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Isaac slept through the night last night!
I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened since he grew out of his “I’m the perfect sleeper” stage at about 2 months old.
And it is amazing how good I feel!
I didn’t want to collapse while putting on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off Joseph’s batman costume!
I didn’t have to eat chocolate to survive the morning!
Well, okay, I HAVE eaten chocolate this morning, but I didn’t HAVE to eat it- you see?
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This means that a thought has been a brewin’ in my head.
Maybe, maybe it is time to loosen the ole apron strings….
wait…tighten the apron strings…
tighten the purse strings… what is the saying?
In any case, what I am trying to say is that perhaps it is time for me to steer Isaac firmly into more “Independent sleep habits.”
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I have never been able to let my kids “Cry it out.”
I am NOT judging you if you do it- in fact I admire you. You are a tough cookie, and I wish that I could do it too.
But hearing him cry makes me physically ill.
Sweaty, anxious, stomach in knots, I practically sprint into his room to scoop him up.
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I try to tell myself, “Well, Caitlin, he is fine. It’s okay. He is just going to have to cry.”
And then the second he does what I call a three-tiered cry (not just “Waaaah” but “waaa-haaaaa-haaaaaaaaa!” ) I cave.
I snuggle, I bounce, I stroke his head, I nurse him a million times until he is finally asleep.
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The other night I went to nurse Isaac when he cried at 2 AM, fell asleep (My name is Caitlin and I can sleep while someone sucks on my boob) and woke up at 4 AM to find him STILL nursing.
So, we may have a bit of a dependency issue.
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From now on, I think I am going to try to be just a teensy bit tougher.
Like making him cry for 5 minutes instead of 3.
Or 4 minutes maybe.
And only letting him nurse ONCE before bed, and not over and over until he falls asleep.
Okay, fine, TWICE!
Baby steps, people! Baby steps!
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All I am trying to say is that I think I am ready.
CUT the apron strings! That’s it! That is the saying!
But doesn’t that sound a bit harsh?
Let’s stick with just loosening them a little.
6 comments:
Baby steps. It's hard. Apart of why I don't want more kids is because I don't want to go through all that again. It's hard. Even I let my kids cry it out and it's hard on me. Good luck. Try making Brian get up and put the pacifier back in. That worked really well for us.
I don't miss those days at all. My boys were both bad, bad sleepers. Probably because I caved so easy and they new it.
Oh and we have Batman in our house these days also but our batman has a special twist, he also sports cowboy boots.
I could never let me kids cry either. So they ended up sleeping though the night, oh about last week. ;)
Do whatever works for you.
I couldn't do the "cry it out" method either, which is why the Little One slept in our bed until he was 3 (he slept through the night if he slept in there. It was a long process to get him out but I was all about getting sleep.)
I think you need to do whatever works best for you.
I could never let my kids cry. I'm too much of a pushover. I say keep doing your best. And those baby steps will keep happening even when those kids are teens! Adorable pictures. He's getting so big!
That face, those eyes, those cheeks, the whole package. I couldn't let the little pipsqueak cry either.
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