I messed up...

When I moved back to KS from FL Jared was only 18 months old… he still had a bottle, wore diapers, and slept in bed with his dad at night. He was instantly my little boy, I have always loved him like he was mine but never realized what a close bond him and I shared until I found out we were pregnant with Gracee.

My job was to be the motherly figure to Jared from day one. He was sleeping in his own room within days and loved it – I know he felt like a big boy… Jared was broke from the bottle in no time… he didn’t really have a choice. We expected a lot from him. Jared and I were carrying on conversations before he was 22 mo. And was potty-trained before his second birthday!

After having Gracee, Jared was my helper he has progressed into being quite the little man. Jared asked for tools this Christmas rather then toys and loves to work in the shop with his dad instead of watch cartoons and play in the house.

Gracee turned me into that mom… I pushed her out, nursed her, changed the majority of her diapers, broke her from the bottle, feed and bathe her; I have seen her grow since newborn to now 20 months old and she thought she was running the show. Never the case with Jared…. I now realize that is because he was never my baby he has always been my little boy.

Long story short I am proud of both of my kids. They are my everything and I am so blessed to be able to work from home and watch them learn and grow each day. It is hard to believe Jared is already four-in-a-half years old! But the reason for this story is because I messed up…

We share a room with Gracee and I have always put her to sleep in my bed then moved her into her own bed… well when she started getting her molar’s she would wake up in the middle of the night and cry until I rocked her to sleep or put her in bed with us. A BIG NO NO! Jessy would get kicked out of bed and move to the couch and no one would sleep well ~ Until I put my foot down and decided to move her bed into Jared’s room and start putting her to sleep in her own bed.

The technique – 12:30pm NAP and 8:15pm go into the bed room, close the door, tell her what I expect, and then look at the lava lamp that is on the dresser (with her out of site) and each time she gets out of bed and throws a fit… say nothing and put her back into bed. The first day was rough but after 32 times I won! I felt like a champ I had a headache from all that screaming but it was worth it! Day two a little better 25 times (at both nap and bedtime) Day three nap 15 times and then bedtime 0… it was a success! She just went right to sleep never even tried to get out of bed!!!

I must say it is a rewarding feeling to have accomplished something that you work so hard for… I know that it was my fault but I am still proud. In most cases I say something and follow through I just didn’t do that with Gracee at bed time and it made me feel like I wasn’t doing my job. She has starting do better in a lot of different areas (still going through the terrible twos) but she knows who the bosses are. Now we are back on track and ready for the next little Willard to get here in June!