Sleep training

We let Timmy 'cry it out' a couple of weeks ago. It was a really hard night - he had two crying jags that were about 25 minute each, which seemed like an eternity. I lay in bed listening to him through the monitor (I did think about turning it off, but decided that if he was going to go through it I should too). I drove myself a bit crazy imagining what he was saying.

It started with a few nickers, "Mom, my belly's feeling a little empty!"

When I didn't show up he started crying a bit "I'm really pretty hungry, I'd like some food please!"

Previous nights one or the other of us would have gone in by this time, either to bink him or feed him, so it seemed he started realizing that something was wrong. "Mom, mom, mom, where are you? I'm really hungry, please come and feed me? Please???"

The cries then started getting even more strident, "Moooooooooommmmmmmmmmm! I'm hungry and lonely and scared, where are you? Did you forget about me? Where ARE you? You've never left me like this before! MMmmmmmmmoooooooooooooooommmmmmm!"

This was followed by the really piercing screaming, which I'd never even heard before, "I'm all alone now what am I going to do? I'm so sad and lonely, Mommy, Daddy, WHERE ARE YOU??? What have I done to deserve this? Why aren't you coming to get me you've always come before!"

Finally, he managed to calm down, but a couple of minutes later there were a few last cries; the kind you have when you've been sobbing and sobbing about something and you finally get all your crying out, but then think about it all over again and can't help a few last tears. "I was okay, lonely and still scared, but okay, but ooooohhhhhhhhhh, i just realized again that you've left me here all by myself!"

Fortunately it really was just that first night that was so agonizing for both of us, and since then we've had full (mostly) uninterrupted nights of sleep!