Thank you!

Thank you all so much for your comments of encouragement and advice!!! I think this conversation has generated more comments than anything else I've posted and I have found much valuable input to help us with our situation. There are so many different ideas and ways of helping children to learn to sleep and to integrate a family together and I think it's great that people have shared so much of their own experiences of what has worked for them. It certainly has made me feel supported as I love my little girl the best way I know how and someday, when this too has passed, I will have additional perspectives to share with other friends who will certainly go through the same thing. If I have learned nothing else in the last 5 months of being a new mom, it is that my child is not like any other, and no one strategy works for every child or every family. Ultimately I have to listen to what my child is telling me and do what my heart says is right for her. Even allowing her to go through some frustration may be acceptable if in the long run, it serves her greater good. It has taken me a long time to become convinced that this is necessary and good for her, but, here we are. We're giving this limited crying thing a try for a few days anyway. But I am not stuck on it. I do worry a little bit that teaching her in this way is comparable, as "anonymous" said to breaking the will of a horse... but then, the other side of that coin is that it is really the beginning of discipline, which is something we certainly believe in. However, if this doesn't work in a reasonable period of time, we will try something else until we find what will work for her. If I had the chance to have her as a tiny baby again, I think I would keep her in my room, maybe in one of those "Arms Reach" things, at least until about 3 months or so. I think that being closer to her in those initial months might possibly have made this problem easier for her. Maybe not. But we are where we are.

I am encouraged by our initial results. Last night was much better than the night before. She woke up only once before 6:30 and instead of crying loud and energetically as she did the first night, she cried only intermittently for about 20 or 25 minutes and then went to sleep. She woke up soon afterwards, though, cried for a little less time and went back to sleep. When she awoke about 15 minutes later, I gave her her pacifier and she was asleep until about 630 this morning- she even skipped the nighttime feeding! I was surprised at that. But at 5 months, going 10 hours without a feeding isn't unheard of- I have friends whose babies do this every night (most of my friends, in fact :))

She's taking a nice morning nap- woke up about 45 minutes into it and fussed some, but never reached a real cry, then calmed herself down- minus the pacifier! She's been sleeping about an hour and a half since then. I'm not sure I've ever seen her be able to put herself to sleep without the paci. Maybe she is learning?

Tonight will be more difficult as Brad is on call and I'll be alone... but maybe, just maybe, tonight will be the night she starts to get it.

More pictures in a few.