She Napped!

Saturday
Cassidy napped in her big girl bed today!  She went to sleep all on her own within the first 15 minutes of my leaving the room!

She also asked not to wear a diaper for nap time.  I agreed.

She woke up at 1.5 hours on the dot (we could seriously set a clock by her).

Unfortunately she woke up crying hysterically because she had pooed and peed in her underwear.... in her bed (I think while she was sleeping because even her shirt was wet like she was laying down when it happened.)

Oh well ... at least her new flat sheets had been delivered earlier this week and I had just bought some new pillowcases for her today so we had bedding to put on after stripping the bed down.

Sunday
Another successful nap day!  And clean and dry without diapers too!  Yeah Cassidy!

Cassidy's Cooperation Board

We've started using some rewards for good behavior around here.  Cassidy's been challenging us and testing her boundaries more and more lately.  So Cassidy and I created her cooperation board together (complete with glitter which is everywhere) and hung it up in her room.  When we find her to be especially cooperative or helpful at something, she gets a sticker which she puts up on the board in one of the numbered boxes.  When she gets her fifth sticker, she gets to choose a prize from the prize basket! 

After the first five stickers and prize, she caught on.  Now she counts the boxes she still needs to put a sticker in, and gets SO excited when we say she's done really well at something and gets a sticker!  She'll run and tell the world "I did a supergreatjob (all one word)!" 

It's a fine line we're walking here, between rewards for good behavior and bribing her for the behavior we want.  We are sure never to tell her she'll get a sticker if she cooperates, and only give the stickers for really great cooperation completely initiated by her.  We've had some tears when she thought she would get a prize and didn't, and some tears when she wanted a sticker but didn't earn one.  Overall though, I think this is really working well.  She seems to be grasping the concept of working towards a goal and testing us less.

So Far, So Good

So far, the big girl bed is a success! 

Night 1:  Cassidy had some trouble falling asleep and needed Daddy to come in and sit with her for a bit.  But after she settled down, Daddy left and she went to sleep on her own.  She slept from around 8:30 until 5am, when she was crying at her bedroom door.  I helped her settle back into bed and she willingly went back to sleep on her own until 6:45 when we started our day!

Day 1 Nap:  Didn't happen.  We missed the napping window (later than 2:30 and she'll skip her nap altogether) and she powernapped for 10 minutes in the car on the way home from volleyball and city park.  This girl should have been EXHAUSTED!  But she woke up when we got home and tried to put her into bed.  She read books, called for help going poo-poo, played, and read more books with daddy.  But she didn't sleep.

Night 2:  With no nap, our tired girl fell asleep with Daddy talking to her about her day.  She slept from 8 until 1am, when she woke me up calling me from her bed.  I helped her settle back into bed and she slept until 7:45 this morning when we woke up to her talking to the cat over the babygate in her doorway!

Day 2 Nap:  Didn't happen.  We tried from 1:45 until 4 with no success.  We read stories. We left her in her room to settle in herself.  We read more stories.  We listened to lullebyes.  Didn't happen.

But, on a happy note:  Cassidy asked to nap without a diaper.  Shortly after Daddy left her in her room for nap time, she was at the babygate calling for help with poo-poo.  She had gotten out of bed and used the potty in her room to go poo in!  YEAH Big Girl!

Night 3:  She slept from 8 until 2am, when I helped her settle back into bed.  Then she slept until 6:15!

Night 4:  She slept ALL NIGHT until 6:15 which I hope is NOT her new wake up time.  (she used to sleep until 7 or 7:30).

Big Girl Bed!

Our girl is growing up. 

We moved from crib to toddler bed today! 

 We've waited this long because with Cassidy as small as she is and sleeping in a sleep sack everynight, she hasn't shown any interest in climbing out of her crib.  We were planning to make the transition after our vacation anyway, but while we were in Gulf Shores, Cassidy convinced us it was time... she unzipped and took off  her sleepsack each morning, and then climbed out of her pack and play to sit on the twin bed next to it one morning!

We've been talking up the "Big Girl Bed" all week long.  Cassidy was VERY excited about her "Big Girl Bed" when she came home from school today!  She played in her room and on her bed while Jeff made dinner and practiced pulling up the blankets all by herself.

 Tonight is our first night so we'll see how it goes.

Vacation Week: Gulf Shores, June 2011