ThadWatch!: August 2007

We've Been Working on a Project This Summer: PART 2

When last we left Thad, he was snoozling away in his Big Boy Bed with his Bed Pals. The next morning, we made a huge deal that HE WAS SUCH A BIG BOY! SLEEPING!! IN HIS OWN!!! BIG!!! BOY!!! BED!!! YEA, THAD!!! He looked at me and said, "Do I get a trophy, Mom?"

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . . Of course you do, Thad!

"I didn't expect this! I didn't prepare anything to say! Oh my! There's so many people to thank!"

"You know, I really worked hard for this. I never thought I would be able to sleep without my mom. But my parents never gave up on me. They believed in me. They seemed to want it more than I did!"

"Wow. I am just so stunned. I just tried to do my best, you know? I did some research on how it felt for others to sleep in their own beds and then tried to step into that experience, you know? I didn't want to let my audience down. It's all for them, you know?"

"It's definitely been my most demanding work--it has just made me dig deep inside myself. And I asked myself repeatedly: 'Can you really do this?' And my parents kept reassuring me that I could. I really, really, really could!"

"I'm King of the Bed!"

We've Been Working on a Project This Summer: PART 1

Once preschool let out, I had three goals for Thad to accomplish in three months:

June: Sleep in his own bed by himself.

July: Wean off his nighttime binkies (needs 3-4: one for mouth, one for each hand, and ideally one to clip onto the bridge of his nose. I don't know.).

August: Make use of the restroom facilities thus making diapers obsolete.

I know that all you seasoned moms are laughing at me because you know what is coming next, don't you? You may call me delusional; I prefer to call myself a visionary.

Whatever I am, I am the mother of a Big Boy who is sleeping in his own bed, by himself, but with frequent escapes to the Motherbed. This means Mom and Dad are up several times a night putting escapee back in Big Boy Bed.

This also means that said Big Boy still enjoys binkies and diapers (Although he most enjoys naked time, which we have to regulate with a timer so we can get out of the house once in a while, but that's another story.)!

Here's the story in pictures:

First, we got a wonderful captain's bed for Thad with a good boxspring and mattress. It is quite high off the floor so we decided to opt for bedrails rather than stitches. Just a personal preference.

Then Thad and I went looking for some Sleep Pals. We spent about an hour with the menagerie at Toys R Us and Thad finally felt like Pablo (from the Backyardigans) and Puppy Dog would be great company in his Big Boy Bed.

Turns out he was right! Pablo does a great song-and-dance routine each night before bed, and then Puppy Dog keeps watch over our Big Boy!