Yes! Success...

Dare I even write about this lest I jinx myself?? Since Friday evening, Ciara has slept in her crib at night and for naps. Wooo-hooo!

This whole sleep journey has had my husband and I butting heads. He thought I should have let her CIO long ago but I just was not comfortable with that. I knew in my heart that the night wakings were just a phase (as is most everything els in childhood) and I just resigned myself to the fact that Ciara would be sleeping with us for a while. This caused so much tension between my husband and I but I just could not stand to listen to her cry. Not only for emotional reasons but I also could not just lie there in bed and listen to her. How could I sleep? Apparently the crying didn't bother Sean and he could sleep right through it (men!). Plus, I kept reminding him that Aidan went through the same exact thing when he was Ciara's age. Same exact thing. "But that was different", Sean said. Huh?! Anyway, we kind of agreed to disagree and I just did my own thing. I either rocked her to sleep or put her in her swing to fall asleep on her own. Then she'd be up anywhere from 2 to 5 times during the night even if she was in bed with me. Yes, me. Sean slept on the couch because he "needed his sleep". If looks could kill, people...

As I was rocking Ciara last Tuesday, she was sucking/biting on my finger. And what do you know? A tiny little sharp edge was poking through. Her first tooth and, I imagine, the source of her nighttime wakings. On Thursday, I myself was getting fed up with the whole bedtime thing and I agreed to let her cry herself to sleep. She cried for about 30 minutes and I couldn't take anymore. I went in and picked her up and she immediately laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep as I rocked her. And then woke up 90 minutes later. And then 2 hours after that. And then 45 minutes after that. Argh!

Friday, I put her in the crib again after our snuggle in the rocking chair. She cried for 20 minutes and fell asleep. And stayed asleep until 3:30 in the morning at which point she woke, I gave her a bit of milk and she fell asleep again in her crib. Yippee!

Saturday morning and afternoon, I again laid her in her crib with her bottle for her naps (Yes, I know it is a no-no but beggars can't be choosers) and she fell asleep without a peep. And that is how it has been going except for a little fuss last night going to bed.

And no, I did not go and do the I Told You So dance in Sean's face even though I really, really wanted to. I knew when she was ready, she would do it. And my baby girl proved me right. So...good riddance to the swing! It only took 10 months, 2 weeks and 1 day.