What a difference a nap makes!

September 17, 2008

Lately, Aiden hasn't been napping. I would try to rock him to sleep but he'd just keep getting down and trying to play, so I'd just let him. Or, I'd put him in his bed and he'd just scream and cry until I took him out. Then he'd be extremely cranky in the evening. He was wearing me and his grandma out. So, I spoke with Aiden's teacher about it this morning. She suggested that I put him in bed and leave the room and just let him cry himself to sleep. I knew that would be hard for me because I don't want him to cry and I feel the need to rescue him when he does. But, I decided to give it a try. So, when we got home from school today, we watched a 30 minute episode of "Play With Me Sesame", and then I said, "Ok, dude. Time for a nap". I put him in his bed and went into the other room. He cried for about 5 minutes while I folded some laundry. I took a peek a few minutes later and he was lying down, stroking his hair. A few minutes later, I took another peek and he was asleep. He slept for two and a half hours. When he woke up, he was in a great mood. We played, ate dinner, played some more, took a bath and now he's getting ready for bed. He's like a different kid tonight. He really needed that nap!

And there's more progress Aiden has made. Before the surgery, I would have to hold him down to brush his teeth. Now, he lets me do it without a fight. In fact, he seems to enjoy it now. It's probably because he has an electric toothbrush and he really likes the vibration in his mouth. He holds his mouth open and lets me do a thorough cleaning. Before surgery, if we'd tell him "no" he'd hit himself on the head. Now, he just stops doing what he's not supposed to be doing. Wow! Something new that he's doing is drinking from a cup. I hold the cup and he takes a drink. We mostly practice in the bath tub so as not to get everything wet. Tonight, I set his cup on the edge of the tub and he picked it up and took a drink on his own. Not perfectly, but he tried it twice! I was so proud, I almost cried.