It worked, you guys. It worked.
Last night Connor got 11 hours of sleep and I got 7.5. Oh yeah, he's also moving in on hour 3 of his morning nap. This is momentous.
Let me start from the beginning just so you understand my mindset, reasoning, and why I had no other choice.
Right out of the womb Connor was a great sleeper. He napped well, woke up once during the night to nurse and would always crash if I wanted to run errands or grab a bite to eat. If you've known me long enough to know how Patrick slept up until six months ago, you would know how grateful I was for a good sleeper.
Then Connor hit four months - he gradually woke up more and more until he was up every 2 hours? hour and a half? 45 minutes? Whatever, he was miserable, I was a zombie. Every time he woke up I'd run to him immediately so he wouldn't wake Pat up (who is a mere seven feet away). He'd use my boobs to pacify himself back to sleep (most times not drinking a drop of milk). If I wasn't nursing him back to sleep, I was bouncing or singing. Anything just to get him back to sleep because I just wanted to lay back down. He'd wake up shortly after and we'd do the entire thing all over again. All night long.
It was a nightmare. I found myself getting mad at Connor in the middle of the night - I'd be sobbing all alone in the living room, just begging him to fall back asleep.
This went on for a few months, school let out and it (of course) happened again the first few nights that I was off. Then it clicked - sleep training must happen. I decided I could not spend the entire summer doing this. It was a physical impossibility. Actually, I had told myself that very thing every night for weeks but as I mentioned before, it was a very scary thought and I was nervous it wouldn't work. That night was different - the decision was made. We were going to do this.
The next day I read through all the paperwork without having a panic attack. (On previous occasions I had literally almost thrown up reading what the training entailed.) I knew I was ready. If you're interested, I used the Three Day Sleep Solution. So how did it go? I'm not going to lie, the first couple of nights were tough. The woman who told me about the program suggested I get some wine and put a movie on, and that helped. It was a little tricky at first because Patrick wanted to run after Connor when he was trying to going to sleep. I had to explain that Connor was learning how to go to sleep and that it would take some practice.
I really don't want to go into details because I know how controversial a crying baby can be, but in a nutshell, Connor had to learn how to put himself to sleep. He was dependent on me so every time he woke in the night, he needed me to get him back to sleep. The longest Connor cried was 45 minutes and that was only twice. In the middle of the night he only whined (although he was up a lot like usual) and put himself back to sleep within five minutes. My mom asked me Oh gosh Stef, wasn't it hard listening to him cry? My answer was You know what was harder, Mom? Taking care of two kids for 14 hours on three hours of sleep. Silence.
Now when I lay him down he barely makes a peep and is out within minutes.
IT. IS. INCREDIBLE. It feels as though fifty pounds of pressure/stress/anger/exhaustion has been lifted off my shoulders. Connor is well rested and happy. I don't have to crash with the boys during nap time if I don't want to because I myself am rested. It's also been amazing as far as Patrick goes. Prior to sleep training I'd have to go into a quiet room and put Connor to sleep - it took forever - God knows what Pat was getting into, and then we'd have to tip toe around until Connor woke (usually 30 minutes later). Post sleep training naps look like this:
Me: Kiss your brother's head - it's nap time.
Patrick: Night night baby Connor. Have a good nap!
We walk into the nursery, I give Connor his Mr. G, smother him with kisses and lay him down.
THAT'S IT. I'm back into the living room ready to play with Patrick in three minutes or less.
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That's our story. It's working beautifully, and I've never been more relaxed. This summer will be one of my favorites, I can already feel it.
Thanks for listening, as always. If you have any personal questions please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to talk specifics. [srowland3709{at}yahoo{dot}com]
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PS - The giraffe lovie (Mr. G) in the picture was a gift from Jeff's dear cousin Kate. She also got one for Patrick when I was still pregnant with him - he has the owl (Mr. Hoots). They are the best - super soft, machine washable. Nuff said. You can purchase them at many small boutiques but here is their website.
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