CIO.

Cry it out (CIO). Many parents swear by the method, others deplore it. I've been somewhere in the middle...until last night.

Cam's never been a BAD sleeper. At 7 months, he "slept through" the night for the first time and since then he's done it numerous times. Some nights he sleeps 10-11 hours straight. But most nights, he gets up once or twice. We've been feeding him when he gets up 1) cause it's the easiest thing to do and he goes back to sleep immediately and 2) it didn't seem to have a real adverse affect (like "they" say it will) because he'd then go back to sleeping through the next night.

But the last few weeks, his schedule has been exceptionally wonky. He's been getting up multiple times and now even feeding him doesn't do the trick. He's UP and points at the door cause he wants out. He's NEVER consistently slept through the night. It's always been a night here and there and at this point, I know it can be better.

We've walked the middle ground long enough with letting him cry for no more than 10 minutes or so then going in to settle him down. I'm convinced now that going in just makes it worse. He cries harder when I leave and it can't go on like this anymore. He's a year old now and doesn't need to be fed in the middle of the night. I thought maybe he'd sleep through after he figured out walking. Nope. Teething? Nope. Hungry? Definitely not.

He just wants mommy.

So, last night after hearing him fuss for 10 minutes, I went in and told him that this is the last time mommy will come to see him in the middle of the night. That he's a big boy and can sleep through all on his own. I changed him (like I always do), gave him some water (he fussed a little cause he's used to milk) and then put him back in his crib.

Left the room and he SCREAMED HIS HEAD OFF. This kid cried from 1:10am to 1:55 am. 45 minutes!! I lay awake in bed listening to him, as did Brian. At one point, Brian was worried that he'd pass out or overheat or something from all that crying. I told him he'd be fine -- I know lots of parents who let their kids cry way longer than this. That didn't make listening to him cry any easier. It was painful, but my gut told me I had to endure it.

Finally, by 2am he was quiet. He woke this morning at 7am and was very quiet. I was already up and could hear him moan a little and talk quietly to himself. I went in and found him lying on his back playing with his turtle that we let him sleep with last night.

I said "hi" to him and he smiled really big. :) Phew! You're okay and don't hate mommy. That's a good sign! Brian called at around 8:00am to see if Cam was okay after the drama last night. I told him he's just fine. Same Camden, smiling and playing.

Other mommies I know say that they're surprised at how quickly CIO works. That after a few nights, the "training" is done and their kids sleep great. I'm crossing my fingers that that's the case with Camden!

We'll see how he is tonight. Wish us luck!