Jack. In the box.

Jack. In the box. How clever! Rob thought of it. I am no longer able to think of witty and clever things to say or write since I have had 3 hours of good sleep since beginning this new, awesome phase of parenting -- crying it out. We have turned to our new guru -- The Sleep Lady -- to assist us with this monumental task. Apparently, we have been doing everything wrong.
Our major failures?

1. Putting Jack in his crib dead asleep rather than "drowsy but awake."
2. Not introducing Jack to a "lovey" sooner. A lovey is anything soft and cuddly that can be a sleep friend.
3. Not letting Jack learn how to fall asleep on his own. I'm not even good at this! How can I expect a 9-month old to learn how to do this if his 36-year old Mommy can't figure it out. Do they make Baby Ambien?
   
4. Nursing to sleep. Bad, bad Mommy!
5. Running to Jack whenever he makes a tiny peep, squawk or guttural moan instead of waiting for a moment to see if he will go back to sleep on his own. HA! Fat chance! (See #3.)

Okay. So now that we realize that we are big, fat failures in this department we are following The Sleep Lady's prescription to the letter. Much to my dismay, the prescription does not come in a bottle. Rob and I are taking shifts sleeping in a chair in Jack's room so we can be be in his face as soon as he wakes up to ssh him back to sleep. Touching is allowed (briefly). Nursing, rocking, bouncing, singing and all of our other tried and true methods are not. First night had me in tears for 2 hours. Jack cried for just under an hour. Rob rejoiced and exalted the Sleep Lady's virtues. Jack only woke up once in the night and slept until 6:30 a.m. Hallelujah! I can see light at the end of the tunnel. It's a faint light and it's a long tunnel, but I can see it if I squint.

8 more nights of this. Sounds like Hannukah. Shouldn't I get a present for every day of this that I survive?