Jayda and the Big Girl Bed

As much as I resisted for more than a year, mostly for the sake of the cats, my dog now sleeps on my bed. (She used to sleep in a kennel in the living room.) It all started one Friday evening a few weeks ago when I discovered the sliding glass door to my room ajar, and I couldn’t recall having used that door in days. It freaked me out, so I let Jayda sleep with me in case anyone tried to get in.

I started to realize that in order to put up a Christmas tree or add a Pack N Play eventually, I’d have to put at least one chair in storage, thanks to my “cozy” living room. Or, I could let Jayda outgrow her kennel.

Jayda still considers the bed cat territory
and is slightly sheepish every time she hops up.

Long story short, Jayda is now a regular bed sleeper. She wakes up early every morning but quietly goes downstairs and sits on the couch until I’m up. She and the cats call a time-out at bedtime, so everyone sleeps nicely without chasing or swatting. (The other night I actually woke to discover one of the cats sleeping ON her. I think the cat was as surprised as anyone.)

So this weekend the kennel went into the garage and the Christmas tree went up in the living room. It’s nice to not have to look at a giant metal cage anymore, and nice to know that I’ve transitioned the pets into a longer-term sleeping arrangement. Of course, they may decide to move into the second bedroom once a crying infant is next to my bed.