Slept.All.Night.Long ... Wait, wha??!!!!

Nine-thirtyPM to 6AM.  That's 9:30PM - 6AM.  8.5 HOURS!!!!  In the event the title of this post wasn't a dead give-away, IttyBittyBabyTait, you slept all night long!!! ... And for 8+ hours!!  Woo-hoo!!  Can I get a woot-woot up in here!???  So proud of you!! ... A bit of background is in order, I feel.  This was the very first time you ever slept all night.  In fact, you managed to develop a sleep association with nursing that had you up at least 3, if not 6, times per night.  For the past 7.5 months (you are 7.5MO ... yawn).  Mommy was at my breaking point of exhaustion, frustration, lacking ingenuity & stick-to-itiveness in the middle of the night (resulting in me nursing you each & every time you woke up, thus perpetuating the sleep association of Mommy as Human Pacifier).  I physically, emotionally, & mentally could not take the drain of sleep deprivation any longer.  It was time to heed the advice of the pediatrician (advice your stubborn should have taken when it was offered, BUT I didn't want you to cry!).

So Mommy read up in Ferber's book on the Ferber Method of prolonged waiting to check & console the baby.  It goes a little something like this:

• Put the baby down to sleep drowsy, but awake, leave the room
• If baby cries/protests, let the baby cry for 5 mins.  
• Check on Baby & hang out for 1-2 mins.
• check, console w/o picking up, & get to new kids on the calendar.

Let me be the very first to say that the crying was AWFUL.  That was the whole reason I didn't want to start sleep training you!  First night = cried for 1.5 hours, second night = cried for 1 hour, third night= cried for 2 hours, fourth night = cried for 1 hour ... & then slept through!!!  You were JUST full of it this morning after all that consecutive sleep.  So silly, flirty, & crazy guy in your exersaucer.

We are ALL very excited & happy for you (& me ... Us).  It will be very interesting to see what tonight brings.  I will pump before bed just in case you sleep all night again!! Mmmmhhhhmm, & you have popped back up, you little stinker.  

Mommy loves you so SO so much, IttyBitty!!!

Proud of my BabyGuy,

love, 

Mommy