Seems like I’ve been writing about sleep training way too much this year. Once I get sleep sorted out, something changes and I’m back to the beginning.

How can something so cute cause so much turmoil?

Florida was not great for sleep.

At first I thought the twins were not sleeping well because they didn’t like the pack and plays. In hindsight I’m thinking it was Sam’s ear infection that was keeping him up all night.

Unfortunately in order to keep Sam quiet so he wouldn’t wake everyone else up in our hotel room, I stuck a boob in him at each waking. After two weeks of this, I created a problem. Now even though his ear is better, he is still waking 4 or 5 times a night. Time for more sleep training.

I asked Adam to move Sam’s crib to the extra room in the basement. I didn’t want him waking the other kids.

The first night I had trouble falling asleep. Normally when sleep training a lay awake torturing myself with doubt. I like to know exactly how long the crying went on. But if I don’t plan to go in and feed, why stay up and listen?

That night Sam cried at 11:30pm. I could still hear him but it was faint. Which just proves that no matter how tired, my mother’s ear never rests. At 1:30am I woke up second guessing myself. I went downstairs and laid on the couch until he cried again. It was 3:30am. I fed him. It was a mistake. By 5:30 he was crying again. I fed him once more, even though I knew he was not hungry. We lay in a tangle on the couch until Aaron woke at 7am. Ah, there is nothing like cuddling your sleeping kids. It probably doesn’t help sleep train, but it’s sooo nice.

When the older boys leave for school, it’s time to wreck their toys.

The next night I resolved to wait until at least 5am. This time Sam cried for a while, then Aaron cried upstairs then as soon as that was over I heard Sam again. I was up listening to them alternate crying and second guessing myself for over 2 hours. I understand the reasoning behind the theory, but was it sound? I wondered if the popular method of ‘crying it out’ isn’t going to look like a really bad idea from the next generation. Like how beating your kids used to be generally acceptable a few generations ago but now seems so obviously wrong. At 5am I was back feeding Sam and sleeping on the couch next to him. A little better, but not perfect.

The third night I only heard Sam once at 12am for a brief shout out. Aaron down the hall cried twice for longer periods, once at 11:30 and again at 3:30. I was convinced my good little sleeper must have a problem so I went in. He was fine. Perhaps he was hungry. Or just wanted some soothing. Either way I fed him and at 3:30am he slept until almost 8am. I went downstairs after I fed Aaron and fell asleep on the bed in the basement next to Sam. He woke up at 4:30am and I fed him. He woke again at 5:30am and I fed him again, this time snuggling in. He slept until he heard the older boys in the basement around 6:45am.

This morning I asked Adam to move his crib back upstairs. I hope he’ll sleep better now. I know I’ll feel better having him closer, even if I don’t get better sleep because of it.