Knock on Wood

Nicholas has slept through the night 3 nights in a row! He doesn't know it, but he has just revoked his permission to eat at night ever again.

We had tried a few times over the past oh 4 or 5 months to get him down from 2 feedings a night to 1, with little success. But then about 3 or 4 weeks ago he started doing just 1 feeding about half the time. Okay, progress. But just as we were about to start enforcing the just 1 feeding (i.e. making him cry it out if he woke up a second time), he got sick. And so he was waking up coughing and unable to go back to sleep. I understand--when I wake up coughing I need a drink to go back to sleep too. And we figured the extra antibodies from the breastmilk would help him fight off the cold, so I'd feed him instead of forcing him to take water or something.

And so we were back to 2 feedings every night.

Then earlier this week we renewed our resolve. He was basically better, so we decided to start enforcing the just 1 feeding a night. Granted, he was supposed to be at 1 feeding a night at like 4 or 5 months old and by now should have been at 0 nighttime feedings, but baby steps. In our little household, only 1 feeding a night would be huge.

So the first night of our new resolve comes. And he wakes up at 11:30 as we're starting to close up shop and get ready for bed. We decided to make him cry himself back to sleep to postpone his feeding in hopes of only having to do one. After a long time of crying (I don't know how long it was in real time, maybe 5 minutes) he was still going strong and I was tempted to go get him. But, no, I reasoned, at this point I have to stand firm or he'll just think the answer is to cry longer. Must . . . not . . . reinforce. But after he finally fell back asleep I resolved to feed him the next time he woke up, even if it was just 5 minutes later.

It was an hour later, in fact. But that was it. Just one feeding that night.

The following night we determined to enforce the 1 feeding thing again, bracing ourselves for a fight.

But no fight. Not only did he not wake up twice, he didn't even wake up once. He slept straight through until almost 8am.

Wow, that was nice. But it must have been a random fluke (he has done that once or twice before). But we'll hold firm on 1 feeding a night. No backsliding.

The next night. He slept through again. Then again.

And so now he has sealed the deal. He has proven to us that he is perfectly capable of doing it, and so whether he likes it or not, that is the new rule. Cry all you want, little man, but you are done. (I hope. Knock on wood. Pretty pretty please?)