Tears of Pain & Joy

As a first time mommy, you spend many months prior to your little ones arrival consuming as much professional "advice" as one's little cranium can hold. I like many other mommy's around the world read probably over 5 of those "let me help you" books along with numerous website subscriptions and magazine subscriptions before Samantha-Grace entered our lives. Now I have to admit that some of those books were extremely helpful, while others I felt like constantly asking myself, "You've got to be kidding!?" Well, one of those books that has been extremely helpful was the ever so popular Baby Wise. Now I have to admit that I did not follow the book to a "T" just because Joshua and I cannot survive on such a rigid schedule with our own hectic schedule; however, I have come to the realization over the past year that I thrive on consistency and a reliable schedule. Hence, the life of being a teacher is usually to some extent is lived by calendar days and the hands of the clock.

Well, all of the exhausting babble (at least to most people)is truly here to make a point. Since I did use the advice given from Baby Wise, the one piece of "wisdom" I was still struggling to follow was the part about "let your child cry herself to sleep". I just couldn't bear it for so long, until today. I told myself that we are less than 2 months away from a year old, and it is time to teach her how to put herself to sleep.

So upon the direct cues of her becoming succombed by the sleepiness monster, I took her into her room, rocked her until she became a human wiggle worm and was vividly distracted by her books on her shelf, which I might add we had just finished reading 5 books (all of this is part of our structured routine). Then I decided it was time to lay her down in her crib. Well, let's just say if Samantha-Grace were given the opportunity to see if she could set a world record for the fastest baby to go from her back to a sitting up position I think she could win...hands down. Needless to say, in less than 5 seconds she was sitting and working her way to standing in her crib.

I gently went over to her, kissed her on her head and painfully walked away. I know this might sound silly to a lot of you, but you have to understand for the past 10 months I would work myself, some afternoons, ragged trying to get her to sleep and running back in her room each time she would scream. (All this is to say that we have been extremely blessed to have a magnificent sleeper!) As I painfully sauntered to the back of the house to fix some lunch, I was mentally repeating to myself, much like a Gragorian Monk might chant, "I will not go back, I will not go back." I watched the minutes painstakily go by on our clock. I had told myself upon this experiment that I would follow Baby Wise and only allow her to cry for 20 minutes MAX!

Well, I am happy to report that she cried for less than 10 minutes. At the end of all her tears, I was glad to hear from our guest bedroom Samantha-Grace humming herself to sleep (a habit begun since the day she was born). So to all of you "soon to be mommy's" out there, I must encourage to read Baby Wise, but most of all be brave and as I have learned after 10 months...It's okay to let them cry. They will still love you the same!

Sweet Dreams!