New Year...New Room

Much the way that K and I always do things, we are transition C into his own room with a mix of her needs being met and my needs being met.

He's there, in his own room.  Last night was the first night.  But we didn't make him cry it out.  And we won't for a while.  For last night, we reponded to him twice.  He woke up around 11 and we went and got him.  Brought him back to our bed for feeding.  He struggled to go back to sleep and at around 11:45, I ended up leaving him in his room to whine himself back to sleep. 

He wasn't freaking out.  He wasn't even really crying.  When I left him (after watching him and consoling him for 15 minutes), he wasn't standing.  He was laying on his side, clutching the mommy-scented t-shirt we had given him and whining.  Wimpering, if you ask K.  But I left him and shut the door and went back into our bedroom to coach his hurting Mommy through the process.

I knew it would be okay because he wasn't frantic.  He wasn't freakin' out.  He wasn't going crazy.  Even still, she peppered me with questions, "Do you think he's standing up?"  "Do you think he is scared?"  "I know he is physically safe, but what about emotionally?" 

Ah, my beautiful wife and her love for this child that she birthed.  She felt every cry, every whimper, every moan like a physical blow to her body.  And still, she laid beside me and endured the pain.  And within 15 minutes, our beautiful boy had gone to sleep. 

She had me check on him, and sure enough, he was sound asleep.  Wrapped up in her t-shirt.  I get that.  I used to do the same thing when we lived in seperate states. 

C was up again at 4 AM.  I went and got him and brought him to the waiting arms and breast of his Mommy.  She fed him and he fell asleep in her arms.  She carried him back into his crib and put him down.  He didn't wake this time.  It's now been 2 1/2 hours and he's still sleeping.  I'm not sure that C has ever slept past 6 AM. 

I call it a success.  We rung in the new year listening to our son cry, but we also rung in the new year together, in our bed without children.  The good with the bad.  The hard with the sweet.  This is livin' at it's most honest for us. 

Happy New Year and welcome 2010.  I suspect that this will be the best year of my life...