About 3 weeks ago (right before he turned 6 months), my son actually started sleeping longer periods through the night. This is probably related to the fact that I moved his nursing schedule apart during the day, from 2 to 3 hours. Once, he finally goes to sleep, he now only wakes up 3 times in the night before getting up for the day. He was also doing a good job of falling asleep in his crib, but the last week…GAAAAAAAH!!!!!! He doesn’t want to be in his crib. Well, he’d be fine with it, if I were inside the crib too, and he keeps trying to pull me down next to him. Unfortunately, I’m just a wee bit large for the crib. I’m pretty sure I’d destroy it. I almost think he’s going through separation anxiety early, except he’s doing fine in the church nursery.

I’m not a big fan of the crying-it-out method. I’ve actually purchased a book called “The No-Cry Sleep Solution” by Elizabeth Pantley. I haven’t finished reading it, but I need to soon. Again. GAAAAAAAH!!!!!! One of the things that the book has stressed is helping babies wind down by giving them a calm environment before bed and sticking to a schedule. I’ll admit, I haven’t always done a good job of this, but I have to do something. It’s just ridiculous. I can’t spend 2-3 hours every night trying to get him to fall asleep. I’ll confess that there have been a few times where I’ve walked away and let him cry himself to sleep after 10 or 15 minutes. I felt horrible, but I knew that A. I’d only let it go on for 15 minutes. and B. He’d keep crying even if I was in the room with him. So what was the point? I can’t stay with him forever. I have a home to maintain. Things to do. I’m frustrated, because he’s not a newborn anymore, and he was doing so much better.

It’s not even the falling asleep that is a problem anymore. He’s started to cry and refuse to sleep after his nightly feedings. I can’t go back to co-sleeping. I was happy to do it while the SIDS risk was high, but to be honest…I slept like crap. If he was in bed with us, there was no room. My left arm was always hanging off the bed, and I was terribly uncomfortable. If he was in his bassinet, he still woke up constantly. Hubby’s snoring woke him up. Either of us getting up to use the bathroom woke him up. It was, frankly, ridiculous. I was so happy and thankful when we moved him to his crib, and he started sleeping longer…and so did I.

And just when you think it’s going well…. Baby says, “Pysche!!”        GAAAAAAAH!!!!!!

Hubby’s in Baby J’s room with him right now, and he’s screaming. Apparently Daddy doesn’t do the trick. He needs Mommy. So I guess I’ll go back in there. I think once I get him to go to sleep, that’s it for the night. I’m just going to bed. I have baby food to make, clothes to fold, the dishwasher to unload, etc. But it’ll just have to wait.