1. Spend several days and nights trying everything you can think of: bargaining, arguing, listening to her cry, cleaning up puke, and more until you know she is finally exhausted.
2. Decide maybe it's time to switch to a big girl bed! Spend the afternoon talking about it as if it is the most amazing event EVER! Offer to buy a special new toy for getting a big girl bed! Let her pick out new sheets and help you buy rails for the bed!
3. Clean up more puke as soon as you turn the light out. (Turns out that isn't from crying/gagging...it's either on purpose or some serious anxiety)
4. Finally tell her that you'll be right back, leave the door open, and let her dog sleep with her. When you return, she'll be asleep.
In all seriousness, the last week has been rough. She's always gone to bed so well. There were many weeks last summer when she would tell us she was ready for bed at 6:30 and not even let us read a story, just to straight to sleep! I don't say that to brag, just to say that this huge shift has left us dumbfounded. We can only assume it is some sort of fear/anxiety that came up in her travels last week and it something that will pass. Tomorrow night bedtime will be bumped up significantly. I think part of the problem may be that as the days have grown longer we've let bedtime shift more towards 8 or 8:30 and away from 7:30, 8 at the latest and we need to get back to our roots, if you will. I think the open door may be the key so we will see what happens tomorrow night. I'd really prefer there to be no puke. She had nice new yellow sheets she picked out (as you can see from the pillowcase she is sleeping on) but those are in the wash, along with her beloved rainbow blanket that she has not slept with in probably 4 days because every time she gets it back, it winds up with barf on it. Poor rainbow blanket. Fortunately, we have 2 bunnies so we can swap out, although she's definitely catching on since on bunny looks significantly more loved than the other. She'll say "other bunny" whenever she notices the switch, but it never seems to bother her.
Her new toy, Larry the Cucumber (of famed Veggie Tales videos) escaped from being vomited on his first day in the house. He was also removed from her possesion for the rest of the night because he was for being a big girl and going to sleep on her own in her new bed. If she stays in bed all night, she gets to have him back in the morning. It is a little sad - I was hoping getting to sleep in her big girl bed for the first time would be so exciting and not part of a rather dramatic/traumatizing week. But it is a significant milestone all the same. I don't think transitioning in the middle of all of this was good or bad, it just was so at least when she gets back on track, it will be in the new bed.
And yes, as you can see from the photo, she still sleeps with a pacifier. She is only allowed to have it at night and occasionally on long car trips when it should be nap time. We don't think she'll go to college with it so we're not overly worried since our pediatrician isn't overly worried. Yes, it's causing a bit of an overbite;I sucked my thumb til I was 10 so I'm very familiar with those. I'm more concerned with the sleeping issues at this point and potty training, so the paci can stay...for now. But I hear the Paci Fairy is planning a visit later on this year. Who knows what fun toy he/she will bring if Emmy can give up those pacis! :)
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