Update- The Crying Game

Oh My.....
As you may have read in my last post, we set out re-train Josie to sleep in her crib all night long.  My mind was set on the "cry it out" method.  So, Brandon and I put on our "tough love" pants and decided that Thursday night would be THE NIGHT our lives changed, at least in terms of sleep/exhaustion.

Night 1:
Dear Heavens......I had no idea my daughter could be as stubborn, hard headed and strong willed (I know...it's all redundant) as her father as this!  75 minutes.  75-stinking-minutes.  That is how long our kid cried, refusing to give in and fall asleep.  I can't tell you how many times we questioned the "cry it out" method or how many times I wanted to crack and pick her up and concede to her sleeping in our bed until she leaves for college. 

To put it bluntly, the first night was hell. Once she finally gave in and fell asleep, she was much easier to deal with the rest of the night.  She woke up a couple of times, but was able to self-soothe within only a couple of minutes.

Night 2:
I was dreading night 2.  She started crying when we went into the nursery for quiet time with a bottle and I just knew it was going to be a repeat of night 1.  Night 2 crying lasted all of about 4 minutes.  4-amazing minutes and she didn't wake up once until 5:30am.  Say hello to a full night's sleep!

Night 3:
Approximately 37 seconds of crying.  And OUT! 

I am not saying the "cry it out" method is right.  Especially not for everyone.  If you had asked me on the first night I would have warned you to stay away. Stay far, far away! And I am certainly not saying our issues are solved.  Night 2 and 3 Josie was exhausted, so I am certain that helped her fall asleep quickly.  I am sure we will continue to struggle with these routines and practices.  But, as of right now.......it works.  It's tough, it's sad and can be heartbreaking, but it works.  A rested (or semi-rested) mama is a much happier mama!

Who's the Boss?

She's 10 months old and totally running our house.  If Super Nanny was still a show, we would be the perfect candidates.  When that show first came out I would shake my head at these "so called parents" who just couldn't seem to grasp the simplest of routines and disciplinary actions with their children.  If the baby doesn't want to sleep in her crib, you let her cry it out, as hard as it may be, until she learns to self-soothe.  Duh, parents.
Ahemmm...

We "trained" Josie to self-soothe around 6 months of age.  By 8 months old she would wake up in the middle of the night, cry for a couple of moments, then drift peacefully back to sleep.  I wish I could say at 10 months old she was continuing those practices. 

Now you are about to hear every parent's story excuse........About a month ago she got sick.  She had that disgusting cough and running nose.  She would wake herself up at night because she was so congested and couldn't breath.  We put her in our bed to prop her up and hopefully open her airways.  It seemed like it took her FOREVER to get over the cold, and honestly, it was a long time.....nearly 2 1/2 weeks.  Trust me, 17 days is plenty of time to completely ruin any routine, even those you thought were ingrained into their DNA's. 

Once she got over the cold we set out to "re-train" Josie to self-soothe.  The first couple of nights were hard, but I felt like we were making progress (although slight).  Then, BAM.....the freaking disgusting stomach virus hit us and we scurried through nearly 5 straight days/nights of diarrhea.  Poor babe.  She might feel terrible during the day, but hey....she's sleeping like a champ at night....in our bed.  

Oh....how foolishly we bragged about how well our child slept through the night at 6, 7, and 8 months. FOOLS! We were sooooo naive!


Now, here we are, back to trying to let her cry it out.  Some nights I have no problem letting her cry for 5-10 minutes, but it kills her Daddy.  Some nights he wants to let her cry it out, but it breaks my heart.  I know we have to get on the same page and trust me, we understand that she is totally manipulating us with her cries.  But...holy cow...this SUCKS!  And she can go 6 straight minutes with the most dramatic cry you have heard from a 10 month old and not take a breath.  She's good.  Really good.  And we are weak....there...I said it!

Thankfully her terrible sleeping patterns don't effect her cuteness.  I KNOW.....huge sigh of relief, right?
Here are a couple of new pics!

The only thing cuter than a baby in a Bear's Jersey..... 

Is a baby in blue jeans, with her high top Converse!

Wish us luck as we head back into the baby hell trenches tonight to put this child to sleep.  I know one thing for sure, we won't make the mistake of letting the little booger in our bed next time around!