Lizzy's Big Girl Bed

Oh, the big girl bed...not too excited about it!  A while back we had converted Lizzy's crib to a toddler bed because we figured since we were potty training her, she should be able to get out of bed on her own.  Well, Jason went out of town for a week for work and I put an end to that pretty quickly and she was back in the crib.  The thing is...she was getting out like every minute and it was driving me absolutely insane.

Well now, Jason promised Lizzy that if she pooped on the potty, he would get her a big birl bed...not even a toddler bed.  And wouldn't you know it...she pooped on the potty and just like that, Jason converted her bed to a full size bed.  So now, it's not so easy to just put the crib back up...in fact, it's impossible.  And now, she really is driving me crazy.  She has been going to sleep between 10:30 and 11:00 pm every single night.  She comes out of her room constantly (Sydney never did this).  In fact, I don't think Sydney realized she could even get out of bed.  She would  holler for me every morning to come and get her...it was quite nice!  But Lizzy comes in and we try to be all "Super Nanny" and not talk to her, but she makes it so darn hard.  We try to just pick her up and put her in bed without saying a word until finally she falls asleep.  But, she when she comes in my room, she makes the cutest little faces and says the funniest things, that it's hard for me not to laugh and then she just thinks this whole bed time thing is a joke.  When she comes in my room (or downstairs), she starts singing me songs, like "rock-a-bye mommy" and I can't help but laugh.  Just last night she came out of her room with a suitcase and said she was going to Grandma Sharon's.  Basically, it's a new story every time she comes out of her room.
 
The bottom line is...although she's growing up and the bed is all cute and everything...I hate this no sleeping thing!  It takes away from my "me time" at night!  Oh, and let's not even talk about the morning when she comes out of her room at the crack of dawn.  This phase better end soon!  I'm thinking that room darkening shades might be a possible solution...I'll try anything!