December Daily 12.22.10 - Sleep Update

I guess now is as good a time as any to talk about sleep.  Where did I leave off?  Big boy bed.  Not staying in his bed.  Waking up super early.  I think right around the time I was at the end of my rope, we took a trip to Louisiana.  I hadn't considered what to do about sleeping arrangements for Noah on trips back home.  But, did I mention that I was at the end of my rope?  Grammy still had the playroom set up with a crib for Noah, so I decided to put him back in it for the length of our visit.  Noah didn't mind, and I think he remembered how to fall asleep by himself.  And, I got some rest and returned home with an actual game plan. 

So, now bedtime is going much better.  Routine is something like bath, read books in bed, chocolate milk, and sleep.  It's not a perfect system.  He still gets up now and again, but getting him to stay in bed long enough to fall asleep is going much better.  Mornings are still an issue.  As of today, we are going on day four of waking up at 5:30 AM.  Too early, Noah.

I have to say that all we really added to the routine was the book reading before bed.  It has made such a difference.  I know everyone does it, but for some reason we just never made it a part of bedtime.  But, I really enjoy it, and I think Noah does too.  At first, I would just pick 3-4 books off his shelf, but Noah has been requesting some old favorites.  And, sometimes, he does more of the reading (reciting) than I do.  Here are the top 5 in our rotation:

1.  Goodnight Moon: We read this one EVERY night!  Seriously, I can't believe we are still reading this book.  I read it too him so much when he was little that the binding of the board book is falling apart.  But, he still loves it today.  I always think it's so funny when he laughs (every time) at the "old lady whispering hush."

2.  The Sleepy Little Alphabet:  I love this book.  I ordered through Scholastic at his school, and it is really the cutest book.  This is one that Noah will recite all the way through from beginning to end. 

3. If You Take a Mouse to School:  This past fall, Chick-Fil-A was giving this whole collection of books with kid's meals.  Of course, with all the CFA we eat, we were able to collect them all.  (Side note:  Noah thinks when you get lunch, you automatically get a book.  It's a toss up whether he wants the french fries or the reading material.) "If You Take a Mouse To School" has edged ahead as his favorite of the collection.  It is the reason he always asks to do a "science experiment," and I am pretty sure why he told his OT he wanted to do "a little math" this past week. 

4. Ten Apples Up On Top:  Noah loves this book.  I probably has to do with all the counting, but when it gets to the part at the end with the bear and mop and the chasing, he gets so excited and really laughs and giggles. 

5.  We're Going on a Bear Hunt:  This is such a cute book, and I think Noah really likes it because of all the repetition.  Because it's in black and white, it's sometimes hard for him to tell exactly what part we are reading, so sometimes he calls the river, the mud and the forest, the snowstorm.  He always plops down on the bed at the ending part... "we are NOT going on a bear hunt again."  Great book.