Let there be no swaddle...

Well tonight was the night. With much anticipation and fear, Jason and I removed the Miracle Blanket from Charlie's crib, and put him to bed tonight in just his jammies.

As parents of a child who was colicky, it is very scary to give up something that provided calmness to our child, and sanity for ourselves. Even if it was only for a few hours. The bouncy seat was an item I loathed with a passion, yet would have probably murdered someone if they had tried to take it from me. I had a love-hate relationship with an inanimate object because it could provide comfort to my child...something I could not do. How depressing to be a mother who could not calm her own child, yet so thankful to find something that could.

Charlie would not sleep...until we started swaddling him. Then he would break out of regular receiving blankets, even when Jason double wrapped him. Jason scoffed at me buying a special swaddling blanket, and then became close to tears when he saw how Charlie could not break out of it, and how Charlie would actually sleep when he was in the MB. Eventually the blanket did not wrap around Charlie as many times as it used to, and we had to leave his feet and legs out of the pocket because he was too long for it...but still, we plowed on, determined to "not fix what ain't broken."

So after almost 3 months of miracle blanket heaven, bliss has run it's course. Charlie has completely deteriorated this past week, and Jason and I believed it was time to give up our security blanket. Almost fearing putting Charlie to bed, I believe Jason read Charlie an extra book, and then began rocking him. After gently laying him down, Charlie opened his eyes wide, smiled at his Daddy, and began talking. Talking was good, right? Better than crying...But would he actually go to sleep?

After 1o minutes, what we expected to happen, did--Charlie started crying. And for the next 15 minutes it continued. Resigned that this would continue for hours, Jason and I were surprised when it stopped. And he has stayed quiet for the past 2 hours.

We say a small prayer for good sleep for our little man, and for us as well.

One of the last pics taken of Charlie in his miracle blanket, on 4/28/08



Charlie napping today...