Bedtime or Playtime?

Connor has had a hard time falling asleep once in bed for the past few weeks. She will sing at the top of her lungs, talk to all her stuffed animal friends, read, look out the window, jump on her bed. Anything and everything but closing her eyes and falling asleep!

It is hard to be too upset with her, because she is always so happy about it. The tunes she belts out and the infectious laughter make us laugh. Her joy is contagious. Last night Kirk went in to check and with her hands behind her head, looking up at the sky through the window - she whispered through the dark, "Daddy, I am waiting for the sun to wake up!" (she is very big into noting when the sun is asleep versus awake).

Also this week we decided she had too many "friends" in bed with her. They were keeping her awake. So in a moment of tough love we took them all away and told her she had to "earn" them back one by one - and no more than 2 in bed at a time. She earned back Grover. The next morning Kirk went in to get Connor and before a "Good Morning" was ever uttered she proclaimed "Grover misses his good friend, Elmo!" But don't worry - good behavior earned Elmo back too.

Tonight we went into her room to check and we found that while Connor wasn't ready to lie down with head on her pillow, she had at least tucked in Elmo and Grover nice and neat right beside her...
It is hard to appreciate but these photos were taken in darkness. The flash is just lighting everything up. It was absolutely precious.
Connor took her two pink muh-muhs and very symmetrically folded them into squares for pillows. And pulled the covers up just right.
She was so, so proud of herself. No doubt having Mom come in and snap blinding, flashing photos didn't help in the calming down and falling asleep category - but hey, it made us smile!

Thankfully she did finally settle down and fall asleep. Oh what an imagination on this little girl!