Halle-freaking-lujah!

We have experienced a much-needed breakthrough with our little boy's sleeping habits. Last night Curtis officially slept through the night. He went to bed at 6:30pm (I know, holy cow!) and didn't wake up, or make a peep, until 6:30 this morning. Wahoo!

Now, before you think this miracle happened of its own accord, let me assure you that it didn't come without a fairly high price. First, it was preceded by 7 months of him waking up at least every two hours each night. As you can imagine, this took its toll on the rest of us...especially his mom. I've always been rather adept at adjusting to life without sleep, but for some reason (I'm tempted to blame it on age) this time I wasn't dealing with the sleep deprivation very well. It finally reached a point where I could tell that I was physically and mentally suffering. I had a long talk with his pediatrician and, after establishing that there was nothing preventing him from sleeping (other than his fondness for his mother's company), we decided it was time to let the poor boy cry. It took a few days to work up the courage, but after a couple particularly rough nights I decided it just needed to be done. 

The first night was horrific. At least for me. Two hours after his bedtime he was ready for a little company. When I didn't respond to his cute cry he took it up a few notches. For three...yes, three...hours he screamed steadily and heartily. He finally quieted down only to resume an hour and a half later for another 90 minutes. Then, a half hour later he decided to make one last ditch effort and bellowed his lungs out for another hour. Wow.

I was pretty worried that I'd walk into his room in the morning and wouldn't see an excited, smiling face like usual. But apparently he doesn't hold grudges because I was greeted with just as much (if not more) enthusiasm as ever. Whew. We were a tired mom and baby the next day but I was anxious to see if one night of holding my ground would make a difference. And it did. Each night he has improved and each morning he is happy as ever to see me. His sleep time has increased and his daytime naps have improved. What a great day!