CrazedPhotoMom

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New Year's Eve 2006 - it was a wonderful night. We had friends over to play cards and hang out as we awaited the new year. When it was time for the kids to go to bed, our friends commented on how quickly and easily our kids went to bed. Not realizing what lie ahead, we laughed and said we were lucky. But not long after putting Nate into his big boy bed in his room (like we'd done for the 6 months prior to that), he started screaming and crying. We thought it was odd so we let him come out and crash on the couch. If I knew then what I know now, that would've never happened. That night started a year and a half of Nate sleeping with us. We'd let him fall asleep on the couch and around 10:30-11pm, he'd rouse long enough to come into our room and sleep with us.

Since that time, we've tried several times to get Nathaniel to sleep in his own bed. Each and every time resulted in hysterical screaming and crying. We'd last no more than an hour before we'd cave and let him come out to the couch, always telling each other that there would be a time where he wouldn't sleep with us.

When we visited the developmental pediatrician recently, the only problem we brought up with the ped was Nate's sleeping habits. We knew it was our fault but we wanted advice on how to fix it. He gave us a technical description of what it was and he told us how to fix it: put him in his room and no matter how much screaming and crying ensued, DO NOT give in and let him sleep on the couch/with us. He said that he would be in no physical danger so it wasn't going to kill him to scream/cry. He told us that the most important thing was to not let him sleep in the next day. If he screamed and cried until 2am, oh well...he needed to be up at 6am (his normal waking time). The ped said he'd definitely be tired but to not let him nap and put him to bed at his normal bedtime. He said that given Nate was a bit older than the typical kid who has these problems, it should only take him a few nights to adjust to the changes.

Nate has always been very easy going with other changes in his routine, so we were hoping for the best. Originally, we had planned the transition to his big boy bed during the week of his spring vacation (which starts on Monday the 21st. But alas, I got my dates mixed up and thought spring break was THIS week. So last week, we spent most of the week telling Nate that on Friday, he'd be sleeping in his big boy bed, just like the girls slept in their big girl beds. I spent 2 days last week cleaning everything out of his room (we'd been using it as storage since he wasn't using it) and getting everything set up. I put his truck sheets on his car bed and rounded up Woody and Jessie and put them on his bed.

When I first mentioned him sleeping in his big boy bed, he'd give an adament "NO!" By Wednesday/Thursday, he wasn't saying no but he wasn't really acknowledging it at all!

The moment of truth came Friday at 8pm. We told him it was time for bed in his big boy bed and we walked him to his room. In the times previous, he would've been crying before we ever made it down the hall, so we were surprised that he climbed right up in bed without so much as a sniffle. We gave him kisses and left his door open. Joe and I went to the living room and waited. Waited for him to come out crying, asking to sleep on the couch. Around 8:30, we heard him in the bathroom. No big deal...when we got up to check on him, he was standing in the hallway and said "couch, please". Joe told him that he was doing great in his big boy bed and ushered him back into his room. I thought that would be the start of the crying. Nope, not one tear was shed. We checked on him at 9pm and he was sleeping. We were shocked and thought it was a fluke.

At 9:45, Joe and I were downstairs cleaning up and we heard the pitter patter of little feet. I headed up the stairs and met him at the top step. He wasn't crying but his eyes were glassy with tears. I told him he was doing great in his big boy bed and I took him back to his room. I gave him a kiss and tucked him back in. When I walked to the kitchen, I coughed and shortly after that I heard wimpering and Nate saying something. So I went back to his room and I hear a very teary voice "you okay momma?" He's been asking that for a few weeks now whenever someone coughs. :) I told him I was fine and he went back to sleep.

Joe and I went to bed around midnight and at 10 minutes after, I heard Nate getting out of bed. I met him in the hallway and again told him he was doing great and ushered him back to his bed. He slept the rest of the night without coming into our room.

We still weren't convinced that it was going to be that easy and we prepared ourselves for the next night. But it was unwarranted. He hasn't gotten out of bed since that first night and there hasn't been any screaming or crying at all.

We're SO proud of him! And boy is it nice to have the bed back!! :)

Here are a couple of shots of our big boy!