I started this entry about 2 weeks ago when we ventured into the territory of trying the "cry it out" method with Grayson. He got into the habit of getting rocked to sleep and when we were staying at our friends house during the hurricane, it really bit us in the ass because he was very difficult to handle when he wanted to nap. I really wanted him to cry it out and self-soothe there but I felt bad letting the kid cry in a house that's not ours. So Lisa and I thought that since they're at her parents house most of the day, they should start letting him cry it out to fall asleep. So when Thanksgiving came around, Lisa and I told her parents and aunt to quit the rocking. I suggested just start to rock him until his eyes drop and then put him down and let him fall asleep himself. The warning wasn't enough for them though, they felt bad for him so they continued to do it...and it was becoming too much for us on weekends when we are with them the entire day. So we realized it was time to do it ourselves and quickly. So when the weekend came about 2 weeks ago on Saturday morning, I just decided it was go-time. He had already ate and was changed and was giving us his tired cry, the one where there's no tears just a whimper...and after about 5 minutes, that whimper turned to full on crying mode with long tears. I felt so bad for him so I kept him in his bed with his pacifier and I laid down next to him. I set my timer and after about 13min, he finally stopped, sucked on his pacifier, turned to his side and fell asleep...for over an hour! It was a great nap. After about 10 mins of the crying though, Lisa gave up and wanted to pick him up, but I insisted he was going to fall asleep eventually. Thank goodness I was right because I felt horrible during those 13mins. But when he fell asleep, I thought, "Holy shit, it worked!" A very proud moment for the both of us.
That same night at around 8pm, I could tell he was tired and he already had his bottle. I saw that he was rubbing his eyes and he just started his tired whimper. So I immediately brought him upstairs and put him in his bed and laid down next to him. With no crying at all, just a lot of tossing and turning, he fell asleep in like 20 mins. I was really astonished.
So when we dropped them off at her parents house that Monday, we were very adamant about not rocking this kid to sleep and told them what we did and how it worked and that if they continue the rocking, we'll have to start from square one which we DO NOT want to go through again. So they obliged and finally stopped. They said he's been great ever since. And he has been...sort of.
Just today, Lisa went to church with Jericho and I stayed home with Gray. He ate at 1130, we played a bit, he rolled around, spit up a few times, but was still in a good mood. And then 2 hours later, I knew he was tired and wanted to nap but was fighting it. So I put him down and he was screaming and crying. Again I felt bad and was debating whether or not to feed him again so he can fall asleep but I don't want him to get into the habit of always wanting a bottle to sleep. So I set my timer again while he cried and placed his pacifier on his chest so he can touch it. After only 4 minutes, he stopped, put his pacifier in himself and turned on his side and went to sleep. I breathed a sigh of relief. As for my patience, its constantly being put to the test but I've been getting better. And so has he. Hi5!
