Sleep training has begun. Sawyer had developed some rather taxing habits during his first bout of teething, when combined with our varied schedule from vacation, meant that he was waking up every hour wanting to be held. That's when I turned into sleep-deprived mama zombie. If I could remember what waking hours were like back then, I'm pretty sure it would have involved drool, babbling, and extreme wobbly-ness, and I'm not talking about Sawyer's behavior.
Then one night, after we'd put Sawyer down at 9pm and he was up at 9:30, 10:45, 11:30, and 12am, I knew measures had to be taken. I shook out the pack and play, wrapped Sawyer snugly into a swaddle, sang him a song, and put myself to bed. Jeff sat rigidly upright, listening to our poor little baby wail, angry every minute of it. I must admit I surprised myself with my hard heartedness (it must have been the months of sleep deprivation). We followed a modified cry-it-out plan, soothing and checking on Soy boy at extended intervals until he settled down to sleep. It took him 1 hour. The next night, he was asleep after 2 minutes. The night after that, a regression to 45 minutes fussing, then sleep. After that, there really wasn't much cause for ear plugging or angry rigidity, because he'd fall asleep and stay asleep for 10-12 hours. Basically, Sawyer man-handled sleep training.
For me, it's been bittersweet. I love getting some shut eye, but I find myself sneaking in to check on him a few times a night, adjusting his swaddle, patting his back, and whispering "I love you." I run to get him in the morning to hold and kiss him and tell him how wonderful he is and how glad I am to see him. This is the first thing he's figured out how to do on his own and he doesn't need his mama to help him with anymore. I'm happy as I watch him grow, but when I see evidences of him becoming a little person of his own, that's when my mother's heart sings, "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as [forever] my baby you'll be."
