After months and months of sleepless nights, I am so happy to say that we are all getting great sleep now! Jackson has never been a great sleeper, but he has also, never been as bad as he's been the last several months. Up until recently, I can't tell you the last time I had a full nights sleep. Jackson was apparently having bad dreams, according to what he was telling us. He was constantly scared of something. Many nights, he would take books out of his room and hide them somewhere in the house because the book scared him. Last night, it was his "Five monkeys reading in Bed". I asked him why he hid that book. He told me "The monkeys read a ghost book in it and I don't like it". It's true! They do read a ghost book in it.
Jackson would show me shadows on the wall and describe the monster to me. "See Mommy, there's his head and there's his eyes."
He was trying to get in our bed every night and I was allowing it after the umptenth time. I would have rather just got some zzz's. That was until he was getting up 6-8 times EVERY night. No one was getting sleep and his behavior was showing it. I tried so many different things and nothing seem to work. I finally resorted to a baby gate at our door, so at least I could stop him before he got in our room and in the bed. He had gotten really good at sneaking in the bed without me knowing it until I woke up the next morning. The baby gate did not actually stop him from waking up, but it did keep him in his room after several nights. He knew he could not get in without me hearing him try to climb over the gate. The getting up and coming to our room turned into crying out all night in his room.
FINALLY, Jackson said to me one night "Mommy, remember you said I could sleep with your pillow?" I did in fact ask him o the way home one night, "Jackson, what is it going to take you to stay in your bed all night? What if I let you sleep with Mommy's pillow? Would you stay in your bed until morning?" He said "Only if you sleep in my bed, too!". Smart kid, right? Obviously, I told him it didn't work that way. Well, I told him he could have my pillow if he promised he would stay in his bed ALL night and let Mommy and Daddy get a good night sleep without waking us up. Little did I know, that WORKED!!!!! Why did I not think of that a year ago??? I'm thinking it must make him feel close to me and I am fine with that!
Love, your well rested Mommy!!
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