[This post is a follow up of yesterday's post, documenting our experience with a new sleep training/shared bedroom technique for the boys. If you desire to catch up, please go back to this post.]
So, as I dared to predict last night, the boys did stay asleep the whole night. Can I get a whoop whoop? I, on the other hand, woke up at 1:19am because it's about the time Cole wakes up to scream. All in all, Cole managed to sleep about 15 minutes later than usual (5:34am to be exact) which pushed him right into that timeframe requiring me to get up, put a smile on my face, and sing "Good morning" as I got him out of bed. (darn!) David and Max rolled over and went back to bed, lucky ducks! Until 7:15am! So, the earlier bedtime was great for Max, who obviously needs more sleep. I'm hoping it also changes things for Cole, too, after a few more nights. I did appreciate having some quiet time to work out and do my daily mass readings while Cole ate breakfast, though, so I can't complain too much.
Today, because of the early morning, Cole required a much earlier nap. I tried to push it off until 8am, at least, but he was a mess and I gave in at 7:45am. His normal morning nap is 10am. He woke up about an hour later, but was crying and seemed like he woke up too early. We got out of the house for errands and I got the boys back home for a nap around 1:30pm, which is pretty on target for us. This is later than the recommended time on Mommy Shorts, but her baby was 9 months old at the time of sleep training, so I'm thinking I will stick to our normal afternoon routine here and put them both down to nap at the same time, just like bedtime. They woke up together, and very happy, at 3:45pm. This is a first in a very, very long time for Max. He normally sleeps until 4pm or later, and wakes up crying. He is always resistant to get up and it usually takes me a full 30 minutes to get him into a decent mood. So, this was awesome. Again, Max is obviously the one winning with this new routine.
On a side note, I did realize while out running errands, that Cole is teething. I'm guessing this will affect our results a bit as it is definitely making him cranky. At his age though, his teeth are coming in one right after the other, so again, I need to just push through.
Night 2:
I was on my own tonight since David had a meeting, but I wanted to try to stay really consistent through this whole process. After a quick walk to the store, I offered the boys dinner at 5pm and convinced them to take a bath with a new bath melt from Lush. Let's be honest, it doesn't take much convincing with these two. Thank goodness for that, because Cole downed 3 servings of black beans and was going in the tub, no matter what.
We went through bath and pajamas really well, but Max started to push back with tooth brushing, and even with reading books. He seemed to catch on to what we were doing. He wanted the special treatment: reading books downstairs with Mom and Dad after Cole's bedtime. He cried and refused bedtime. Enter: David. Thought this might make matters worse, but the two of us finally got them both in bed. Unfortunately, it wasn't until 7pm. At 7:30pm, Max needed to use the bathroom. And since then, Cole has been restless off and on. Max is finally asleep at 8:30pm. Grrr.
I'm so not giving up. I firmly resolve to keep Max and Cole on track at least for 2-3 more nights, even if it totally messes up plans. With Max especially, we can't give an inch. It's important for him to think this is the way it's going to be from now on. Last night I told him he was Cole's coach and needed to show his little brother how to go to bed. I think I need to converse with Max again and get him on board.
I'll have tonight's results tomorrow, so check back if you are interested. 'Nighty night!
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