Big Girl Room Blues

Although her fancy new big girl room is two shades of purple, we are singing the blues in the Fisher household. Three nights ago after dinner we let riley into her big girl room a few hours before bed time so she'd have time to check it out and play before having to go to bed. She ran right to her bed and jumped up on it and hugged the pillow, than got off and checked out her "dress up station". We then pointed her to her cool new (my old one from childhood-still missing half of it in mom's attic!) kitchen set. And she was in love! I bought her a new pack of play food and plates/utensils to go with a few of the old ones i had growing up...she loved it all and was having a blast until it was time to go "night-night". We did our thing; brushed out teeth, put on jammies and read a bed time story (story of the week-going on month is Goldilocks (bowbilocks) and the Three bears (i almost have the entire thing memorized, i think josh too!), and said prayers. We tucked her in her "big girl bed" that we've been talking up for weeks, with her teddy bear and NO MORE PACIFIER!!! We've been preparing her for weeks that when she sleeps in a big girl bed she doesn't need or get a pacifier anymore, it stays in the crib etc. So as soon as we walked out the door, turning off lights she started to cry so we turned on her new "flower light" that is super dim on her wall. Still crying josh said he would lay with her and sing to her. He did this for awhile and she liked it. He got up and left and shut the door, she got hysterical, crying, sobbing, standing behind the door-she is not yet tall enought to open them. So after about 5 min. that's all i could handle, thinking how scared my "baby" is in a new room, no pacifier, etc etc. so i said ok i'll go lay with her. So i did for about ten min. she calmed right down and i got up and left while she was still awake, i kept the door slightly ajar and was praising us (me and josh) for a pretty successful first night! I was thinking this is good, she was still awake when i left so she can learn to fall asleep on her own, etc. She woke up at 5am the next morning crying so i ran in and found her in bed crying, i laid with her and fell asleep until 7:30.
Well the next day we didn't get to experience the nap because we were off doing other things. But night time rolls around, we do our thing. Teeth, jammies, goldilocks, prayer. We tuck her in, on goes the flower light, out we go with the door shut and OH MAN. Riley cried for an hour straight at her door. It was the hardest thing to hear, josh went downstairs and put on a movie so he wouldn't hear her and i took a bath-the water blocked her crying until it was time to shut it off. So hard to sit and try to relax when your poor baby is crying her heart out saying "mommy, where are you?!" But we did NOT give in, we don't want her thinking she needs us to fall asleep. She finally fell asleep behind her door, making it quite difficult to open it and put her in bed.
Nap time issues that day were kind of my fault. I tried to get her home on time to be in bed but she fell asleep the last ten min. in the car and woke up when i laid her in bed. She was UP! She wanted to do anything but lay in her bed. She played with all her toys when i shut the door, so i took out everything but her books. She rolled around on the ground with her books, made silly faces in her mirror and anything else but slept for 1hr 45 min. before i went and got her out of her room.
So that night, totally exhausted and feeling like such a CHEATER i took her to josh's 8:30 softball game, hoping she would fall asleep on the way home and we could lay her in bed...such a cheater, i know! Did she fall asleep on the way home though? No. But she only cried behind her door for five min. before falling asleep there. (i'm thinking about moving her bed behind the door somehow?)
Going to sleep i was totally motivating myself that starting today at nap time we are doing this "super nanny" or "nanny 911" style. I would sit by her bed and not talk or really look at her. If she got out of bed i would put her back. And i would do this for as long as it took for her to fall asleep.
Well today came and she ALMOST fell asleep on the car ride home, too easy i thought, so i kept her up until we got home. Changed her diaper and off we were. I was guessing it would be a 2hr battle, my mother in law guessed 1.5 hr and my dear brother in law guessed 30min! (oh i wish he was right) I laid her down and said it was nap time. I had my book with me and my phone on silent. I started to read to myself and she cried and climbed down over and over and over...funny thing is i think i saw one tear the entire time...what a faker! She did somersaults, head stands, you name it. I kept laying her down, ignoring her, putting her back in bed. I ignored her requests for her flower light, a t-shirt, her dolls, the potty, offering me a spot on the bed, etc. I was doing good, but as hour one fast aproached and she was still going strong i started to waver...i gave myself a pep talk and kept on. Josh called and needed some info right then and there so i had to run down stairs to grab my wallet and when i came back she was in the office so i spanked her butt and dragged her suddenly limp body to her bed. As i was texting josh the info she fell asleep on 1.5hr mark on the dot! Go mom in law :)
I plan on doing this each day and i'm hoping it will get shorter and shorter...tough to do though. we have a b-day party at her nap time tomorrow, then the next day is church which not so conviently starts at her nap time and monday i'm at work! What to do? I really have to have this sorted out before the new baby comes, which is super soons. I'm still brainstorming this and i'm sure i'll have another good story for you guys. I will post pictures of her new room asap too :)
Any suggestions would be wonderful!