For the Record: Jakob

Our trip to Orlando brought out the good, the bad, and the UGLY from our little dude.  Granted, he is only 2 and a half so perhaps a portion of his strong willed personality comes from his age.  Either way, he sure is teaching me the value of patience and CONSISTENCY!

The Facts:

We finally decided to make the transition from crib to toddler bed. Thanks to our Orlando trip, Jakob was forced to sleep in a queen bed for an entire week because there wasn't a crib for him.  He did really well- even in the dark!  So when we got home we decided it was time to try it out. 

 It was in our plan to make the transition sooner because we really just wanted to get Molly out of our room, but from trying to get her to sleep better at night and not messing up an already good sleeping habit with the dude, we decided not to hassle with the stress.  Well, he's in his toddler bed... 

...but here is the low down of our "smooth" transition.

The first week:  The lights were turned off, the door was shut, and Jakob fell asleep in 10 minutes.  When Molly woke up for her early feedings, we ignored her so she would learn how to soothe herself back to sleep.  That woke Jakob up and they both ended up crying-one night they cried on and off from 12-4am.

The second week: Pretty much the same thing; however, they were starting to get use to the cries and would generally ignore each other.  Occasionally Jakob would wake up to the early morning feedings and have trouble going back to sleep. 

The third week: Jakob had a nightmare. I think he realized that images in the dark can look very scary. He requested the door stay open to let a little bit of light through.  He also begged for Danny or I to stay with him in his room.  He also started waking up and getting out of his bed multiple times at night. 

The fourth week: Jakob struggled to fall asleep on his own.  The night routine took up to 40 minutes before convincing him that everybody was safe. He started opening the door and making requests. 

The fifth week: Jakob was making requests and getting out of his bed multiple times before falling asleep.  He continued to wake up at least once each night.

The sixth week: Jakob takes at least 2 hours to fall asleep and now fights his nap time.  He needs prompt and consistent return to bed.  On one occasion I returned him to his bed 62 times before he finally gave up and fell asleep.  He still cries at night for dad.

The seventh week: Jakob has finally learned that falling asleep at night is okay as long as the door is slightly open and he can see a bit of light.  He is generally good about waiting in bed until Danny or I get him in the morning.  He occasionally fights his naps and wakes during the night, at least once.  We are still loosing a lot of sleep...but I think it's getting better. 

REALLY!?!?!  Eight weeks?  Sheesh. 

(I just like this picture.  I think it's cute that Jakob enjoys lining up his prized possessions-even candy)

 Jakob is just as creative as ever and LOVES playing with his dinosaurs, cars, and trains. 

Jakob is learning his colors.  He loves his Elmo book, Color Carnival-from aunt Jenny-and has picked up on the names and association of each color. I think he likes the color orange.

Jakob is good big brother. 

We love this dude!