Relief

After the afternoon nap that began pretty hectic but ended up with good results Dave and I were hoping Ava would go to bed last night with at least similar results and potentially a full nights sleep.

At 8pm I announced it was bed time and Ava and Olivia ran up the stairs to have their teeth brushed. Once they were finished we tucked Olivia into her bed, said her prayers, and gave her kisses. Next up- Ava. I could see this going either way so I was practicing patience and deep breathing. Dave had to finish working so it was up to me to make this happen.

Ava hopped right into her bed and lined up all of her babies while clutching her lovey. In went the thumb and I kissed her goodnight. I told her I was going to my room and I'd come back and check on her in 5 minutes. As I turned my back and headed quickly for the door I was expecting the wailing to begin. Huh. I had made it to my room without any crying. That's weird I thought but it will happen any minute...

...or maybe not.

10 minutes later I went to check on Ava and she was snuggled in her bed sucking her thumb surrounded by her stuffed animal family. I gave her a kiss and told her I would come back in 5 more minutes and check on her again. About 30 minutes later I entered her room and found her snoring away like a big girl with her lovey tightly gripped in her fist. She made it to sleep in her big girl bed all by herself. I was and am very proud of her. She slept the entire night without waking up. Best of all- WE slept the entire night without waking up at all. What a relief.