Starting something new

Well, we haven't left Colin in the crib to cry since Thursday night.

Friday we had a long busy day. I had a fabulous girl night and Ryan took Colin up the mountain. They didn't get back until a little after 10. He had fallen to sleep in his carseat and i took him out, nursed him and put him in his crib. He slept I think 3 hours, I nursed him again and put him in his crib where he slept another 2 or so. His next wake up was 4 and he wasn't feeling his crib. This has been the time of night/morning that we've had the worst time with the CIO, so I brought him to bed. You should have seen the joy in his face. He kept looking up at me like, REALLY? I get to come in bed again?  Lol He slept until 7.  I woke up feeling much better that day.

Last night was a bit of the same. I think he had a 4 hour stretch in his crib, marvelous in my book and then I took him to bed... he actually slept until 8:45 this morning and I was up at 7!

I also received a copy of the No Cry Sleep Solution. A book that gives other options to the CIO method. I am on page 136 already and I LOVE it. I feel like I could have written parts of it myself. It gives some good advice to teaching your child to sleep well on his own without crying. One of the things that we are going to work on is Colin's nursing to sleep. Yup, he still nurses to sleep most nights. The book says to unlatch them right before he falls asleep, when he starts flutter feeding and then pat his back. This teaches them that they don't need to nurse to fall asleep. That is one main thing I am going to work on with Colin because I swear he would spend half the night asleep... nursing and glued to my boob. I got so tired from his wakeups, that I resorted to just side laying nurse all night long.

Another thing I am going to do is try not to snuggle him as much when he is in our bed. Put him next to me, but not holding onto me and me holding onto him. I did that this morning at 6... he wiggled around a bunch, but never woke up. It will teach him that he can sleep independently, even beside me and also he won't smell me and want to nurse as often.

I'm only about half way through the book and I think I already have some good ideas to work on to try and get him to sleep better.... with out crying in his crib for hours.  I am really hoping I can raise an independent sleeper without both of us crying all night long. I just can't handle that emotionally and physically right now.

So wish us luck in this new process. The author of the book had a baby that woke up EVERY hour for his first year of life. Out of pure frustration she did a ton of research on other methods to fall asleep besides CIO. I forget the time frame she said, but she got her son to sleep 10 1/2 hours every night... while breastfeeding and cosleeping. I know every baby is different, but hearing her story gives me hope, in a good way that I haven't felt in awhile.  :)