Sleeping Woes

A new era has begun. It's the big girl bed era. After numerous successful attempts to crawl out of her crib when she just didn't feel like being in there, we decided it was time to change to a bed. So it was bye-bye crib (oh how I miss you, old friend) and hello bed. We decided on a single bed, since we could use it for a long time (as opposed to a toddler bed). In the days of the crib, bedtime was pretty easy. A bath, some quiet play, a few books in the rocker, and then off to the crib where a relatively contented E.A. would read and play and talk and sing herself to sleep. The rules are different now. There's still the bath, and the play, and the books...but no more contented toddler cocooned in her own little world. Now there's a preschooler in a real bed who doesn't WANT to go to sleep. Who wails and cries and demands all kinds of unreasonable things. "I want to sleep in your room." "I need some milk...some water." "Where's my little teddy bear." and on and on and on. After about 10 days of hysterics and night wakings and trying to convince her to stay in or go back to her bed and lying in the bed with her and sitting in the chair forever and, and, and....we have a system. After story time and prayers, We (meaning me - Momma)sit in a rocking chair near the door until she falls asleep. Then around 2:30, she gets up and comes in our room where she sleeps on a little pallet on the floor. She seems to be O.K. with it, and until further notice this is how it is!