she cried. we cried.

We all cried last night. 

It was beginning to start out like every other night for the past, oh I dunno, year or so.  Another wake-up only a few hours after being put down for the night.  And then another an hour later.   And I cracked.  I stuck the little wriggler in her crib, crying and commenced hanging out with her in her room.  Absolutely determined was I that she would go to sleep without being picked up and rocked or nursed to sleep.  I hung in for about 40 minutes.  It was awful.  I patted.  I shushed.  I laid on her floor.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  I cried.  I sighed.  I felt awful, awful, awful.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  Then L. came in to spell me off.   "Don't take her out of the crib," I begged as we traded.  I headed to bed, but did not of course sleep a wink, what with my heart being ripped out in the next room.  Sobbing, heaving, choking, yelling "mama!  mama!".  Yep - easy to sleep through that loveliness.  

It took just over an hour and a half.   We all cried.  We all felt shitty.  She slept from about 1 a.m. til 5 a.m.  A record, to be sure.  But I'm guessing it's due to the hour and a half of gut-wrenching sobbing, which, if memory serves, can make a girl kinda tuckered out. 

As far as experiments go - I'm pretty sure this one failed.  Because even if it did eventually work - I'm more than certain Girlio's mama and mommy can handle the sleeplessness far easier than that kind of gut-wrench. 

So - on to the next experiment.  Night weaning.  It's sure to be unfun.  But it doesn't involve a revoking of nighttime cuddles.  So here's to hoping it's a little gentler on all of our wee hearts.