BOOK!

About a month ago we transitioned M2 to a "big girl" bed. I figured we could either buy another crib or just go straight to a toddler bed, so I chose the latter. I found one for free on Craigslist that was just like the one I planned to buy new, so I went and picked up the free one that day (although we bought a new mattress for it, so it wasn't completely free.)

It took a few days to get her used to it so that she'd sleep in it, but then it was working out well. For about a week. Then she started waking up at night, multiple times, and coming into our room to wake us up. Between waking to feed P5, and waking to put M2 back to bed, there were a few nights where I was up every hour. Finally I caved and bought a gate for her doorway. That has worked well, she rarely wakes up in the middle of the night now since she realizes the gate is keeping her in her room. Ah, boundaries.

However, last night she woke up. Around 3 AM I was woken up by the sound of her little voice calling for us from the doorway.

"Mama. Daddy. Mama. Daddy."

I went to her room and found M2, wide awake and clutching her current favorite book. "BOOK!" she exclaimed holding it up for me.

"No books...it's sleepy time. Time to go back to sleep." I tucked her in, kissed her goodnight and went to use the bathroom and drink some water. I checked back in on her before I went back to my bed, and she was curled up in her bed with her eyes closed, but she had gotten up and found her book to bring to bed with her. Tucked under her little arm was her favorite book.

She loves having us read her books, and she loves having her favorite book read over and over again. I think I've read "I'm a Big Sister" to her about 25 times this week. At nap time and bedtime after she's been read a story, she will yell out, "BOOK! BOOK!" Indicating she would like more books read to her. I am a softy...but after 5 or 6 books I tell her it's time to go to sleep and that we will read more books later.