Right now, as I blog, I am letting Caroline "Cry it Out." Don't judge me. I know many parents are very against this methodology. They believe that this could-in fact-harm the child and cause them not to trust the parent. It has worked for us and many friends of ours, though, and I thought that it was time I give it a try.
When Brooke was born she was never a good sleeper. She was in and out of our bedroom for 15 months until I finally couldn't take it any longer and took her to a sleep therapist-bet you didn't know they existed huh (unless your a follower of my blog). At that point in time, they created a plan specifically for Brooke and it worked like a charm. Within a few days, she was sleeping through the night. She was a happier baby and she had way happier parents as well :) So happy we thought-let's have another baby :)
Right now, Caroline with fall asleep while we are feeding her the final bottle of the evening. After she dozes off, we bring her upstairs and lay her in her crib. She will stay in her bed for maybe ten minutes and then she is up - screaming - for no reason at all. She as a full belly and is very tired, but she is unhappy. Part of me thinks that this is due to her having been spoiled these past five months by her very good dad :) Gary has perfected the art holding Caroline upright while sleeping in a sitting position on the couch. When Caroline developed a cold way back at 2-3 months, she could only sleep upright. We made due with letting her sleep in her car seat and - when desperate - by having Gary hold her...good guy huh? Now, it seems, that she wants it no other way. She only wants to sleep held and it is just not working as we need to sleep more then 4 hours a night...and while not sitting (for Gary that is).
So far, I have had to go into her bedroom one time. I stayed in the room for about five minutes attempting to calm her down. Letting her know that I am here-in the house-and that if she were to ever really need me, I would be there instantly. I am now giving her a bit more time before I do a second follow up. While I wait....I blog. You see, the hardest thing in the world for me is hearing my daughters cry. I can deal with whining, temper-tantrums-(even in public)-but I cannot handle the crying. Not because it makes me mad-but because it melts my heart. When I see them look me in the eye, tears streaming down their faces...I am done. So, it is either blog or eat to pass the time...and who am I to lie...I am doing both.
Ok-we have hit the next time limit...is the suspense killing you?? Yeah, I didn't think so. You may have even quit reading as this has been the dullest post you've ever read. BUT, we have news folks-the crying has ceased. Is it for real? Is it just a tease to get me to go and check on her and have her wake up and start the crying cycle again? Maybe. I will not fall into the trick yet-a few more minutes...
Checkup number 2 complete!
Who knows how long this will last.
1 hour / 3 hours / all night??!! Either way-she did it. Caroline did it all on her own..with a little help from mom. Gary will be so excited when he gets home that I may not need to get him a Father's Day gift after all :)
4 comments:
that was the most suspenseful blog I've ever read.
You can do it, Kelly! My girlies sleep from 7pm - 7am (6:30am for Isabelle these days thanks to the sun...) I don't call it "crying it out." I call it "giving them the opportunity to learn how to fall asleep."
We all wake up periodically during the night and we don't wail until somebody pats our back or sings us a song or rocks us back to sleep. No no...We've all learned to just roll over and go back to sleep. =) You're not just a good mom - you're a GREAT mom for teaching your kiddos this important life lesson! (And the perks of a full night's sleep is good for mom and dad too!)
Caroline is going to be fine =) And if blogging doesn't sound too appealing - go out on the porch with a glass of wine and a book. When it starts getting dark, go back inside to listen for crying - I bet she'll be sound asleep =)
You're the best mom ever! Caroline might not be saying thanks, be she is showing you that she appreciates your you letting her learn how to sleep with her smiles and happiness during her awake hours. :)
Thanks Ladies!!!
I appreciate all of your encouragement-it really helps when I hear those cries at night!
Amanda-I love your "giving them the opportunity to learn how to fall asleep" and the stepping outside for a glass of wine :)
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