Putting You To Sleep

Dear Gabe,

I feel really bad today because you are crying. I hate it when you cry. What's worse is you really want us to pick you up, cuddle with you, nurse you, etc., but we aren't doing it. I'm feeling really bad today so I wanted to tell you why we're doing this.

You recently stopped sleeping well. You were really refusing to take any naps at all. And you were getting very tired! So we knew you needed to start to learn how to go to sleep on your own and how to soothe yourself. We've tried a variety of things in the past to help you learn this, but none of them really worked. So what we settled on is putting you in your crib and sitting with you until you fall asleep. We pat you, shush you, and occasionally pick you up, but for the most part we let you learn what makes you feel more sleepy.

Yesterday was the first day. You were awake in your crib for an hour before you fell asleep. It was a very long hour for me. Then you wouldn't sleep at all for your second nap. For bed, you were awake in your crib for an hour and forty minutes. It felt like eternity. We don't know yet if it is working, but I sure hope so!

Anyway, I just want to tell you that Dad and I love you very much and we feel badly that you have to be unhappy while we work this out. We wish we could do it for you and make it easy for you. I'm sure this won't be the last thing we wish we could fix. But know that we love you and we are trying to figure out how to do the best things for you!

Love,
Mom