Kellybeans!

I’ve been looking around outside for the past 15 minutes, trying to spot the pigs flying through the air.

My son has gone to sleep on his own for two naps today.  One minute he’s awake and bouncing, next minute he’s curled up in his crib sleeping.

This is nothing short of a miracle.  Aiden has been the type of kid who needs a lot of help to fall asleep.  Most of the time, he will not go to sleep unless you are holding him and nurse him (or if I’m not there, someone gives him a bottle).  He always falls asleep eating.

Now, I know that is not the ideal way to get your child to go to sleep.  Unfortunately, every time I tried to put him in his bed while he was still awake, the proverbial shit hit the fan.  Splattered all over.  While the fan was going at HIGH speed.  You get the idea.  Aiden would scream and scream and scream, until finally we gave up.  He’s not one of those kids who will “cry himself out” and just fall asleep due to sheer exhaustion.  Believe me, we tried.

I read books.  I asked for advice.  I ignored one of the pediatricians at our doctors’ office who advised us to just “put him in his crib, shut the door, and don’t go in again until morning.”  Um, sorry.  I couldn’t stand to do that.  And so the routine we established just kept going, for the sake of my sanity.

But today, Aiden nursed at his normal naptime, around 11am.  He ate, then looked up at me and grinned, and wriggled up into a sitting position.  Crap.  I had counted on having a few hours to get some important stuff done during his nap.  So I figured, I’ll just put him in his crib, let him cry a little, and give him 15 minutes to fuss while I get the most pressing issues taken care of.

I put him in the crib and expected one of those shit/fan outbursts.  He cried at first, but only a minute after I left the room… I heard… nothing. I waited a few more minutes and peeked in.  My little angel was curled up, sound asleep.  And he did it all on his own!  I was amazed.

This afternoon, he ate again and seemed like he was definitely not in the mood to nap.  Since he doesn’t always take an afternoon snooze, I wasn’t going to press the issue, but I really needed a shower.  I figured I’d sit him in the crib since it was a safe place to keep him corralled while I took 10 minutes to clean up.

He cried when I left the room, and I couldn’t hear any screams over the sound of the shower.  When I turned off the water… silence.  I peeked in, and once again, he’s sleeping!  I am shocked and impressed that he’s learning how to settle down and soothe himself.  (And my snarky side says it’s about damn time!) 

This should really come in handy in the coming months as I start to wean him from nursing.  I’m planning on switching him to regular cow’s milk for his daytime feedings, and continue nursing at night if necessary.  I’d been dreading the impact this would have on his naps (and my sanity) but now I’m thinking it won’t be too bad!  Woo hoo!

p.s. So, if you see any of those pigs flying around, this long-winded post serves as your explanation. 

p.p.s.  Pigs.  Pork.  Pork BBQ.  Bacon.  Damn, I am hungry.  See you tomorrow for my Thin Thursday weigh-in!