The First Night

We started the new routine last night, and it went ALOT better than I was anticipating. We started off with bathtime and that's always Daddy's time, so I usually just clean up after dinner or whatever. Then we all cleaned up his toys in the living room, but he didn't want to. That will take some time, I'm sure. Then we gave him medicine and brushed his teeth. After that, it was time to settle down in his bedroom. I read a couple of stories to him while Trapper rocked him. I could tell he was tired, but he started laughing everytime I read a page. That was probably my fault. I was being too silly with him. So no laughing at bedtime. That only made things worse. After stories, we went around the room and said "night night" to all his stuffed animals and anything else I could think of. It seemed like the more we did, the less tired he became. He kept trying to escape, too! He's just so accustomed to falling asleep to the t.v. Ever since he was born, we've always just sat in front of the t.v. and rocked him until he was tired. Last night was probably the first night without it, and I guess he just really wanted the t.v. Anyway, as part of the routine, we knelt down for family prayer. He's usually pretty good about folding his arms and staying reverent, even if he doesn't close his eyes or keep folding his arms for long. Well, he didn't want to sit down with us, so we started anyway. Midway through the prayer, I looked up and saw him sitting on his four-wheeler. It has a red button that if pushed it makes the four-wheeler start going and makes a loud noise. I was like, "Oh please don't push that button." Well, he did. Needless to say, we cracked up and Trapper had a hard time finishing the prayer. I guess family prayer time will do better with practice. After prayer, it was the moment of truth! We slipped Jackson's sleeping blanket on. It zips up over him so that it won't come off during the night. That's probably what keeps him from climbing out of the crib. Then Trapper left and I rocked Jackson for a few minutes until he became drowsy again. That's when I laid him down in the crib, and he got back up and whined for me. The book that I've been reading is called "Good Night, Sleep Tight." It's been super helpful. This book's approach is all about making the transition for the baby as gentle as possible. So I sat in the rocking chair next to the crib and made "sh-sh" sounds while he cried for a few minutes. I assumed he would cry and cry and cry until his face got red, but he would cry for like a minute and then stop and just look around or sit down and play with his binkie or his hair. When he would start crying a lot, I would get up and pat his back and say that it was okay and that it was bedtime. And then I'd sit down. That usually made him cry more. To make this long story short, he fell asleep on his own after only 30 minutes!!! I expected to be in there for like an hour or two, but it was only 30 minutes! That totally made my night. I still had time to cuddle with Trapper before bed. Woohoo! During the night, I tried to keep my expectations low. I didn't want to be disappointed if Jackson woke up a couple of times wanting me. To my surprise, he cried out a few times, but he always went right back to sleep. We're on the road to successful sleeping! I can't believe I waited so long to do this and how nervous I was about it. Thanks Everyone for all your comments and encouragement! I feel so blessed to have y'all's support. THANKS!