Sleep issues

I haven't mentioned it before now, because I realize not everyone is interested, but we're once again having sleep issues.

I say "once again," but I'm not sure the sleep issues ever really went away. Isaac has never been a good sleeper, and he has always required parental involvement in the falling-asleep process. Why didn't we just leave him to cry alone until he fell asleep? Because whenever we tried it, he always cried and cried and cried -- without actually falling sleep. And I mean really cried, not just complained. If he had ended up asleep after all that crying, we might have done it anyway. But instead he would be miserable, insecure, and more awake than ever!

So at different points in Isaac's life, Craig and I have tried different things to help him fall asleep, most recently by having one of us sitting in his room. When, four months ago, this involvement seemed to be distracting rather than soothing him, we finally began leaving his room to sit in the hallway. He didn't like this at first, but eventually adjusted, and for about three months it seemed to work well.

It worked well, that is, until it suddenly didn't. About a month ago Isaac became absolutely terrified about being left alone in his room. There was an abrupt change in his attitude during the day as well -- he started whining a lot more, he misbehaved, and he didn't seem to be able to play on his own. It seemed clear that he needed a lot more attention from us, both day and night, so we once again increased our involvement in his sleep process.

For several weeks the problem was solved by someone sitting in his room while he fell asleep, and he fell asleep fairly easily and without anxiety. But for the last few days it hasn't been working, and our presence is obviously once again a distraction. So now what? We work on making the transition back to the hallway. (That's where I am right now!)

The timing hasn't been good. I was hoping that he would become an independent sleeper in time for his sister's arrival, but now that seems incredibly unlikely. Although the way things change, he will very probably have developed a different sleep issue by then -- different, but no doubt equally frustrating!

- - - - -

Even though he's been trying to fall asleep for 45 minutes already, he's not unhappy right now. In fact he's in there singing to himself, in a kind of chicken voice, a song to which the only lyrics are "Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama."

- - - - -

Nope, now he's saying, "Mama, where are you? I'm really, really, really sad. I need you to snuggle me."

- - - - -

Wait, now he's singing again.