Sleeeeeeeeepy, Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy

X was such a great sleeper the night before Mother's Day, and napped well during the day, too. It was like he was giving me the gift of his sleeping well, since that's about as much as he could do for me at 8 months old!

Then, on Sunday night, he started to cut his first tooth. I am assured that the tooth was not the actual cause of his waking up, but it may have been why he wasn't able to get himself back to sleep on his own. My husband and/or I woke up with X about every two hours that night, and ended up rocking him back to sleep each time.

This pattern persisted pretty much every night for the week. X was getting overtired, to the point that he had his first temper tantrum when a ball was taken away from him by another baby at his sitter's house. The sitter said she couldn't believe the volume and the length of the tantrum! This was a sure sign that X was not getting the sleep he needs.

On Friday, it all came to a head. My husband and I were the walking dead, X was grouchy and irritable. Heck, we were all grouchy and irritable. It was time to cry it out.

Listening to my baby cry for 30 minutes was no treat, let me tell you. My whole system was going crazy -- adrenaline pumping, heart racing. My goodness, I just HAD to go and pick him up! But, with the support of my husband, we just let X cry. And then, suddenly, the wailing stopped and X was asleep.

Today, he has napped like a champion. An hour and a half this morning, and, as I type, going on two hours this afternoon. I just put him in his crib and told him it was nap time, then left the room. Sure, he fussed for about 10 minutes each time, but eventually just went to sleep.

I think we might be on to something. Let's hope it hasn't just been a fluke!