Random Thoughts

While I have been updating this blog and reading some others, Jack has been asleep on the couch. About 1 hour into his nap, he woke up, slid off the couch, made one lap around the den, crawled back onto the couch and went right back to sleep. He didn't look at me or say anything. It makes me wonder . . . do we have a sleepwalker on our hands? The toddler bed transition scheduled to happen soon might be more interesting than I thought.

Summer 2009

These are some of my favorite pictures taken by Laine the last time she was here. She has a great talent for capturing the most wonderful expressions!

Why didn't I think of this before?!

Looking for a good motivational tool? I am amazed at how well this has worked for us. For months, Jack has had trouble falling asleep unless someone was in the room with him. Nap time, bedtime, 2 AM, 4 AM, it didn't matter. When he found himself alone in his room, he was distraught. John and I were exhausted and so was Jack. Then I came across an idea that sounded promising. A sticker reward chart! We went to the store and Jack picked out his stickers. Then I made the chart in the picture to the left. I told Jack that every time he went to sleep without someone in the room with him, he would get a sticker. And when he had five stickers on the chart, we would go to the store and he could pick out a toy. Within three days, Jack was going to sleep in his crib without anyone in the room and without so much as a whimper! I couldn't believe it! We had been trying to break him of this habit since April and in less than a week, it was broken. The sticker is a reward in itself for Jack. He gets so excited to put one of his stickers on the chart, and you should see him trying to pick out a toy at the dollar store. Now, I have to give credit where credit is due . . . it was probably the constant stream of prayers flowing from my mouth up to heaven that week that caused such a sudden behavioral change. But I am so pleased with the outcome that we are ready to tackle another tough issue . . . picky eating! Wish us luck!