Sleep strategy update

I'm sure you've been waiting for an update on our new sleep strategy. (You didn't forget about it, did you?) Right now it's bedtime on the tenth day, and per the strategy, I'm writing this as I sit in the hallway outside Isaac's open bedroom door. He's in bed, humming to himself.

The short summary of the results of the new strategy is this: consistently successful at bedtime, less consistent at naptime, but much less stressful for both of us at both times. (If you want to see the sleep chart, the first full day of the new regime was Tuesday, August 12.)

Here's the new routine, used for naps and bedtime:

• we read books for 15 or 30 minutes in Isaac's bed
• at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m., I darken the room
• we lie down in bed together for a few minutes and talk
• we have a big hug*
• I leave the room, leaving the door open
• I sit in a chair in the hallway

And then what happens? Often Isaac doesn't want me to leave the room, but he usually stops complaining as soon as I've left. Infrequently he calls out for me, on rare occasions even fussing or crying a little bit. But he doesn't get out of bed, even when he's unhappy. More often he talks to himself cheerfully -- at first loudly and vigorously, then with increasing sleepiness. In the evenings he usually falls asleep in 15 to 20 minutes; naptimes vary. Today at naptime it took him ten minutes to fall asleep; a week ago it took an hour and ten minutes.

The evenings show a definite improvement in the length of time it takes Isaac to fall asleep; I can't yet tell about the naps. But even if there was no improvement in the amount of time, there is far less drama, so it's totally worth it.

Plus when I'm sitting out here in the hall I can actually do something. When I would lie down next to Isaac, I couldn't do anything at all, and I couldn't even fall asleep because he was always grabbing my hair or trying to use me for a pillow. When I sat in the chair in his room, I sometimes tried to read (using a flashlight at night!) but he found it very distracting. It may be uncomfortable to use a laptop while slouching in a dining room chair, but it's a great improvement.

So the only question is this: when do I dare to leave the chair? When do I take it to the next level and actually walk away from the open door?

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*Isaac always tells me, as we hug good night, that I'm trapped. He says we're stuck together forever with glue and tape; sometimes he also says bungee cords. And sometimes he says we're stuck together with love.