Entry for February 12, 2008

Doko itteta no?"

Where were you?

During the past 3 day weekend, the Pumpkin Princess announced time after time "we're going to the Pumpkin Granny's!" to which I would reply, "no, we're not." When the Pumpkin Granny went to pick up the Pumpkin Princess at the Pumpkin Daycare, the Pumpkin Princess said to her, "where were you?" I would have taken her if I didn't dread peeling the Pumpkin Princess off the Pumpkin Granny and strapping a struggling 2 year-old into the car seat and hearing her scream while trying to drive...

Speaking of screaming...

The Pumpkin Princess sleeps in a crib in the master bedroom, next to the double bed where the Pumpkin Daddy and I sleep. Standard Pumpkin Princess sleeping protocol calls for the Pumpkin Princess being tucked into her crib with her stuffed Curious George, pink teddy bear, koala bear, and flannel sheep, wearing her Micky Mouse print big girl (i.e. cloth) panties OVER her pajamas or play clothes trousers, and the Pumpkin Mommy "sleeping" in the bed next to her (but not the Pumpkin Daddy). Monday, the Pumpkin Princess refused to nap. She would fidget, sit up, and even start singing. I admit it, I lost my temper. "If you're not going to sleep, I'm not going to sleep here. You can sleep by yourself," I said, and I left the room, leaving a Pumpkin Princess screaming in protest. I let her scream for three minutes, went back in the room, and said stuff to her along the lines of you're a big girl now, you can sleep by yourself, you don't need me in the room. Then I walked out of the room with her still screaming at the top of her lungs. Repeat after five minutes, then seven minutes.

I think she must have screamed for a total of half an hour before she fell asleep exhausted.

When she woke up, again, crying, I showered her with hugs and kisses and praised her for having gone to sleep by herself, and asked her "since you went to sleep all by yourself, would you like to go out for ice cream?" She immediately stopped crying and said yes. So we went to the mall and shared a large scoop of Caramel Ribbon ice cream at Baskin Robbins.

At night, I told her she could try sleeping by herself again. She cried and cried, but once in bed she cried for about a minute before going to sleep. This morning, again, I gave her lots of hugs and kisses (but no ice cream, because what self respecting Pumpkin Mommy would feed her Pumpkin Princess ice cream for breakfast on a weekday?)

So tonight (Tuesday night), I asked her if she would try sleeping by herself again, and she quietly said "yes." I took her and Curious George and the pink teddy bear and the koala and the sheep upstairs, helped her pull on the Micky Mouse print big girl pants, tucked her and her stuffed friends into bed, kissed her good night, turned out the light, left the room, and closed the door.

Silence. No protesting, no crying, nothing.

I didn't cry yesterday when she screamed, but I almost got teary tonight when she went to sleep quietly.