And it has made all the difference...

I'm very very very very very very protective about Ellie's naps.

1. She is a crank monster without one!
2. It took a lot of heartache for her to learn to sleep on her own!
3. Once she's awake, she does not go back to sleep!
4. She is a light sleeper!
5. She wakes up at the buttcrack of dawn!
6. She is a crank monster without one!

So I turn off the phone and play her usual "sleepy" scenes from Snow White exactly 15 minutes before she needs to go down. And heaven forbid Chloe makes any noise or if the neighbor is cutting his grass! While she's watching, I run upstairs to her room to make sure the temperature is just warm enough but a little cold so she will snug under the blanket. I pull the blinds, cover the curtains, and head back downstairs. By this time, Chloe (our dog) has already gone upstairs and plopped her stinky self on my bed for her own nap. Ellie has watched half of the "sleepy" scenes. I sit in the usual chair with her usual blanket or Arthur doll (she changes dolls every month...cheater!). Then, like a magnet, she asks to be picked up by the end of the scene. I give her the blanket/doll and we head upstairs. We say goodnight to the seven dwarves, to Chloe, and the lights. I play a little music on her cd player, rock her a bit, put her in the crib, cover her, and say, "I love you." And then I leave and close the door. She falls asleep happily.

Yesterday, we did the same thing, except when I put her down, she got back up and wailed! She was happy the entire day, until now. I kissed her head and left the room. More crying. Ten minutes later, there was silence. Ten minutes later, there was crying again. Ten minutes later, there is silence. Forty minutes later, there is more crying. I suspected something was wrong and went to her room. I pick her up and a smirky smile forms on her face!

Today, we did the same thing except she went to sleep peacefully with her blanket, Arthur, and a big foamy letter "T". Our neighbor is cutting his grass and Chloe has barked several times within an hour. Not a peep from Ellie. She sleeps soundly.

What was the difference? Only God knows and He will never tell! Ha ha ha!