WE WON!!!

HA! We actually won the bedtime battle last night.

I put the gate up in the doorway to the boys' room. Parker is concerned about this a little. I tell him, unless he can follow the bedtime rules the gate stays up. I think I am so smart! We go over the rules...books, prayers, hugs, kisses, no screaming...sleep. He nods his head at all of these. So I have Emmitt in our bedroom in the playpen because Parker is loud at bedtime. Parker asks for Emmitt back in his room...again, until you can follow the bedtime rules...no Emmitt. I swear he understands this! So after one hour of battles, singing songs, prayers, books, bathroom, water, etc...he is in his bed laying down. Ha got him now. So, I go to my room to read and check on Emmitt and what do I hear??? The gate bust open! That kid got through the gate! I couldn't believe it...now what do I do, I can't keep him in his room. Crap! He comes screaming/crying into our room, where I bolt to pick him up so he doesn't wake Emmitt up. Back through the routine of him in his bed and he wants daddy. So I get Bear upstairs to help me...He lays with Parker, and the minute he moves to get out of his bed, Parker is crying again! This has now been an hour and a half! It's 9 pm kid, go to bed!! We started at 7:30! We get him back in his bed and calmed down, trying to reason with a 2 year old is not working. I get back in my bed, knowing that Emmitt will be awake soon to eat so why bother sleeping. I hear Parker get through the tightened gate and come down the hallway, I pretend to be sleeping and he crawls up in my bed, steals my pillow, gets under the covers and tries to nuzzle into my armpit. I open my eyes and he smiles at me sooo sweetly...I ask what are you doing in mommy and daddy's bed? He shrugs his shoulders still smiling! I ask where is daddy supposed to sleep? He says, in my bed with Emmitt. Arg! Now what? So I get Bear back upstairs and we put Parker back in his bed kicking and screaming full all out tantrum. We know the gate doesn't work so we shut his door. I should probably mention that I installed the doorknob incorrectly and the door currently has the one knob and not the other, conveniently for us, the one side is the outside, so Parker has nothing to grab onto to open the door and is basically locked in his room. Is that considered illegal? I don't know. So Bear and I watch through the peek hole in the door as Parker throws a tantrum and then...by God, puts himself in his bed, covers up and falls asleep. We are giggling in the hallway at his tantrum and pushing each other out of the way so the other can look through the hole! It is now 9:30 and both kids are sleeping...that is until I wake Emmitt up to feed him one more time. It works, I feed him at 10 pm and he sleeps until 2:30 am, feed him again and he sleeps until 6:30. Which I should mention that Parker slept all night long, in his bed, with the door shut until 7 am! Ahhh, I feel so refreshed.