Somtimes all it takes is a donut.

Julia has been in a big bed since her birthday in June. For weeks she stayed in the bed as if it were her crib. She wouldn't even get out in the morning - she'd call for us that she was awake just as she did before. Then some kind of revelation came to her and she saw how easy it was to get in and out of bed on her own. Finally, she could see what Mom and Dad were up to after her lullaby and bedtime prayer.

It was time for incentives, some positive reinforcement. So we tried a sticker chart. It is simply a picture of a bed with a sectioned path that leads to a picture of the reward. The first time it was an ice cream cone. Next it was some fairy dress-ups I bought from the Target $1 Spot. And the latest was a donut with sprinkles. (The sections on the path have increased in number with each chart. At first it was only 5.)

The charts weren't an immediate hit. Sometimes she would say, "Me just don't care, Mom." But as she is understanding that we don't mess around with bedtime, and she has reaped the chart rewards a few times, lately any bedtime defiance has definitely become the exception. It's heavenly.

So most every morning I happily remind her that she stayed in bed and gets to choose a sticker for the chart. It's a good system for now. I get just about excited as she does when she reaches the reward at the end of the path. (Because I am proud of her, of course. But it doesn't hurt that I get to share a donut with Gabe too.)

Anyway, below are some pictures of the celebratory outings. Check out the frozen yogurt she put together. The video is an interview after the donut outing. Anybody have any more ideas for small but substantial rewards? This girl will get to that coloring book on the new chart before we know it.