Sleep...

As I have written several times our little ONE YEAR OLD is not a sleeper. He started off sleeping really well, only waking up twice a night. However, he got RSV in February and that changed his and our sleeping habits. Of course when you are sick you don't sleep well, and for a four month old (at the time) when your sleep habit gets changed due to sickness the sickness routine becomes the new routine. When he got RSV he started sleeping with Jason and I on my chest. I said that I would break him of sleeping with us when it was summer and I could stay at home during the day and get caught up on sleep during the day time. Well, no one told me that I would be much more tired when I stayed home with him. So, the habit did not break back in May. He was sleeping okay in our bed...just waking up a few times; however, he was taking up most of the bed. I spent most nights sleeping on the floor by our bed or Jason would sleep on the couch. Yes, we would go to these extremes to get Callen so much needed rest. Now, I will say he did spend at least a few hours in his bed a night before making it into our bed. It is just so much easier (lazy?) for him to be in bed with me then me having to spend 30 minutes trying to get him back to sleep. What can I say I need my sleep!

So, here we are present day with a one year old still not sleeping. Callen has not been sleeping peacefully the past few weeks. He rolls and randomly cries and makes other noises. So for the past few weeks Jason nor I nor Callen have been getting good sleep. The dark circles under my eyes can no longer be covered up with makeup and no amount of Pepsi and can help my sleep deprived body. Jason, too, was looking a little worn. Thus, we decided it was time to get him trained for sleeping. Now, I bought a book in DECEMBER that would help get him sleeping. I am just now using this book I bought almost a year ago. Mind you, I read it cover to cover in December and thought it was a wonderful idea, but I just couldn't let Callen cry, thus I never used it.

We began Saturday night on this sleep "routine"....I was extremely nervous about the entire situation and felt like a horrible mom because I was allowing Callen to cry. I am not one to let Callen cry and he never really has cried, except for car rides and he never backs down on the car rides, so I knew him crying himself to sleep would not be happening quickly. So, Saturday night Callen started out in his crib and about 2 hours into his sleep he woke up crying. I know it is out of habit that he wakes up, I need to break the habit I KNOW! So, we let him cry....for 40 minutes. I couldn't take it anymore. Jason slept on the couch and Callen and I in bed. Callen slept great!

Sunday night...I was ready to begin again. Callen went down at 7:45 and slept till 9:30. At 9:30 he started crying...I let him cry. Till 11. I couldn't take it anymore. I rocked him to sleep and put him in our bed (mistake, I know). And he didn't move or wake up till 6:15 this morning. He got up with Jason and then went back to sleep till 9:15 this morning. So he slept through the night. It might have not been by crying himself to sleep or even in his own bed. BUT HE SLEPT. We are taking baby steps. Him crying for 1 1/2 hours broke my heart and did me in. I just hate to hear him cry. I know he has to learn, but I feel terrible him having to cry like that.

Tomorrow, he gets his 1 year shots. So our sleep schedule and habits will be off again. Therefore, I can put off the sleep stuff for another week. I will start again next Sunday. He will sleep at some point. I doubt I ever miss those days of dark circles and no sleep; however, I do enjoy my little babe sleeping next to me and I am sure when he is bigger I will miss that little babe sleeping near me.