We have our nights back...

Brock and Steve are really close. Brock loves to snuggle with Steve and will wait up for Steve until he comes in to say goodnight and talk. The problem is that Steve sometimes can't get to bed until 10 pm and Brock was forcing himself to stay up. We had noticed this becoming a problem but didn't realize how bad it had gotten until my mom came to visit and she read Brock books at 8 pm. Brock then asked her to leave his room because he was waiting for Daddy to come in and snuggle. That night, he was up until 9:30 pm. Because he has been staying up later and later, his personality during the day is not nice. I was seriously paying the consequences for his lack of sleep. So we have made the change. It wasn't easy but it was positive for everyone. Brock started earning "stars" when he would stay in his bed after we read him books and he was to fall asleep on his own without Daddy. The first night was loud, but he stayed in his bed. The second night, he stayed in his bed but read books until 9:30 pm. The third night, books again until 9:00 pm. So, I learned not to expect him to be asleep as soon as we leave the room but as long as he is in his room and quiet, we have succeeded. It has been almost 3 weeks and the star chart is not a necessity and he even turns out his night light when he is done reading his books and goes to sleep. The fact that Steve and I actually get to watch a tv show together at 8:30 pm is a nice benefit. This whole change has worked really well, especially since Brock has decided that he doesn't need a nap in the afternoons anymore. Unfortunately, his attitude is not so great without the nap. These transitions stink.