He is asleep

Praise the Lord. I just put Cole to bed without nursing him down.

It was time. He’d been cranking all day. I nursed him in my bedroom like I normally do, then headed to his room when he had conked out. As usual lately, the moment I put his body in the crib he woke up crying.

I consoled him. Sang, Rock a bye, baby. And then I turned out the light and sat on the daybed in his room.

I let him cry on and off for fifteen minutes. I would sing and tell him, “Mama’s here.”

Then I moved over and sat in the chair next to his crib. I massaged his belly. He arched his back from side to side and I slid my hand under his back and rubbed. I massaged his legs. Stroked his hair. The crying stopped. He rolled from side to side. Getting sleepy now. And finally he ended with my hand on his belly and one of his hands resting against my arm.

All in all, it took me less than thirty minutes. I knew he wasn’t hungry. He just wanted what he wanted—the usual sucking on one of mom or dad’s fingers.

This feels like such a triumph. It’s the first step to getting him to learn how to sleep on his own.

Now, let’s see how long this sleep lasts.