When its good, its really good

I'm very tentative to write this down because I don't want to jinx it, but I also don't want to miss the opportunity to celebrate. So here's goes:

Adam has slept 2 nights completely unassisted. No nursing to sleep, no midnight hugs or back patting. A few short squeaks, but he got himself back to sleep every time.

And the even bigger news: Jim put both kids to bed last night, alone! I have a monthly meeting that I have been skipping for several months because Adam still nursed to sleep and absolutely couldn't stay up late enough to wait for me. But we gave it a try, and it was a splendid success. He didn't even cry himself to sleep (neither Jim nor Adam), he just drifted off to dreamland peacefully. It actually sounds like it went better than when I put him down. Maybe this could become the new routine!

I realize that many people might say "its about time!" After all, he is 14 months old. Maybe they are right. I'm not sure that I would nurse another child to sleep again. I'd like to say that I would be smarter the next time around and start them off "right", but I have to be honest and say that I would probably follow the similar path I used with both Laura and Adam. It just seemed like the right thing to do at that time. For the most part I enjoyed the cuddling, having them sleep close to me in bed, and it seemed to be what they needed. Yes, it caused some serious sleep problems for Jim and me and at several points, I cursed myself for not letting them cry it out earlier. Adam was actually twice as old as Laura when he stopped nursing to sleep. Wow. Its been a rough year, and I know that we're not done with night-waking. But I am grateful for the 2 nights of rest and someday I'll look back and remember that this was the beginning of the end of the "middle of the night infant comforting". I wonder how bad the "middle of the night toddler comforting" will become? I know you are all on the edge of your seats. Stay tuned...