New Year Resolution Update

Well we aren't even out of January and I am thrilled to report the girls are sleeping in their own beds!!!

A couple of weeks ago I was home alone with them and I made the decision to go cold turkey, hard core, mean mom on them.  Normally we would go through this exaggerated routine; bath, snack, books, songs, then laying with them until they fell asleep.  Yes you heard me for the past 8 months either Dart or I would get in bed with them until they fell asleep.  Sometimes it would take more than an hour.  Sometimes we fell asleep with them!  In the beginning it was to transition Macy who was accustomed to the Chinese way of sleeping family style and to foster good attachment.  After a while it was just the path of least resistance.  I'm not proud of that but when you have five kids including a newly adopted child,  you do what you have to do to make it through the day (or night).

But is had to end.

Not sure why but that night was THE night.  I told the girls all evening about what we were going to do.  "Mommy is going to tuck you in, kiss you good night and leave.  You are big girls who can sleep all by yourselves".  In theory they were all for being big girls, in practice they screamed and cried like they were being tortured.  I expected this.  My girls were four years old and I was doing infant sleep training.  It's not like I haven't been around that block before, so I got out some headphones, plugged them into my ipod,  poured myself a glass of wine and simply waited them out.

It actually didn't take them very long, maybe 35 or 40 minutes (I was dug in for MUCH worse).  I went in to reassure them that I was still there maybe two or three times and then shock of shocks, it was quiet.  They were asleep.  The next morning they were both beaming with pride about sleeping in their big girl beds. Then even better, the next night there was NO crying at all.

Two weeks later we are in a wonderful routine.  The girls have bath time followed by a snack and potty time and then we go up to bed.  I tuck them in, kiss them goodnight and shut the door. They are generally in bed by 7:30 and asleep by 7:45.  It's absolutely amazing!  And now that we are though this I remember how important it is to have kids go to bed easily and at a decent hour. We have our lives back!

I'm off to a great start with the 2011 goals and feeling pretty darned proud of myself.  Who knows, I might get into those size 4 jeans after all...nawh.