The Vaseline Jelly Incident

First of all, I need to let you know that I use vaseline as a diaper ointment and I use lots of it! I call it butt-jelly and Aidan has taken on calling it butt jelly too...except is sounds like 'but-yelly' when he says it. Since I use so much of it, I buy the super large, popcorn tub size jars of vaseline. One night we decided to let Aidan sleep with us. We had been over at granny and papaw's and didn't come home til late that night. Aidan ran all over the farm and was pooped! After bubble-tubby time, I got him ready for bed, which means slathering his bottom with butt jelly before putting a diaper on. He always wants to stick his fingers in the jelly and this night was no different. I grabbed the jar away from him and set it on the rail of his crib. I finished getting him ready for bed and whisked him away to our room. As soon as he hit the pillow, he was out...until 4 the next morning when I awoke to him reciting his numbers and saying we have to go find deer. Here's how I remember the conversation:

Aidan: 1....5..6..7...8..gotta clap, Momma! Gotta clap!
Mom: Great Aidan. It's 4 am. Go back to sleep.
Aidan: No, Momma. Have to go find deer...buck..doe.
Mom: Maybe later, baby. Finish nite-nite.
Aidan: Bulldozers...backhoes...backhoes move dirt.
Mom: Ok. nite-nite now.
Aidan (now getting up and starting to jump on the bed): Aidan want juice...no, want milk...chocolate milk! Aidan wants chocolate milk!
Mom: ARRGHH!

I get up and decide to put Aidan in his crib (this story happened pre-toddler bed days). I thought he would play with his cars and go back to sleep. After I put him in his crib, he protested for a while. I headed off to bed, hoping for a few more hours of sleep before Conner woke. I heard him quiet down so I relaxed and dozed back off to sleep. Ed woke up at his usual time of 6 am, and started his day. He says he heard Aidan start yelling "Momma, come here! Momma! MOMMMA!" Ed thought he would let me sleep and tend to Aidan himself. When he walked into the room, he noticed a strong scent of baby powder. Then he looked at Aidan and noticed he was extremely shiny. His bed was really shiny for that matter. He walked over to the bed and saw an empty tub of vaseline jelly and more jelly smeared all over his pillow and quilt. Covered in a thick layer of jelly, Aidan says, "Butt jelly...spilled eberwhere!" (MInd you, I had just bought that tub of vaseline!) Ed says he got Aidan out of bed and took him to the bathroom to give him a bath. As soon as Aidan got in the tub, the water started beading just like a car after a good coating of Turtle Wax. At least for the rest of the day, Aidan's skin was very soft and he smelled great! I still can't the vaseline out of the pillow case.

Toddler Bed Woes

Aidan will sleep anywhere but his toddler bed! A couple of weeks ago Ed and I decided to convert Aidan's crib to a toddler bed. We have one of those grow-with-me cribs that converts to a toddler bed then to a double bed. We thought no big deal; we'll just change out his crib and he will love his new big boy bed. I had read some articles about slowly introducing a toddler to a new bed. I thought Oh what do these people know- that sounds like too much trouble. Aidan will love his new bed and will continue to take naps and go nite-nite just as he always had. Who are these experts anyway? Well, apparently they are people who know what they are talking about! For about the past 2 weeks I thought I was going to loose my mind from lack of sleep and frustration with Aidan not wanting to sleep in his big boy bed. I really should have followed my friend Nicole's example. Her son Miles is Aidan's age. She had a big boy bed in his room while he still slept in his crib. She would gradually get him used to the idea of laying in the bed and staying in the bed. From what I read in her blog, her method is working. Alas, it took two weeks of sleepless nights (and days!) before the Wilkerson method started to work. The first night he saw his bed, he giggled and acted like he would hop right in and sleep in it. Then he got out and hopped in our bed. (I could hear that kid from the Simpsons in the background saying "Ha Ha.") As for taking a daytime nap in it, that was another struggle in and of itself. I felt like I was in the Ultimate Fighting ring. It was a test of strength, stamina and sheer will, and I had met my match. Who knew a 3 foot, 31 lb, curly headed boy in diapers would be such a worthy opponent!? As time went on, he slowly started to accept his bed. At night, it takes him about an hour to go to sleep, which is great because that's down from 2 to 2 1/2 hours. He gets up at 5:00 am and crawls in our bed..on my side of course. I'm the one he wakes up when his legs smack my face, and I can't go back to sleep. At least afternoon nap time is getting better. I bought some door covers and put them on the door knobs in his room so he can't escape. I covered his window with some quilts to make it nice and dark. I go through the whole nite-nite routine with him, put him in bed, and leave the room. For the past few days he has been playing with his toys and then falling asleep in his bed. Today I did the whole nite nite routine and left him alone. I heard him playing with his bulldozer and then after a few minutes it was quiet. Ah, quiet...sweet, sweet quiet! I checked on him and found him sound asleep in the floor right next to his bulldozer with his pillow and quilt keeping him warm and snug. You may ask, Did you move him to his bed? Heck no!!! I left him right where he was! I wasn't about to risk waking him up! Update on Conner: I bought some new cereal for him, and he loves it! And the spit up has ceased.