Could it be this simple?!

So, with advice from friends, I was giddy with excitement last night when I felt vindicated in my idea to lock Will in his room. Daddy wasn't keen on it when I suggested it before because he felt it was not safe or fair or something. I kept telling him I didn't see how it was different than when he was in his crib and couldn't get out of it without our help.

Last night, we locked Will's door. He cried for us - it broke my heart more than when he cried as a baby in his crib - and Daddy went back up to explain that Mommy and Daddy were here, we weren't going to leave him, but that it was time for his bedtime and he can't come out of his room until morning. And that was it!!! He played in his bed for a while but did not get out of it. One trip upstairs to talk to him - I can't believe it!

Daddy admitted he would have egg all over his face if this works again tonight. Cross your fingers for us - I think we are on to something here.

Thanks much to everyone. (And, Ashley, I love the idea of the tot clock. Please e-mail me about where to find that!)

Update: Daddy has egg all OVER his face, and I'm trying hard to resist rubbing it in that I was right all along. Will tried the door last night, realized it was locked, went to bed and right to sleep, and woke up at 7:30 this morning.

Help Wanted!!

Okay oh-ye-few followers of my blog. I need some advice, ideas - help!

So, Will has now been out of his crib for over a month. He takes his naps in his bed just fine - and the night time routine was not too bad for a while. He would sleep until at least 6:30, but usually 7 for quite a while.

And now, for some reason, its all gone to you-know-what. I can Not. Get. That. Boy. To. Stay. In. Bed. At. Night. I don't know what to do anymore. It drives me and Ellis absolutely nuts. Once Will finally falls asleep (9? 9:30? even 10pm?), he will usually stay in his bed ... but this morning he was crawling into our bed at 2:30am. Ellis graciously went back to his room and slept with him till this morning so I could get some sleep. Its not that I don't love cuddling up to Will but there are two things here: 1) he does not sleep peacefully most of the time - kicking and nudging is a large part of his sleep pattern - plus he usually is ready to be up if he is in bed with us and 2) (more importantly) I am a big proponent of Mommy and Daddy's bed STAYING our bed.

Anyway, its gotten to the point where, after storytime and lights out, Will will get out of his bed and room at least 10 times at night. For the past couple of nights, Ellis has been working late, so I have had to deal with it on my own. And it Drives. Me. Crazy! It doesn't matter what I tell him, how much I yell - nothing. And I'm starting to feel like a horrible mother because I get so mad at him and that is the last thing he has with Mommy before he finally goes to sleep.

So - if you have struggled through the same thing, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or even a good book to turn to. (Most of y'all know I'm not big on what "those people" have to say on child rearing but I'm a bit desperate.)

Our Week at the Beach

Last week, Will and I went to the beach with Bapa and Grandma - a whole week away from work and the general chores at home was bliss. Not really "relaxing" ... trips to the beach with a 2 year old can be tiring, but we had lots and lots of fun. Will and I went down on Saturday with his grandparents and Daddy came down on Wednesday. We had an extra special treat this year because Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary came from Texas on Wednesday to spend the rest of the week with us. I was very happy that Will got to spend so much time with his aunt and uncle and, of course, I was thrilled to see my brother and sister-in-law.

Will is in love with the beach, the ocean and the pool. Jumping in the waves, tumbling in the waves, jumping in the pool, going underwater - none of it bothers him. One morning, a lady walked up to me on the beach and told me her and her husband had been watching Will every morning and said they believe Will would be on TV in 20 years because he had absolutely no fear or inhibitions. She said she had grandchildren his age and they wouldn't get anywhere near the water. :-) I don't know if his no fear and inhibitions will always be a good thing, but I was a proud mama nonetheless.

Thanks to our friend, Julie, he had the best bathing suit ever for the beach. It was bright green and kept him afloat, so I felt much safer about watching him on the beach.

We were down at Isle of Palms, and I must say that I am jealous of the county parks there. On Sunday, we took Will to the James Island County Park's water park. It was a perfect water park for his age - he could do most anything. And, once again, he had absolutely no fear in going down all of the water slides, jumping in the pool, floating in the lazy river - it was a great day.

Bapa's sand castle masterpiece:

The green bathing suit made swimming at the pool so easy for me. Will could float all by himself in the pool, and I really think it started to teach him to swim. By the end of the week, he was using his arms and legs to swim all around the pool.