddy's day and you should have the day off. But because you love me so much you go to work to make money so you can buy me things like my special bed you just put together. Mommy says she is amazed at how caring, compassionate, and patient you are with me at 4 in the morning when I have been screaming my head off all night. You always do what is best for me, even when you are really tired.

One thing that mommy says is so amazing is the way that you let me just be a little girl. You hang up pie dishes so I can crash into them with my walker. And you don't even mind when you are trying to have privacy in the bathroom and you hear me chuckling around the corner about to crash open the door. You take me to the water park or beach and let me play by myself. It would be easy to baby a child like me, but you know I am not a baby anymore. I am a big girl, ready for my own adventures!

To demonstrate some of what you have been busy with. And some of what it means to be my daddy, I have included some pictures/the story of my bed below. This is just one piece of taking care of me lately but it shows how much thought and time you put in to making sure I have what I need.

I love you daddy.

Love,

Your Zoe

The Problem:
Zoe was getting too big for her infant crib but a traditional older child's bed on the floor would not work. Even if we put rails on a typical bed, we would still have to bend over to pick Zoe up and chances are, Zoe is going to need assistance in and out of bed for a long time.

The Research:
Do you have any idea how much special needs beds cost!!!! And they are huge! So Genevieve found an IKEA loft bed (bunk beds were too high for us to reach Zoe easily without standing on a stool) that wasn't too high and can later be flipped to make a bed closer to the floor when Zoe is able to get herself in and out of bed. Gavin needed a little convincing that it might work but he soon was on board. Grandma came for a visit in the later planning phase and lent her woodworking expertise.

The Plan:
Buy an IKEA child's loft bed and add a wooden rail that can be secured when Zoe is in the bed and easily out of the way when we want to get Zoe out. Gavin designed a rail on hinges so it can be swung down and out of the way.

The Construction Crew:

Gavin putting the finishing touches on the latch that keeps the railing up and secure. You can see how the bed (the blue part) is just under Gavin's armpit height which makes it better for our backs when lifting Zoe in and out. No more bending over.

The Boss:

Zoe inspecting the wood and giving her opinion as the project progressed.

The Decorating Department:

We have been searching for a sheet sleep sack for Zoe. We use a heavy one in winter and find that Zoe settles down more when contained in the sack. The cheapest we could find were ridiculous so we have held off getting anything. Grandad gave Zoe some money for a sheet set for her big girl bed and we didn't realize it came with a perfect sleep sack! Forget the big sheet it came with, the pillow case works just fine for Zoe.

The Finished Product:

The bed with the railing swung downward. Notice the great amount of space under the bed for storage or a fort. Zoe was walking underneath in her walker and wasn't quite sure what to make of it yet.

The bed with railing up and secured. It is high enough to keep Zoe safe for now. In the future we can make it higher or if Zoe is able to get around more on her own, we can flip the bed so it would be on the floor.

Final Comments:

That is our solution to having a child with very low muscle tone who needs complete physical support but who we are trying to make life as typical as possible for. The whole bed, extra wood, mattress, etc was more in our price range than a special bed. Plus, what kid wouldn't love a loft bed with a fort underneath? Her mattress is so comfortable I am tempted to sleep up there myself!