To sleep or not to sleep

As like any parent, sleep is a priceless commodity. Some are lucky and get it naturally, others are deprived for years. It's part of the deal when you sign up for a kid. Before getting pregnant, i was the type of person who runs on sleep. I have always needed at least 8 hours of good solid sleep to be able to at least function, and a nap in the afternoon (and maybe the morning too) helps. Pregnancy messed that up a little, and i anticipated that after the baby was born i wouldn't be getting a whole lot of sleep either. That was to be expected. My mum gave me some great advice before the baby was born. She said, "Don't plan on sleeping for at least a year. Then, if you get a night or two during that first year, it'll be a blessing." Powerful words. Little did i know how true they would be.
My son, is a treasure. We are so blessed to have him, a little package of smiles, laughter, joy and true bliss. I wouldn't trade him for anything, he's my world. During the day, he takes good naps, and the only time he's ever made a fuss is if he's fallen and smacked his head or really really starving. At night, it's a whole other story. He was sleeping pretty well in the first few months, waking every 5ish hours, sometimes less, sometimes more. Then he started teething (no, there are no teeth yet, but he's definitely in the process) and got a really bad cold, and constipated, all at the same time. Ever since then, sleep doesn't happen. He wakes every 2 hours, sometimes every hour and just cries, wants to nurse and be held, wakes every time you try and put him down, and usually ends up sleeping the night in our bed with us (bad, i know). At first, i sympathised, he was sick, he's my baby, i stayed up all night with him (and then all day). But after a week or so, i started getting really really run down and sick myself. I have a history of having fainting spells when my body is run and down and visiting the ER. I can't risk that, fainting while I'm home alone with him (and the other baby i watch), being passed out, leaving them unattended to. So, i need to sleep. Tui has been great over the break, taking the night shift. But he's started school again, has a 7am class and then work, it's not fair to have him up at night. But my health means i need sleep. That's the dilemma.
The solution is, Malachi needs to sleep. Easier said then done. We made the mistake of rocking him to sleep when he was a baby so that's what he wants. But it isn't possible for us to rock him to sleep for a hour every night to put him to sleep. The only other option is to teach him to put himself to sleep, aka let him cry to sleep. We have tried this about 7 times before, after the first hour of him crying we give in and i usually end up crying with him. It's hard to see your little one so upset, just wanting to be held, reaching his little arms up to you, especially now that he can stand up in his crib and look around for you. it's traumatic. But we've started again. Setting up a bedtime routine, and letting him fall asleep without being rocked or nursed or in our bed.

Night 1 - last night we started. Tui gave him and picked him up, i growled Tui and made him put him back, after about 45 minutes of him crying for 5 min, us reassuring him, crying for 6 minutes, us reassuring, crying for 7 minutes etc. he finally feel asleep. He then spent about an hour afterwards doing that funny breathing thing you do after crying a long time.

Night 2 - Tonight we went through the routine, feed, bath, sing, in bed. He cried for maybe 3-4 minutes on and off and then fell asleep. We were so shocked we kept going in and checking that he was still alive. I know this is a fluke and I'm not counting on this happening straight away but it sure is nice. Especially seen as tomorrow is Sunday and we have to be up early.

We're planning on it being hard for two weeks. Everything I've read and been told tells me that after two weeks it should get a whole lot easier. IT BETTER!!!
But i will keep you posted on our progress.

(Note: I realise that this is a very long post, but i figured that it would be more interesting to read if there was some meat to it then just writing, "We're trying to get Malachi to sleep at night. The end.")