Monster Mom

Well, I did it. I got MZ to sleep without nursing her down, or rocking her. "About time," you might say, "she's nearly eight months old!"

But every child is different, and every parent has a different threshold. MZ has been a great sleeper from the start. So don't fix what ain't broken. But in the last few weeks, her naps have gotten shorter and shorter, and while she doesn't get grumpy, she does get pretty amped by the end of the day. You might think she's a lot of fun, a real party girl, but as another mom with the same issue said, "they may be fun, but that doesn't mean they're happy. The party girls never are."

So... I put her down in her crib, and stayed in the room. When her wimpers turned to real cries, I lowered the crib rail and moved the ottoman over so I could pat her to let her know I was close by. She'd cry angrily for about 30 seconds, then suck her thumb fiercely, then cry some more. It took 15 minutes for her to fall asleep, which is a long time when measured in 30-second increments, but once she was asleep, holding her Piglet and sucking her thumb, I could breathe again.