I have uttered many prayers for Daniel since he was born. My most frequent prayer usually has something to do with his health and safety. But a close second goes something like this: "Dear Lord, please let Daniel
go to sleep!" Or this slight variation: "Dear Lord, please let Daniel
stay asleep!"
Yes, friends, sleep has been a very precious commodity at our house for the past two years. Daniel has only slept through the night about a dozen times total (until now!). And I have slept through the night fewer times than that. Now, you can see why so many prayers regarding sleep have been sent heavenward.
We tried letting him cry it out on a few different occasions, and for one reason or another, it never worked. I finally decided that I would rock him until he was a teenager if I had to! All the trauma with sleep training just didn't seem worth it.
But, in recent weeks, the Lord had been giving me a plan...showing me strategies to use...and now we are putting it into action. On Wednesday, Brian set up a cot in Daniel's room right beside his bed. Instead of rocking him to sleep (which is the usual routine) I put him into the crib awake and laid down on the cot. That first night, he thought it was some kind of game. For the first 30 minutes, he jumped in bed, turned circles, and even attempted a few somersaults. Then, he realized this was no game and began to cry. It took almost an hour of tears, but he went to sleep by himself.
On night two, he skipped the goofing around and went straight to crying. It just about broke my heart, but we stuck to the plan. And one hour later, he was asleep. For the past two nights, he has not cried one bit and has fallen asleep within 30 minutes. And you know what else? He has slept through the night ever since we started the sleep training. Our progress astounds me! It seems too good to be true. I know we may have some setbacks, but I feel hopeful about his sleeping for the first time in forever. The prayers of my friends and family are helping us greatly. And I know that God has heard every single desperate prayer that I have uttered during these past two years.
Just last night, I read an article at the Baby Center website on sleep training. It discussed a method very similar to what we have done. There were many, many comments left by readers, the majority of whom were bashing the very idea of sleep training. Their main complaint was that it's cruel to let babies cry and that parents should be eager to hold and comfort their young ones. I can see this viewpoint. I really can. I love cuddling Daniel, and despite my great joy over his improved sleep, I miss rocking him. But, I really wasn't doing him any favors by always rocking him to sleep. I read somewhere that children who cannot soothe themselves to sleep get roughly an hour less sleep per night than those who can. It has definitely been true of Daniel. He was being deprived of precious sleep needed for his development, not to mention his demeanor. Since he is sleeping through the night, all of us are much happier. And I am beginning to feel human again too. I woke up this morning, and the first thing from my lips was the Hallelujah chorus! Hallelujah...Hallelujah ...Halleluja, Hallelujah, Hal-le-lu-jah!
One of the most hilarious moments was watching Daniel stand in the back of his wagon and sing into the handle. He looked very serious about it too, like he was crooning some sort of love song. Every time I think about it, I start laughing!
We finished the afternoon with yummy cake and ice cream. My first cake attempt was a complete flop (don't use plastic baking pans!), but thankfully, my mom made the one below and saved the day!
We are so thankful to have our family to celebrate with us. And we praise the Lord for this precious boy. He brings such joy to all of us. Happy birthday, little man!
