You're getting sleeeeeepy

So I haven't blogged about sleeping in a while. And I know you are all dying for an update.

I am pleased to announce that we have achieved sleeping through the night once again. (Or if not the whole night, until 5 a.m. with a quick wakeup for feeding and right back to sleep.)

What I am about to tell you will have some people nodding in agreement and some hitting the "delete this blog from my blogroll" button. The secret for us was to let him Cry It Out.

Oh, yes, the polarizing sleep wars. Who doesn't have an opinion? People without children, that's who. They're all "Cry? Why would I cry? I sleep until 11:30 on the weekends." If you are that person, you may kindly shut yer piehole because I used to be that person and BOY DO I MISS SLEEPING IN ON THE WEEKENDS.

Oh, but this is not about me. Right. Back on topic.

So last week, when we returned from San Francisco, we decided the Crying It Out would commence. Jack had started waking between six and seven times a night, as early as 10 p.m. on most occasions. He was sleeping with us almost all night and I had developed a permanently pulled muscle in my ribcage from sleeping contorted on my side, with my boob hanging out so he could have all-night access to the milk bar.

Josh has been pro-CIO for a few months and I could not bring myself to do it. At the first sound of a whimper, I was in the bedroom trying to head off a full-blown screamfest. But things were getting worse and we really needed a change.

The first day, Tuesday, we started with his first nap. He screamed for 39 minutes and finally got himself to sleep and he was out for almost two hours. Grandma was here and I thought she was going to cry herself. (The grandmas are not too keen on the CIO -- but Josh and I have made it clear this is what we think is best for Jack, so they are abiding. Neither is pleased about it, we can tell, but they are doing it.)

His second nap he didn't cry at all, because he nursed to sleep and didn't wake up when I put him in the crib, and when he went down for the night he fussed for 10 minutes and that was that.

He woke up three times that night, and he cried, but it lasted less than 10 minutes each time and he stayed in his crib the whole night. Since then, his night-wakings have significantly reduced, to one or two, and he's routinely sleeping until 5 a.m., when I think the hunger overtakes him. I feed him and get at least another two hours of sleep out of him.

His naps have gotten longer and his schedule more predictable.

If you would have told me two months ago that I would be a CIO Mom, I would have laughed at you. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But now, seeing the miracle it has brought forth, I am so pleased we did it.

Josh was right. And let me tell you, it's not often that you hear those three words.