Silence is Golden

On last night's episode of CIO, you were left with a cliffhanger. Nate had been down for 2 consecutive hours. I'm sure you're dying to know what happened next, so here goes.

Nate woke up crying within 5 minutes of my last entry. Not screaming but crying for attention. I went in to soothe him and noticed he was a bit twisted in his blanket. So, I picked him up and readjusted him, patting his back and doing the Mama Sway. He quickly fell asleep on my shoulder, sighing loudly as if he had found sweet relief in mommy's embrace. I laid him down delicately in his crib and walked out, crossing my fingers.

There was no noise. No fuss. No crying. No screaming or wailing. Just silence.

DH and I quietly scampered off to bed. I laid awake, waiting for him to pitch a fit, demanding a warm body to cuddle beside. After several minutes of contemplation, I heard some grunting through our adjoinging wall so I sent DH in to mediate. As he exited the nursery, there was again serenity. I made note of the time. 11:47pm.

I was apprehensive, among many other emotions. I was cynical, believing that sleep was only a pipe dream; I'd only be woken to my son exercising his lungs. I was elated that I didn't have to resort to earplugs in order to catch some zzz's. But I missed his soft little body and the whisper of his breath on my chest. I was lonely. I had slept next to Nate for 6 months - not including the months prior when he would tussle about inside me as I would attempt to doze off. I can't even recall what sleep was like when it was just DH and I. I realized that this wasn't just an adjustment for Nate. It was an adjustment for me as well.

Before I knew it, my eyes were peeled open as I heard Nate bawling. I turned to look at the clock. It was 4:54am.

Some quick arithmetic confirmed a 5 hour stretch. F-I-V-E consecutive hours. In addition to the 2 before that. A total of 7 hours in his crib. I could not believe my eyes.

My breasts were like two swollen boulders under my neck but I hurried out of bed and into the nursery, swooping Nate up in my arms and covering him with kisses. I was so proud of my little guy. I cheated and brought him back to bed to nurse, where he slept for another 2 hours.
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Today, Nate and I travelled to VA for a playdate with some of my FF gal pals. He slept the entire way there (1.5 hours) and the entire way back. He also napped for a bit in his Ergo as we shopped at the outlet mall.

We arrived home around 6pm. I fixed myself some dinner, we played for a bit and I gave him a bath. At 8pm, I took him in his nursery, turned off all the lights and nursed him in the glider, wrapping him in a velour blanket. Our new nightly routine.

He fell asleep at the boob and I gently transferred him to the crib. He was awake but drowsy. I walked out and closed the door, expecting a bit of fussing or crying.

But there was nothing. Absolute silence. And it's been like that for an hour now.

I guess I underestimated this CIO thing. It may be mentally, physically and emotionally draining - to say the least - but it really can work.