Losing Sleep

Well, Aaron's nighttimes have been pretty good. It's now Jada's that
are a minefield. For several nights in a row, she insisted on us
leaving the lights on. We finally decided to not give into such a
request, and were treated to a simply spectacular tantrum.

The next night, we compromised: after our bedtime routine, we turned
on a timer and told her she had 15 minutes with the lights on to look
at her books, and then when the timer went off, we'd come back in and
it would be lights out. That didn't work, either.

Life's been hard for our bon-bon since Aaron's arrival. She hasn't
felt well physically, she's too wound up to take a nap, she gets to
bedtime cranky and sullen, and then goes down fighting almost every
night. It must be hard to be 2 1/2 and have a slimy, squirmy little
brother thrown into your life.

Even though Aaron's a handful, we try to give Jada our attention, too,
although sometimes it's hard to juggle. But we probably shouldn't
blame ourselves too much. It's just a typical 2 1/2 year old going
through the throes of being 2 1/2. And she's not the only one who's
losing sleep as a result.