Hallelujah

Miracles happen to those who believe. . .

And just like that Danny is sleeping through the night!!

I don't even know what happened. We have been trying for a while, but nothing worked.

Danny has co-slept with us since he was six-months-old. Out of necessity we had to allow this, even though we weren't happy with it. When he was six-months we didn't have a room for him, so his crib was in our room. You can't exactly ignore a baby who wakes in the middle of the night when you are in the same room, the baby will NOT go back to sleep if he can see you. So there we were, co-sleeping. When he finally got his own room around ten months he continued to wake at the same time every night. I could have broken the habit then I suppose, but being a full-time student meant that I was completely exhausted, and frankly couldn't spare to lose any sleep at night trying to get him back to sleep.

Fast forward to graduation and the desperate attempts to get him to stop coming to our bed in the middle of the night began. I couldn't really imagine him coming to our bed while having a newborn and it not screwing up his schedule and making my life a living hell. He was stubborn, an in the last month I gave up. I pretty much decided that he could sleep in our bed till he was ten if that is what was going to happen. I would take it all as it came, but I was just too darn tired to keep trying.


And now he sleeps through the night. Other that one night in the last two weeks (after a nightmare) he came to our room. He loves to come get me in the morning and get praise for staying in his bed like a big boy. I don't know what changed for him, but husband and I are both thrilled, for obvious reasons. I feel better about life in general knowing that I can nurse our daughter all night (if she EVER decides to be born), without disturbing Danny and his schedule.

I will admit to being slightly sad. It is just another reminder that my child is growing up so fast, and doesn't need me in every little way. I know this is part of life, and I need to get over it, but I don't think it will ever be easy to watch my children grow up and begin to need me less and less.

Bedtime?

This is where I am at right about now. I might run out and buy this book, if nothing else it might make me laugh.

We have a great routine in our house, pretty much all day long we follow a routine. We have had a great bedtime routine since Danny was about two months old. We never rush, just take our time after dinner. We have bath time, gentle play time, lots of stories, prayers, a song, kisses then bed. I honestly don't think we could have a better routine down.

But for some reason, no matter what we do, the child has to protest when we finally put him in his bed, his twin bed, there is no keeping him in there. When my husband puts Danny to sleep, he gets up once, or twice crying, then accepts it and goes to bed. When I put him to bed, like I am (trying to) tonight, and will for at least the next three weeks while my husband works midnight shifts, the child goes completely nuts on me. He runs to his door, screaming for "dada," who isn't here, by the way, and cries cries cries. He even pounds on the door. Honestly, if we didn't live in a condo I would take a walk around the block and just let him pass out, but I'm afraid my neighbors would have us evicted.

I can follow the doctors instructions on how to get him past this, I can follow my friends advice, my own instincts and even suggestions from the "baby experts." But NOTHING has been able to break my kid from this habit. The worst part is (for me), that he is a thousand times worse when I put him in his bed, rather than his dad.

This blog post is the only thing keeping me from giving in and laying with him till he falls asleep.

I wont do it. I wont do it. I wont do it.

Not only do I want/need bedtime to be less dramatic (who wants their kids to cry themselves to sleep??), but I NEED him to stop waking in the middle of the night and coming to our bed.I keep imagining trying to nurse a newborn in the middle of the night, while my husband is working, and my son is crying at the food of the bed because he wants up. I'm not against co-sleeping, it is the only way we survived our songs first year, but enough is enough. I want my bed back!!

If anyone out there wants to send me strong mom dust and sleeping powder I would greatly appreciate it.

Go the !@#$ to sleep, my love.

My day started at 4:30