bliss

Niall slept through the night last night!

On the way up

Life is good most of the time. When you hit rock bottom the only place to go is up, and sometimes you get a shining ray of hope that all will be well in a shorter time than you thought possible.
Last night I had a bath, and I went to bed at 9pm.
Niall nursed at 10:30, but I fell asleep before he was done. John had come to bed too, and thought that I would tell him when Niall had finished nursing. He didn't realize I was asleep and he fell asleep too. So we managed to cosleep for part of the night.
I was surprised to wake up at 2:30 (4 solid hours of sleep!) to find Niall in bed with me starting to stir. I poked John and he got Niall out of bed and rocked him back to sleep.
He woke up at one other time near 4, but John once again managed to get him to sleep. We offered him some water in a bottle, but that was just insulting and he refused it.
He came back to bed to nurse at 5am, and we all got up at 7.
Little man managed 10:30-5 without a meal... his longest stretch in his entire life. And he did it with much less of a fight than I anticipated. We are on our way!

rock bottom

Last night was rock bottom. From a mental point of view, it can get no worse.
Even less sleep would not be worse, because I would probably handle it better.

Niall's 1st sleep log, after NCSS

7:30 -- to bed awake, patted to sleep, did not nurse (too full!)
8:17 -- wake up confused, patted back to sleep without picking up - not even sure if that's a real wakeup
10:00 - 10:15 -- Up to nurse, back to crib mostly asleep
1:25 - 1:45 -- woke up very hungry, but John rocked him back to sleep at 1:34, but he was back up at 1:39 and nursed very quickly and hungrily back to sleep
5:15 - up to nurse, and up for the day. We tried to get him back to sleep, but he was AWAKE. Don't know where this came from but it's the first time he's ever been up that early. I'm hoping it was a fluke!

Total night's sleep = 9 hours 45 minutes. (very odd. he would normally sleep 12 hours)
Total wakeups = 3 (would normally be 4 as he would go back to sleep after the 5am one)
Total wakeups that got ME up (my most important guage -- I don't care about the ones that he does before I go to bed) = 1, but would normally be 2 if he went back to sleep!
Most consecutive sleep = 3 1/2 hours

So consecutive sleep has gone up by an hour
Wakings that get ME up has gone from 6 to 1!
And he's gone from sleeping in bed with me to sleeping in a crib by himself.

I think that's progress!

Props to John for taking the first shift and letting me sleep until 8, and going back for his sleep then.

Perspective

When I can't sleep, it helps to remember what it's really all about.

Tonight is a log night.

Today's naps:

Morning nap - 90 minutes
Afternoon nap - ~45 minutes

MUCH better than the first log!

Niall has gone to bed for the night. Let's hope it stays that way.
He's gotten up at 12:30 every night. Last night I woke him and fed him at about 11 when I went to bed. He still woke up then, so tonight I'm not going to get him up since it's not doing any good anyway.
Last night and tonight I've offered him warm cereal after our evening walk, and he's tanked it down. Tonight when I ran out and had to go make more, he actually started kicking his legs when I was coming back with the bowl. So I'm hoping that he's good and stuffed and will sleep.
I'm not keeping a log yet, but I do know that consecutive hours of sleep has gone up. He's also been banished to the crib. It's still in our room though, and I don't miss him nearly as much as I thought I would. I guess because I was so sleep deprived before that any change was a good one. I wish he could come back and sleep with me, and maybe we'll try it, but he'll be back in the crib if he tries to treat me as an all night diner again. 9 months is long enough.
Like I told him, "You're not starving, bud."

And looking at the date for that log post... it's only been 4 days. Pantley says not to log for at least 10. So I shouldn't be down about this. Teething is nasty. Everyone knows it.
Heidi talks me off the ledge. She is a good woman, and she knows where I am. Not many do.

last night was awful, and today has to be the most horribly nasty day ever. The weather is beautiful but I'm not. I've hit a whole new low.
All articles sleep related say to wait 3 weeks to see any great improvement, and one night can't break me... but it's coming pretty close.
We've rearranged the room. The crib is no longer sidecarred. Niall wouldn't stay in it anyway, so what was the point?
Tonight, he gets motrin for his teeth. I get benedryl for my sleep. John gets baby duty for one night so I can start fresh. That's the plan. Hope it works.

Niall's sleep before starting the No Cry Sleep Solution

7:50p Attempt to nurse to sleep. Nursing but no sleep. Put him in his crib so he can roll around and play
8:45p Nurse, then rock
9:05p Finally to sleep. Put him down in his crib.
11:22p Wake to nurse, into my bed. 12 minutes nursing and back to sleep.
12:56a Wake, no nursing. Pacifier and back to sleep.
2:47a Wake to nurse. No idea how long. I fell asleep.
3 something (couldn't focus on the clock. no glasses) wake to nurse
4 something - wake to nurse
6:45a Begin nursing marathon
8:45a Up for the day

Naps. One 40 minute nap. Multiple failed attempts at another nap.
Total nighttime sleep -- nearly 12 hours. Total wakeups -- 6
Most consecutive hours of sleep -- about 2 1/2
Plan of action: Drag his butt out of bed at 7am and see if we can manage 2 naps tomorrow.

Next log will be in 10 days. Pray for sleep!

I haven't been sleeping because I haven't been posting... there. read that sentence. Now you know how much I haven't been sleeping.
Today I went out and bought the No Cry Sleep Solution. I am hoping and praying that it will work because things have got to change around here.
The weather was great. We went for a walk this evening down to C. village to find a bookcrossing book. My first one! And had ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Also rented Finding Neverland. We'll watch it some time this week, barring complications from Mr. Nosleep. The boys rode in the wagon - Niall's first wagon ride!
I can't wait until the weather is like this every day for a stretch.

4 hours of sleep. nonconsecutive.