If you’ve been reading my blog for the past four years you know that my youngest barely ever stays in his bed all night. He makes his way down to my bed about 6 out of 7 nights a week. We have been at the place where we truly thought the cycle was ending, like here when he was two. Then we said to ourselves, “He’s turning three, he’ll stop.” Sometimes I would return him to his bed, and other nights we were just too tired. Then there were the nights that he was so stealth that we didn’t notice he came in until he was out cold and his boney little foot was jabbing us in the ribs. “When he turns four,” we said. Then it was, he’s going into kindergarten, it will stop. Then there was some bribery and a chart with stickers. His sleeping in his bed was sporadic. At most, he did five nights in a row…the best sleep I’ve had in four years.

He’s six now. It needs to be over. We were swimming the other night at my brother-in-laws and Finn put in a request for a diving board. My brother-in-law replied, “Ha! Start sleeping in your bed all night!” GAME ON. They made a bet and none of us adults thought it would ever happen. 10 NIGHTS IN A ROW. Sleeping in his bed ALL night.

We started getting excited when he reached day 3.

And then 4. And then 5.

Then we started getting nervous when he reached night 8. Would Uncle Jimmy really have to follow through with this bet?Then 9 happened.

We’ve had some fun banter over the past week and a half, tormenting Uncle Jimmy daily, because we know he really doesn’t want to get a diving board. None of us ever thought Finn would pull it off. There was no way!

His brothers have been cheering him on. They gave him a great pep talk on his last night. “You can do this Finnegan!!”

NIGHT TEN. The little guy did it. Now where should Uncle Jimmy put this diving board? Hmmm.