Ferberger

So tonight we are trying out the Ferber (or Ferberger as Jake referred to it the other day) method of sleep training. We don't know what else to do as Jamie will not fall asleep on his own. Admitedly, we are to blame for forming this bad habit and knowing this makes me feel even more guilty about allowing him to cry in his crib alone. I'm going to chalk it up to the trials and errors of first time parenting but still I feel like a terrible mother.

When your baby is tired you really will do anything to get them to sleep and we did. Nursing him to sleep hoping he'd have a full tummy and sleep the rest of the night, rocking him in the rocker, holding him and swaying to classical music and if all else failed and it was super late we'd put him in his baby swing. But now he is waking up at night and not able to put himself back to sleep without one of these methods. I did try to establish a bedtime routine once but for different reasons it kept getting disrupted and James was going to bed at a variety of hours.

*sigh* It's been 25 minutes and now he is hiccuping in response to his hysterical screaming and I still feel bad. I hope this doesn't go on for very long. I don't know if I can do this for a week. What is he thinking? Does he think we've abandoned him? Does he feel sad about being alone and wanting us? Will he not feel confidence or trust in us anymore? I know he is a baby but even at this age they learn about these things.

Jake went in there and said he is asleep-but he is still making a hiccuping sound. I hope he is ok. Guess I'll go to bed now too.