The story of sleep

Co-sleeping has come to an end for us as Austin wasn't falling asleep next to me as usual.  For the past 4 weeks it has taken anywhere from 2 to 3 hours a night to get Austin to sleep.  I wasn't sure what brought on this change and it was exhausting.

And it was frustrating.  So frustrating that I wanted to strangle myself, and then hopefully be committed to a mental hospital just so that I wouldn't have to struggle with getting Austin to sleep each night. 

It was beyond frustrating.  I was almost, completely, 100% positive he would not go into his crib without a throwdown first.  But we had to try it - for my sanity and Scooter's.  

So, last Friday I finally started decorating Austin's room, and cleared the inside of his crib, fresh clean sheets, his blanket and sock monkey, "I'm ready.  And sad to give up the co-sleeping."  

"It's better for us and for Austin though," said Scooter.

So, after his bath, reading a couple of books and telling Austin, "Ok, it's time to go in your crib, but mommy and daddy will be right down the hall",  we made the plunge.  Placing Austin in the crib, I was expecting the fiery depths of Hell to raise up and eat us all for dessert. 

He did cry and whine, but was more pissed than anything. 

But, wait.  No fiery depths of Hell?  Huh? 

I went and checked on him.  He cried a bit more.  10 more minutes...

Checked on him again, he tried handing me his binky as if to say, "I'll even give you my binky!  Just get me out of here."  Ugh.  "It's ok Boo, I love you. You are doing great!"

15 more minutes... I checked in on him, but his crying was more of a whine. Then let another 15 minutes pass.

All was quiet on the western front.

I looked at Scooter.  Then tip-toed to Austin's room - I could here him quietly rustling, trying to get settled in. 

Then - nothing. 

It was 7:22pm.

45 minutes later.  Still nothing.  Oh but how I was buckling down for many wake-ups in the middle of the night.

4 hours later.  Nothing.

I went in to make sure he was still alive and breathing.  Yes, he was still alive with his sock monkey being used as a pillow.

I couldn't sleep well that night, just waiting for him to wake up screaming wondering where we were I mean, after all he'd been sleeping in our bed most nights, all night.

3am - nothing.  5 am nothing. 

All night without a peep. 

6:30am I went in there and he was just stirring, getting ready to open his eye.  And he woke up with a big smile on his face.  Well rested and ready to start the day. 

The rest of the nights have been this way - all week.  He will cry and whine for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, but then settles down into blissful sleep.  It is pure heaven.  Not a peep all night.

His naptimes have been so easy as well.  12:30pm - 2:30pm solid.  Sometimes until 3pm depending if he had a busy morning.  

I do miss snuggling next to his baby skin while sleeping and him lightly caressing my arm in the middle of the night for comfort.  I know that everything is a phase and that it will all pass... which is why I just enjoyed the co-sleeping while it lasted.  Even though we never really were able to watch movies in our room, or read without fear of waking up Austin sleeping in his Pack N Play next to the bed.  I knew it would all pass and always remembered that he would not be a baby forever. 

Austin gave us the queue that he was ready to move into his own room, into his own space.  I seriously thought it was going to be a huge, tiring, exhausting battle-of-the-wills.  It wasn't.  I belong to an Attachment Parenting Group where I asked, "Was this sleep training?  Or was this Austin's way of telling us he was ready to sleep on his own?"  The answer, "It's not sleep training when you are taking queues from your child. He was ready!" 

It feels good to have more "me time" and more time with Scooter in the evening.  We are all better rested and a lot less frustrated these days - which is nice!