SLEEP

It is not plentiful in this house lately. I am still waking up with Cole towards morning around 4am. He is doing very well and that would be no problem. However, a wandering 5-year-old always makes it to our bed around 2am and lately, the 3-year-old has popped up here and there. Will is a rock-star sleeper. His recent waking is probably just a fluke. Paige, however, has always cycled through poor sleep habits. Because we didn't want co-sleeping, from day one every one of my children slept in their cribs in their own rooms. For some reason, Paige has always struggled with either going down at night or waking. We've tried crying it out (which didn't work for her when she was little because she'd get so upset she'd puke (see below for more on this)), we've had a "get out of bed free" ticket, which was quite successful during one phase. But we're having trouble breaking this one and frankly, carrying a 40-lb leggy girl back to her own bed at 3am is wearing on us. Therefore, I have started a sleep chart for her in which she will get to put a sticker on a square for every night she does NOT visit us. Once 7 are filled up, she will get a prize. (What's the prize, she asks? I can't say - pretty much because I don't know yet.) I'll report on this as progress is made!

About the puking. I believe that God is trying to make me stronger with the amount and ease at which my kids puke. I HATED getting sick as a child, as well as the sound & smell. I always wondered how I would handle my own kids getting sick. I feel I've been put through throw-up boot camp because now it doesn't phase me a bit. I used to plug my ears and sing, "la-la-la-la" when my sister (who I shared a room with) had the flu. I guess that isn't appropriate behavior for a parent. I'm over it.