HE DID IT!

Well, as most of you know, getting Caleb to sleep in his own bed has been quite the battle over the past 3 years. Well, hopefully we've finally made a breakthrough. Yesterday, Brian and I informed him that he would start sleeping in his own bed by himself. Obviously, this upset Caleb tremendously, and we got the usual "I'll be lonely, and I need you" spiel, but we weren't having it. He's 5 years old, his baby brother sleeps in his own bed, so it's time for him to do the same and step up. Well, after talking to him a bit, he decided he'd give it a go if Micah slept in his room, too. So, we moved Micah's crib into Caleb's bedroom yesterday, and I made sure everything was set. Micah goes to bed by himself a lot easier than Caleb ever did, and for that, we are truly thankful. So, he went to bed as usual last night.

When it was time for Caleb to go to bed, we talked with him, and of course, he started crying his eyes out. We sat down and prayed with him that God would comfort him and give him peace, and it was off to bed. I had told him earlier that he HAD to stay in his room until it was 7:00am. So, I had to make sure he knew what 7:00 looked like on his alarm clock, and I set the alarm for him. I told him that when the alarm went off, he could come into our room.

Well, it was a bit of a struggle, and he cried a little. But -- he eventually realized we weren't giving in this time (as we have soooo many times before...bad parents). LOL! So, he went to bed, and I tucked him in. Brian and I headed off to bed as well being it was after midnight (Brian and Caleb had been playing Zoo Tycoon...a new computer game for the two of them...I know...once again, bad parenting for letting Caleb stay up so late). I had the monitor on in our room so that I could hear both kiddos, and Caleb knew that he could call me if he needed me. Well, fast forward to 1:15am, and he's screaming. So, I go in and comfort him, and tell him he's got to stay there until 7am. He goes back to bed, and I hear him again around 3am. Once again, I follow my routine of talk, comfort, put back to bed, and all is well.

I didn't hear anything else from him until around 6:15am. This time, I went in and told him that 7 would be the next number on the clock, so it was almost time to get up. He laid back down, and the alarm went off at 7. So, I go in there to make sure he's got it turned off, and praise him tremendously for sleeping in his own bed. He then gets to go into the bed with Brian, as I make sure that Micah is still sleeping.

So, there you have it...he did it! Granted, I'm tired from having to get up and tend to the crying all night, but if it means I get my bed back with my hubby, then so be it. Hopefully each night will get easier. We're just super proud of him, and we made sure to let him call his grandparents this morning to share the news with them. They are all proud of him, too.

Oh and Micah did just fine. He did wake up a few times, but he went back to sleep as usual. So, we shall keep you posted...stay tuned!