And now for the 7 Month Stats:
Height: 27 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs 2 1/2 oz. (25 %)
Head: 17 1/2 inches (75%)
So, the past 2 nights Silas was awake for about 2 hours in the middle of the night. He wasn't crying, he wasn't hungry, he didn't have a dirty diaper, nothing... so Paul and I are exhausted from being up with him. This is so unlike him to be this way. (However, he still has only slept through the night 2 times since Christmas.) Everyone keeps telling me he is little and I shouldn't expect him to sleep through the night... but I know he can, he did it when he was 2 months old and now he is seven, shouldn't he be able to sleep longer?
Anyway, he has been getting harder and harder to be put down to sleep, always wanting to be rocked to sleep or something, even though I have always tried not to do this, without letting him "cry it out". I had always felt like "cry it out" was really harsh and unnecessary and was very adamant that I would NEVER do it. So... today, feeling completely lost and confused about what to do, I decided to call my friend/cousin's wife, Ashley to see what she had to say (she has a little girl a little older than Silas and has a lot of younger siblings so I knew she had some experience). After explaining the situation to her she said that she started to let Suzie (her little girl) cry it out and after 3 days she can put herself to sleep. She explained all the benefits and suggested we try it. She admitted that it is hard but convinced me too that it is best for all of is in the long run if Silas gets some sleep again. I said we would give it a try, and that I would call her for support if it was too difficult.
At the first nap, I rocked Silas just until he started to seem sleepy (yawning). Then I layed him down told him that I love him and walked out. He SCREAMED and screamed and screamed. Paul and I camped out outside the door to his bedroom. I went in a couple times just to reassure him, but never picked him up. He screamed for 35 minutes and then fell asleep. At his second nap, he only cried 10 minutes. Then was bed time, the time I was dreading most. We followed the same bed time routine but I kept his lamp on to help him stay awake better until it was time to get into bed. After feeding him, I turned off the light and rocked him for about a minute and put him in his crib. He SCREAMED for 25 minutes. It was awful. So now we are looking toward the night, hoping he will sleep well.
I know that a lot of people let their babies cry it out, but I never thought I would be one of them. What if he needs me? How would I know if I have vowed not to go in. Will he still trust me, will he even cry if something is wrong. I don't know. I am just not sure what to do. But I do know that he needs to start to sleep again, for the sake of all of us. Does anyone have any advice, encouragement, want to explain why I should or should not do this? But I'm sure I am over reacting anyway, it is just so hard to hear him cry and to refuse him the comfort he desires.
