"Weaning" to sleep ?!?!?!?!

On Sunday May 31st I finally put my foot down and decided my 5 1/2 month old daughter is going to sleep through the night (I can hear the laughs already). I just didn't see what the big deal was, I mean I literally had my 2 year old sleeping through the night (7pm-7am) from 2 1/2 months. Yes, I know that this is not typical, but a woman can hope, right???? Well, apparently hubby knew that this was just a matter of our luck and because he does not wake up to feed the baby he has no problem with her sleep habits (well, maybe NO problem is a stretch).

In any event Sunday was the final straw- why??? I found myself waking up at 1:30AM to put the pacifier in the baby's mouth for the millionth time so that she could go back to sleep and she laughed at me! No I am not kidding, she literally LAUGHED IN MY FACE!!! So I left her for a few minutes and she proceeded the chuckle and then the babbling, as loud as she could and for what seemed like hours (really about 10 minutes). I picked her up and decided that there was NO WAY I was going to feed her or else she would get used to it and wake up every morning at this time. I was determined to win this battle! (I know you're laughing harder now!) So, I pick her up and decide I will rock her back to sleep because I am exhausted and really need to sleep. An hour or so later, she is still laying there, eyes wide open smiling at me with no looks of falling asleep.

I am thankful that she was not crying this whole time, but for goodness sake, couldn't she just go back to sleep already???? NOPE! So, I finally cave and remember that I've read about giving kids water when they wake so that they will not get used to being fed. So, low and behold I get some water and she drinks it up happily, but still no signs of sleep in sight! Hubby wakes up once or twice to ask what's going on and I eerily say that his daughter (yes, at this point she is not mine but HIS) is not going back to sleep. "OK" he says and turns to fall back asleep!

Finally, at 3:30AM I decided 2 things: I WILL NEVER endure this again AND I will be feeding her after all because I need to sleep. And guess what? She fell right back to sleep. Yes, I did think to myself that I could've fed her right away and she would've fallen asleep hours before, but I choose to think that the time was not for nothing.

The next day I happen to run into a co-worker at the fax machine who tells me she is "weaning" her daughter to sleep in her own bed. Now, I don't actually know if that's what it's called, but that's what we're calling it for all intents and purposes.

This woman tells me that my favorite Nanny, SUPERNANNY, has a technique to get your kids to sleep through the night as she also has heard that babies my child's age should be able to sleep through the night without being fed. She does remind me that I made a HUGE mistake by feeding her but I feel like I had no other choice, right??? Anyway, so the method is to let them cry in 5, 10, 15 and 20 minute intervals so that they learn to soothe themselves back to sleep. But the best part about it was that she suggested putting my daughter in the living room and just leaving the monitor in there! Why had I never thought of this??? I nearly kissed her and was eagerly awaiting that evening to start my daughter on her journey to a full night's sleep (or me, but whatever).

That night, I get home around 8pm and she is already asleep, mind you I reminded hubby about the process, but I will not allow this to get in my way. I let her keep sleeping feed her at about 10pm barely waking her and then put her immediately down to sleep. She slept until 1:30am and then woke up next at 5:30am. I did exactly as I was told and I felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. the next two nights she slept beautifully and woke only once at 1:30am. I was sure this would be a breeze until last night when she woke a total of 4 times! I give her credit because she did cry herself back to sleep each time, but what is a mother to do???? This is literally human torture! I have to listen to my baby cry and do nothing about it all the while getting no sleep myself and on top of that, every little noise I hear in the living room I think is someone breaking in and trying to steal my child! I really don't know if it is progress that she is getting herself back to sleep after 20 minutes because I still can't have her in the room with her sister or she will ruin her sleep and I will not I REPEAT I WILL NOT have two children that don't sleep- NO WAY! What am I to do??? I was told 2-5 days! Tonight will be 5 days so I will update you as soon as this passes and let you know just how "correct" supernanny and my co-worker were.