Sleep...

Since Aaron got sick in January his sleeping schedule has been way thrown off... He's been staying up late, waking up tons in the night, and getting up early.  It has been hard not only on Eric and I but on poor Aaron. So yesterday, I read 2 books about baby sleeping habits. I read Mommy Rescue Guide: Getting Your Baby to Sleep by Cynthia MacGregor and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. I didn't find much in the first one... just possible reasons why he isn't sleeping, but nothing concrete. The second one, however, talked about how many babies wake in the night from habit (like when he was sick, he would wake up tons) and they don't know how to go back to sleep on their own (especially if they are rocked to sleep, like Aaron is) AND how to fix the problem -- bingo!

I am now trying to have Aaron fall asleep without needing to be rocked or patted. This involves getting him ready for bed with a more consistent routine (pajamas, read a book, etc.) and then (or in the case of a nap, begin the routine here) laying him down in the crib, telling him I love him, and walking away. He, obviously, does NOT like this... not one bit. So after about 6 times of going back in, laying him down, and leaving I will sit on the floor and sing to him with a hand on his back (you have to start somewhere... I can't expect the poor kid to quit me cold turkey!) and he'll slowly drift to sleep.

I make sure to have comfort things in the crib: A soft blanket, a pacifier, and a stuffed animal -- all of which were in the crib before but I never made sure Aaron was aware of them. Now, he uses them all. He pushes himself up against the bumper so he feels something at his back. He wraps one arm around his lion (thanks Kristi!), the other around the pillow. Under his quilt is a soft blanket that as he's falling asleep he will sometimes rub his face against it.

The fruits of this? Last night he still went to bed late -- 11 (we had a baby sitter for the evening so Aaron had a hard time going down) but he did not wake us up once... not at all. He woke up for the day at 8:15 this morning. HALLELUJAH! I know that I still have a lot of work ahead of me (like getting him to go to bed at 7:30 instead of 11 and stay asleep till at least 6:30) but man is it good to already see results.