Elaina's room underwent some major transformation in just one day. I knew I needed to jump on it while she was at school and mom volunteered to help me paint and voi'la! It was complete!
She was a little shocked when she got home from school but quickly became excited at the change. Just a few days prior she had given up her paci with absolutely no fight whatsoever. It was weird actually. One night I couldn't find it amongst her 82,000 stuffed animals in her crib and I said, "Lanie, I can't find your paci anywhere!" To which she replied with a shoulder shrug and a "well, I'm tired of it anyway." What? She was addicted to that thing just 12 hours prior!
I instituted great parenting and said, "Okay. If you sleep ALLLL night long and you don't yell for mommy one time during the night, I'll give you a chocolate sprinkle donut when you wake up." At about 8:30 the next morning she woke up and her first words? "Get my sprinkle donut."
I thought for sure it was too good to be true and the next night would be torture with paci withdrawal, crying, screaming, the whole nine yards. So I promised her a scooter if she slept alllllll through the night and didn't yell for me. (I'm not above bribing. I like my sleep!).
She agreed but then just 30 minutes after I put her down she was wailing. I went in to ask her what was wrong and through her tears she said, "I don't want a scooooterrrrr!" Me: "Well, baby, what do you want?"
"I want another chocolate sprinkle doooonuuuuut!" Done. The kid slept all night again and when she woke there was another donut with her name on it.
I can't even believe how easy the transition was. Apparently I've never realized the power a chocolate sprinkle donut holds over a person! Now I've traded a kid with a paci problem for a kid with a donut problem. Now, the quest to find something more powerful than donuts........
