Update on Sleeping!!

I know you've all been dying to know how the sleeping through the night things has been going.

WELL....last Tuesday I was at the end of my rope (hence, I only blog about something when I can't take it anymore..INTERNET! PLEASE HELP ME!!). That morning Harrison was being so fussy after not sleeping much so I did what I do when he gets fussy and stuck him in the car and went down to babies r us (it's not always babies r us..sometimes its Ross..or Target..or other places I shouldn't be spending money..). Any-schmoo, I was looking for some kind of device I'd heard about that allowed you to somehow sleep babies on their tummy that obliterated all SIDS risk..or something..whatev..didn't exist. BUT I did find this little timer that purported to help you "sleep train" your baby by helping you gradually increase the amount of time you let them cry. I was all for it--I thought, hey maybe it'll be a waste of 30 bucks but it's at least worth a try. SO--I read the little instruction booklet and basically how it works (pretty traditional baby sleep training method) is you are encouraged to give your baby some kind of object to associate with sleep and train them to rely on that to put themselves back to sleep when they naturally wake up. Unlike the baby whisperer book that told me I needed to not give him the binky when he wakes up (you know, just pat your baby on the back until he calms down and then put him back in the crib..of course with Harrison..two hours later, still not calm) this one encouraged using the binky, as well as maybe a stuffed animal, the fan as ambient noise, etc.

So, the first night we did NOT swaddle him, (like we had been-so he could get at the binky..in theory..) gave him his stuffed frog, turned on the fan, and pressed this button on the timer that says "down to sleep." Then when Harrison started crying, we pushed another button that said "crying" and it started a timer that goes off (annoying doorbell noise..but it does wake you up if you happen to doze) when it's time to check on him, and then pushed another button when we finished checking. After that, it automatically starts the next (longer) time to wait. Until he falls asleep-at which time you press yet another button. More crying and the whole proecess starts over again. The wait times started at like 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes the first night and then gradually became greater every night. It promised to have your kid sleeping through the night in ten days. It was really good for me at first because it EASED me into letting him cry. Plus when I can push some button on some device and know that the person who created it, a doctor, thinks it's ok for me to wait until it goes off to check on Harrison..I feel way better about it. And it makes you feel like you are making progress and can do something you can stick to. Oh yeah, and the checking is really fast--binky back in, make sure he's ok, that's it..none of this "just soothe baby til he calms down, but don't give him his binky" garbage.

So--the point is, for a few days he woke up a few times in the night and went back to sleep in around 10-15 minutes. Then we had a night of crying off and on for about two hours. Then a couple of nights of waking up at around 11 (basically as soon as we lay down to sleep..typical...) and crying for like 10 minutes...then like three minutes..THEN--LAST NIGHT Harrison went to bed at 8 and didn't cry--didn't wake up AT ALL before I went to the gym (after waking up instinctively--how long will that last??) at 545!!! Apparently he cried for a couple of minutes at around six but then went back to sleep til after 7. YAY!! I'll TAKE IT!!!

and I hope I'm not jinxing things...

Here's a picture of my sleep timer this morning that said he'd been sleeping for over 9 hours
See!! Little sleeping baby!! YIPPEEEE!!!!

And FINALLY to all of you who deserve a medal for reading that LONG post about something of pretty small consequence in the grand scheme of things.. here's a fun picture of harrison during his first successful experience with carrots this morning (yesterday they confused him..today..DELICIOUS!!)

YUMMY!! MESSY!!! MORE CARROTS PLEASE!!