As you all know, my baby is growing up and just recently turned two. With Destiny I thought two was an awesome age (3 was terrible, but 2 was an awesome time). With much digging in of my heels, I recently decided to convert Hailee's bed into a toddler bed. Until this time, she never even tried to climb out of bed, even though she climbs on everything else. I have been fortunate. I made the conversion, though, because she had loosened all of the screws to the point of not being able to tighten them. She did this with her jumping in her bed while holding onto the railing! I just felt her bed was becoming dangerous and I knew that someday she would try to climb out. The first day I converted the bed, I did so after nap time and she went to sleep like a charm! Now, I have to tell you, Hailee has always been an awesome sleeper! After putting her to bed, she has always gone to sleep and usually is found in the same position the next morning, when you go to wake her up. She goes to bed between 8:00 and 9:00. (9:00 is a late night), like clockwork and usually wakes up between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning and takes a 1-3 hour nap! Now, if you do the math, she is only awake about 9 hours a day, which really makes it seem as though you don't even have a child!! I am a very realistic thinker and know that this won't last forever and have waited for the day that she would stay up later, stop naps, wake up earlier...or all of the above! You also should know that I have experienced both ends of the spectrum! Destiny was a horrible sleeper even from birth! We would swaddle her (which she hated). The day she was born, she squirmed out of the swaddle made for her by the CRMC nurses and couldn't be held down to sleep since. We would hold her arms only to have her start wiggling her leg to stay awake and once the leg was held, she would move her head back and forth! Once that was all restrained, she would move a finger! We would run a blow dryer for white noise and eventually with restraint, rocking and white noise she would eventually fall alseep! Just in time for our next door neighbor to rev up his race car that he worked on in his back yard, which would start the whole process again!! So, don't think I am lucky to have a great sleeping baby...I have had my share!
Now, Hailee has developed her own will now! She isn't a baby anymore. I can't feed her when it's my will or change her diaper when I want to! I also can't make her sleep when I want her to!! OR CAN I? So with the transition to the toddler bed, she also realizes she can get in and out when she pleases! She does great at bedtime, but naptime is a challenge!! She is testing her limits! I will tell her it is nap time and she will violently shake her head and tell me "No". So, even though I hate to read, I am reading the Strong-Willed Child. I started it two days ago and have learned so much! I have a great time to read (I lay down beside Hailee's bed to keep her in it and during this time, I read... hopefully this book will give me some insight on how to handle Hailee's defiant behaviour).
Here is Hailee yesterday. I was laying beside her bed, to keep her in it. I told her to go to sleep and she told me "no" and threw her teddy bear and kitty kat at me (which I took away).
I told her to closer her eyes and go to sleep!
She covered them with her hand, but kept her eyes open!!I told her to lay down...
And finally, I told her to stay in bed....
Now, just so you know, she never did actually get out of bed, but you talk about defiance!! This is sheer defiance!! Just so you know, she did eventually take about an hour nap! Eventually, I will have control of the defiance without breaking that sweet little spirit!! 
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