Aby VS Big Girl Bed

So for the past couple of weeks I have been putting Aby in her 'big girl bed'- just a twin sized day bed that my sister left behind when she moved to Toronto recently to be with her boyfriend and to start her new career as a hair stylist.  We had 3 at one point, all the same, but this is the only left in the area that we own.  One was sold to a family friend, the other is in Toronto with Kell (though I'm sure she doesn't need it, cough cough, hint hint) and this was the only one still here.  We brought it over, put it in the big room so that the crib is now free to have my newest addition.

Well, you would think that I was asking Aby to sleep on a bed of nails, covered with a blanket of scorpions.  The first was a novelty week, going smooth as silk for both her naps in the afternoon and her bedtimes.  But since then, it's progressively just gotten worse and I just can't figure out why.  And it's starting to worry me as my pregnancy draws to a close and I am start to think about the labour and afterwards.  Yesterday and today have been just sheer nightmares- both at nap time and when she is to go down for the night.

Naps are no longer in her bed.  For the past week, I have been going down with her in my own double bed.  I pull the drapes across and then snuggle next to her.  Seemed to be okay the first couple of days but now I'm worried that I've created a monster- now her naps HAVE to be in my bed and I CANNOT leave, at all.  I have to go down with her or she gets up and starts to fuss.  And, by that point, nap time is a bust and she ends up for the day and much more crankier than she would have been if she had just caved and given into the urge to sleep.  Right now, I don't have a problem napping with her, as I am usually tired by the same time and nap refreshes my system.  But, once Izzy is here, I cannot afford to do that- if Izzy is up, then I have to be up and Aby has to figure out that it is nap time and fall asleep on her own

Bedtimes are a nightmare.  The typica routine is that she goes to my parent's place, plays, eats something if it is early enough, takes a bath there and then comes home- pajamaed and ready for bed.  I will usually take her, either with the bottle of milk given to her or make one myself, and just put her down in her bed.  She then would go down, I have had nearly 2 years of no problems at bed time.  I guess I can figure that karma has come to bite me in the rump roast, as now, instead of going down and falling asleep within minutes, I am left with a child that is screaming and crying so hard that I don't think she even realizes she has pushed the limits of exhaustion.  I don't know what do- tonight, we tried the routine that, yes, I have seen on SuperNanny.  I go in the first time, tell her 'bedtime', put her down, say 'good night' and then leave.  Second time, less talk and put her down.  Third time she is up and out and fussing, I don't say a word and just put her down.  Let's just say, I probably would have continued that all night with no give- she was that upset and finally, in her hysterics, she fell out of bed (no injury, don't worry).

By that point, my husband, who is home on the final portion of his 2 week compassionate leave and heading back to base to rectify his parental leave on Thursday, picked her up and she proceeded to fall asleep as we were in our darkened room and discussing what was going on.  His mother has suggested just putting her back in the crib for naps and he was wanting to try and put her back in the crib for the night.  It's been raised for Izzy, so not the most ideal for a toddler unafraid just climb out, but he was willing to give it a shot.  I was a little more hesitant, as I see that as giving in.  I see myself having even harder times down the road, trying to get Aby used to being in a bigger bed.  Yes, we could get a second crib but, really, what are we essentially teaching her?  Fight hard enough on something you don't want, that scares you or whatever, and you will get your way eventually.  It will have effects on anything else we try to get her changed from.

Maybe I'm being stubborn myself, I don't know anymore. For once, since having Aby, I am so confused and lost as what to do and how to handle this.  Aby has been a good child, never causing many situations where I feel like I don't know what to do or what a possible solution is.  I'm not saying I've never asked questions or that I know everything, I just felt like things rectified themselves easy enough.  Now I'm paying for it and ironically just weeks before my second daughter is due to enter the world.  And it's scaring me to the bone- am I able to even do this?  How am I going to take care of a toddler AND an infant?! How did other people, like my mother, do it? And what about when Chuck ISN'T on parental and has to be separated from us for his training once again?

Now I'm second guessing my strength to do this.  I just wish this would go like it does in my head- smoothly, no issues.  Aby just gets used to her bed and stops fighting it.  I have my baby and I have two girls, happy where they sleep.

Anyways, those are my thoughts for the night....*sigh*