Sleepy 'Liza

So I mentioned that we installed the toddler bar on Eliza's crib last week, so that she's now in her Big Girl Bed!

This installation has spawned many a disruption to our otherwise peaceful nights and naptimes. Forutunately, I believe we are on the downhill (knock on wood). The last two nights, it only took Eliza one reminder to get back in her bed and go to sleep. YAY!

We were all getting a little bit grumpy.

It kind of felt like when we originially "sleep trained" Eliza back when she was like 4 months old, having to let her cry it out. After one week of consistent, exhausting, hard work, it really started working.

For anyone one who's actually curious, some of the things we had to do to help make this work was to install Eliza's old baby gate on her door frame, so she can open her door and call for us and not just fall asleep behind the closed door on the ground. There were some times in the middle of the night that I would hear her and go check on her and she'd be whimpering to herself in a yoga-like child's pose on our wood floor behind the door. SOooo sad, I know.

We also give her a sippy cup to go to bed with but if we had to remind her to go back to bed more than 3 x's, then we took away her cup (after warning her). But when we go in to check on her a few minutes later and she's still in her bed, she can get it back and we give her lots of praise for staying in her bed.

I also gave her the opportunity to choose which of her stuffed animals or books she wants in her bed with her to make it a little more exciting for her, but I don't think I needed to because she acts like she likes it a lot. I think most of all she likes that it gives her more independence. There's not much Eliza likes more than that! Independence and Ba-ba's (pacifiers).