What's mine is mine...and the rest...well, it's all mine, too!

We believe in co-sleeping, especially in the first year. For us, having our babies sleep with us allows everyone to get more sleep and limits the amount of night time wakings. I never thought I'd be the "co-sleeping" type, and always said "I'd let my child cry it out" - well, that was B.C or before children.

When Mairead was an infant, she loved to sleep in our bed. She was usually pretty good about going to sleep in her own crib, but in the middle of the night, she almost always ended up in our bed. Once Lilah was due to arrive, we knew we had to do something because we had a queen size bed. I refused to kick Kevin out and it was unsafe to have all 4 of us in the same bed. We bought this cot from walmart and taught Mairead that when she came into our room, she had to go into the cot, not our bed. It took a little bit of time, and we started by putting the cot right up next to our bed. It worked like a charm! 

As she got older, we kept the cot set up in our room. There were some mornings that she'd be in the cot and we would never even know she was there! It was heaven! She was happy and we were getting sleep - a win-win situation all around! 

Fast forward 4.5 years later. We still have a cot - two to be exact. We keep one set up in our room for any of the kids or when we have guests. Well, since Mairead & Lilah have been sharing a room, Mairead has been coming into our room about 6am, which is fine, as she gets more sleep! Last night, Lilah asked if she could have a turn in the cot. How could we say no? Lilah has never ever ever ever asked to come into the cot, so into the cot she went. Well, Mairead woke up at 415am and saw Lilah was not in her bed. She knew exactly where Lilah was and she was NOT happy. Let's just say she had a fit for 1.5 hours, woke up every living being and I was not a happy camper. To Mairead, the cot is hers, always has been her territory, and always will be...well at least that is what she thinks. 

Aghhhh.....the joys of having a moody 4.5 year old who thinks the world revolves around her! Her behavior has been tough lately. It's good to know that she isn't the only one who is going through such growing pains. She throws fits when she doesn't get her way, no matter what time of the night it is. It's been a struggle and not giving in is the toughest. We try to explain to her that we all care and share in this house, and since we are a "large" family, sharing is very, very important. To be 4 again and think that her sister sleeping in the cot is the worst thing that anything could ever happen!