Of mice and children....

Elizabeth has definitely decided she is a morning person. So much so, that she is now typically getting up at 6:30 every morning. Doesn't matter what time she goes to bed - she's always up early.

We were making due with it until she developed another nasty habit - getting up in the middle of the night. There were several reasons - she had a bad dream, she thought it was time to get up, she wanted to see us, etc. But, the result was two very tired and grumpy parents - along with the bright-eyed 3-year-old at 6:30 the next morning.

David and I were suffering together and taking turns with Elizabeth in the middle of the night - until he left last Friday night for Promise Keepers. Then, it was just me. And, Elizabeth set a record - she got up at 4am, 5am, and 6:30am. So, I was pretty much up from 4am on. It was then that clarity hit me - something had to be done!

So, I implemented the "Sleep Chart." This form of bribery worked for potty training, so I figured it was worth a try to see if it would get me a tad bit more sleep. So, Elizabeth helped me make the chart, and then was informed she would get a Mickey Mouse treat if she filled all of the squares on the chart. How could she do that? It was easy. Just stay in her room until 7am every morning. It didn't take long for her to catch on. Now, she's not getting up in the middle of the night, and when she wakes up in the morning, she's playing quietly in her room until 7am. (It also had the unplanned advantage of starting to teach her how to tell time.)

So, here's the blessed Sleep Chart:



(Notice I taped it to the back of her door so she would see it if she got up and was tempted to come wake us up.)

And, here's the smart little sleep-trained girl with her new friend:




As you see, she'll no longer have to substitute Elmo for Mickey. I think it might be the best $3 I've ever spent!