Growing Up Is Hard To Do

For the past few weeks, Michelle and I have had a visitor in our bed each night. There was no telling when Kaitlyn would make her way into our bed, but inevitably there she'd be, snoring away in between Mommy and Daddy. Sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal, always snoring.

Like I said, no telling what time she'd make her way in, either. Sometimes she'd start in the bed because she wouldn't go down quietly. In recent weeks, Kaitlyn would be in her crib screaming at the top of her lungs for an hour-plus while we sat in the bedroom praying for her to pass out from crying.

Nope. So either we'd bring her in the bed with us (I know, I know. Parenting 101 - you don't do that). or I would rock her to sleep. Sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes for an hour and a half. There have been nights when Michelle would have to come and get me at 2 or 3 in the morning because I was passed out on the rocker with her.

This trend continued on our Disney vacation, as Kaitlyn was wired with chocolate, diet soda (thanks, Nana) and ice cream and would not sleep alone. That trip was the last straw. We had finally had enough of this. Actually, Michelle finally gave in and allowed me to turn the last bastion of toddler-hood into Kaitlyn's first bed.

Earlier this morning, while Michelle and Kaitlyn lay in bed watching Playhouse Disney, I took off the prison bars and replaced them with the small wooden bar that opens up a whole new world for little girls and boys around the world. I have to say, it was a little tough to do, since there's always that piece of you that doesn't want her to grow up. At the same time, I like my sleep and nothing else seems to be working.

We'll see how we do tonight. She's gotten a little taste of the bed, crawling into it and putting her stuffed animals in a corner. I just hope she decides to be a big girl tonight, because I could really use a good night's sleep.