Connor, the boy rarely sleeps. (And his knackered Mum!)

Hello!!  I didn't post yesterday because I was so knackered I fell asleep on the sofa. I'm having a serious battle of wills with Connor.
Connor is a stubborn, rambunctious little monster. He has always been a terrible sleeper. He is three in January and I think, no I know,  he has slept through the night a grand total of 4 times. That's like once every 26 and a half weeks... Roughly.
As a newborn he would wake every single damn hour for a feed and my poor boobs would be rock solid, he wouldn't always take a full feed every time just fancied waking me up I spose! As a baby he would wake at least 3 times every night. I've spent many an hour pacing up and down with him humming twinkle twinkle little star or the mockingbird song.. But with my own take on the lyrics

"Hush little Connor don't you cry
You won't sleep no matter what I try
Why oh why don't you sleep Connor James
You are driving your mummy insane??!"

Ha! The last year or so he has been pretty good. Him and Danny go to bed between 6:30 and 7. Danny won't wake until about 6am (7am is classed as a huge massive lay in in this house, and very very rarely happens!) Connor would wake up about 3/4 am want a drink and sneak into our bed. I didn't mind this too much because we would all be up in a few hours anyways and it's nice for Craig to have a little cuddle with him before he gets up for work (he starts at 6.30).
Recently however, he has been coming in earlier and earlier, to the point when he was trying to get in at about 11 when me and Craig were going to bed. Danny was also sneaking in too. Na uh dudes. We have a king size bed but with two kids in their you will never have enough room for you all, and constant blows to the kidneys and tiny toes in your spine does not equal a good night's sleep!
With Craig being off work for 9 days I saw this as my opportunity to gain back some  control... and bedspace!! I asked the boys to both choose a new duvet set. Danny chose an Olaf one,  Connor a hulk. We cut the picture out of the Argos book and made a sticker chart. The idea being if they stay out of Mummy's bed and sleep in their own beds they gain a sticker. 10 stickers and they get their chosen duvet set.  I chose 10 because it wasn't too many, but enough to break the habits and start a new one!
Night one, Danny slept straight through gets a sticker.  Connor woke up and snuck (commando style between me and Craig) into our bed. By the time I'd woken up he had been in there 3 hours so no sticker for sneaky Connor!
Second night I psyched myself up for a battle and shut our door. So that when he tried to get into our room he would wake me up. Wow, that child is stubborn. In all the supernanny and three day nanny episodes i've ever watched the kid lasts about an hour, tops. Two and a half hours later he finally falls asleep in his own bed, me holding his hand, asleep sitting up. I woke up and snuck back into bed for another hour and a half before Danny woke me up (waaaah) Luckily Craig took over and they went and made breakfast together which was lovely, but Craig's apparent ability to sleep through it all (yeah right!) would be lovelier! Connor did get his first sticker because although he had been a buggar, he hadn't got in our bed at any point and I wanted to motivate him a bit.

Last night wasn't a battle, it was a war!! He woke up at 12:10 with his war face on. He was sick of my crap and wanted to reclaim his spot inbetween his loyal slave providers and he was willing to fight for it. Thing is, I was of the same mindset, and I have 23 years of experience of being a stubborn git on him!  After an hour and a half of taking him back to bed, holding his hand, cuddling him back to sleep. I would then go back to my own bed, he then deployed a torture method to try and break my resolve. He would let me lull myself into a false sense of victory, leave me to drift off for about 15-20 mins into that nice, warm comfy sleep and then bang he was there smiling...  SMILING!!!!  at me. After an hour and a half I had become weak and was about to surrender. I sent in the calvary.
Connor defeated Daddy in 45 minutes. He had pulled out the emotional blackmail and targeted his weaknesses. A few little snuggles and a well placed sob and he was victorious.
However!  All was not lost, as during Daddy's brave attempt, I had managed to regain my composure and get a little down time. I was back, and ready to face another battle. By loosing his almost conquered Daddy and wasting all his efforts on him. He knew he had to pull something big with me. He went into a full rage. Threw all his teddies on the floor and screamed and screamed. I was secretly smiling, thinking that's right, use up all your energy! At that point he was lost in his anger, I just sat quietly in his room. Ignoring his behaviour and desperately trying to decide what to do next! I wasn't going to hold his hand or cuddle him or get in his bed because as soon as I moved he would wake up. He is apparently superhuman and has a continual run of constant energy (the previous night he had been up for hours, we had been at the zoo running about all day and he hadn't napped at any point, yet here he is 3 and a half hours in and still fighting!?)
Then he stopped screaming, sat down and bowed his little head. He cried, but a real sad cry. My mummy instinct kicked in and I hugged him, so tightly. I kissed his little head and told him Mummy and Daddy love him very much, but he needs to sleep in his own little bed now. He nodded his little head and I laid him down and tucked him in. He said night night mummy (it's 4am. It's morning now!!)  I sat away from his bed but so he could still see me until I could hear his breathing turn to that deep calm breathing he does when he's asleep, that breathing I've laid and watched him doing countless times. I kissed his cheek and left. He woke me up a few hours later (smiling again!!)  and we went downstairs to make breakfast (and a very strong coffee!)
He was very pleased with his hulk sticker again this morning and said he will stay in his bed tonight to get another. I still gave him a sticker because this is a massive change to him, I'm not willing to lock hin in his room or make myself unavailable to him by locking my room or putting up  a stair gate or anything like that because a.I can't deal with that, he's my baby! And B. I think that would frighten him and he would create bad associations with his room and bed. Maybe I'm a sap,but him his Mum and he's my boy. Although he may be waking me up and mucking about he has not got into our bed.
 I'm hoping last night was a breakthrough and I'm in for an easier ride tonight!  I hope. The bags under my eyes have turned to dark circles and I'm milk bottle pale. He went to sleep with no issues so fingers and toes crossed!
Even though he's a total little toad he's still my cheeky, bumbly, gorgeous little scrump monster.. Plus I can enjoy getting my own back on him in his teenage years!

                            

 

                  

This really reminded me of Connor!! 

I shall keep you posted!
Thanks for visiting!
XxxxX