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We are unsure how to title this post. We have several options, and you can choose the best one:

#1 - Why We Shouldn't Share Walls with Neighbors (we need a real house on 10 acres of land)

#2 - You Think Your Kid is Stubborn?!?!?!? Be Comforted.

#3 - Zachary - The Untold Story

Zachary. Really, we love him to bits and pieces.

Seriously! Look at this kid!!! He is a super cute little boy and we would not trade him for anything in the world. There is not a day that goes by that I do not love coming home from work to see him or have Rachel and him visit me at work for lunch. He is the highlight of my day. Of course, every parent knows that there is a LOT that goes on behind the scenes that not many other people get to witness (except anyone in a 100 foot radius of our house...) But you do need to remember what color Zachary's hair is after all. That and his parents aren't exactly wishy washy in their commitments to anything....

So the last couple of nights Zachary has been waking up in the middle of the night. He never has been a great sleeper and we have constantly battled to get him to A- Go to sleep without crying, and B- Stay in his bed until a reasonable time in the morning. Anyone who has been at our place around Zachary's bedtime can attest to the first part of these two ideals. Yeah, for a couple of nights he has ended up sleeping in our room on his little Lightning McQueen bed/couch by the side of our bed. He has been cutting his molars and hasn't felt great so we bent and let him sleep there to feel better when he wandered in crying at midnight......Big mistake.

Here is a timeline for last night:

1AM - We wake up to hear Zachary crying in his room. I go check on him and he is crying because he cannot find his Thomas the Train bathtub toy that he sleeps with (Thanks Andrea :) ). So I find it and give it to him and he calms down. I go back to bed.

1:17AM - Zachary is crying again. I go to check on him and the door runs in to his little couch/bed that he is trying to push to our room to sleep on. I tell him that he needs to sleep in his own bed. The sky falls down and chaos ensues. He starts to scream. I tell him to calm down and put him in bed. Still screaming. "I want to sleep in your room." I crack and tell him I will sleep by his bed. He calms down.

2:30AM - Zachary is still wide awake. He tells me that he needs to go potty. I pull off his pull-up and find it soaked already. He goes potty (kind of...) and then goes back to his bed. I tell him that he needs to go to sleep and walk back to our room. Silence.

2:45ish AM - Screaming starts again. We are talking full out yelling. Sounds that would make the crypt-keeper on HBO proud. Rachel and I resolve to have him stay in his room or this will never end. More screaming. Clearly heard through a closed door, down a hallway and through our closed door.

3:50 AM - Still screaming. I have gone to his room and put him back in bed at least 5 times now. He will not reason. All he says is "I want to sleep in your room" and then continues screaming.

4:30 AM - Wondering if DCFS or our poor neighbors are going to end up on our doorstep. More screaming.

4:52 AM - Dad gives up and wonders if the compassionate love of a mother will work. Rachel goes and puts Zachary back in bed. Screaming again. Lower volume but still audible anywhere in Gateway Village.

4:57 AM - Rachel goes in a second time and talks to Zachary. He seems to have worn out but still is not happy. She tells him he needs to stay in his bed or we will just keep putting him back in. She also informs him that he is keeping the neighbors awake. He still cries. She retires to bed.

5:10 AM - Zachary falls asleep.

8:30 AM - Zachary wakes up singing songs and as happy as a lark. Dad gets up and makes German pancakes. Mom sleeps in.

11:50 AM - After braving most of sacrament meeting with a exhausted little boy who is ornery Rachel heads home to put Zachary to bed. See attached video footage......(you get a teeny tiny clue as to what the previous night was like).

After this he took a three and a half hour nap.

We are getting ready for bed here in a bit and Zachary is asleep in his room.

Wish us luck....