Operation Teach-the-Kids-to-Sleep-Without-Me

So this is what has been occupying me over the last few nights. Up until now, I had to lie down with the kids and wait for them to fall asleep each and every night. But four nights ago, it was time for something new.

I had the sense that it was time. Lying down with the kids had begun to feel really tiresome. A feeling that I hadn't had before, but I suppose after months of doing it, and sometimes having to wait up until an hour before both of them were asleep, well, it had felt like too much.

With the progress that we had made with leaving E at the nursery at church, I felt also that God was saying, "She's ready". And in a way I can't fully explain, I do believe that God had prompted me in this.

It's been a journey of small steps. The first night was pretty traumatic. E cried and cried every time I left the room. Eventually K had to go in to calm her down and while he stayed in the room with her, she managed to fall asleep on her own. The second night, both she and J cried when I left the room. Even J had gotten used to me being in there, and wanted me to stay. I had to go in, tell them to lie down and sleep, and reassure them that I would return in a few minutes to check on them. Amazingly, that worked. No crying on the third night, even though I still had to check on them. Ditto for tonight, I've also been trying to stretch out how long they have to wait before seeing me check in on them.

So I praise God for the progress. The next step - getting them to sleep through the night without me having to move into E's bed to sleep with her at some point during the night. Pray with us!