What do those books say?

Okay....I have FINALLY come to the place where I fully believe that my child isn't like any of the children that the authors of the parenting books based their theories from.

You see.....my son is a vomiter.

I have tried the Ferber method...or the cry it out...or the let them soothe themselves and put themselves to sleep strategy. He HATES being left alone in his crib and will cry - well, let me be more descriptive - he will scream and sob and work himself up into such a tizzy that he ends up projectile vomiting all down the front of the crib. In the process he ruins his sheets, the rail cover, the mesh bumper and the dust ruffle.

Can I tell you just how much I HATE changing the sheets on his crib? I work up more of a sweat doing that than I do when I actually work out....and I hardly remember what that's like.

I have basically determined that my son is one who has a hard time putting himself to sleep. He needs help. Maybe I created that monster....but it's where we are now. Ever since he was little he'd cry himself into vomiting so we assisted him in getting to sleep.

Now, you just have to let him go for 3-4 min and he'll be technicolor yawning all over the place. I'm not looking forward to the terrible two's....because if he can do this now....without really trying....what if he realizes that he can make himself do it and does it on purpose.

Have I mentioned that I have a SERIOUS aversion to vomit?

I'm really at a loss....I had a bit of a breakdown this morning....after we'd been fighting with him for 3 hours - he'd fall asleep in your arms - then as soon as you got up from the chair he'd wake up crying. I'm not proud of it....I'm very ashamed of it....but honestly...I'm at my wits end. We're a bit sleep deprived....he's tired....we're all a bit cranky....we're just not all that pleasant to be around honestly.

Here's to hoping that this rough patch is merely a speed bump in our road of blissful sleep....we've been doing well until the last week....but oh what a week it's been....