Letting the Baby Cry at Night

"Beep, beeeeeeeeeep... this is a test of the National Baby Association....  This is only a test.  Please refrain from jumping out of bed and running to your baby's rescue...."

My 4 month old is beginning to use her insane genius to manipulate me into doing whatever she wants.  It started with small things... bottles, being held... easy stuff.  Now, however, my little angel who would sleep from 6 or 7pm to 5:30am and go right back to sleep after being put in bed with me isn't so much of an angel anymore.  "Go right back to sleep after being put in bed with me" is the key part of that last sentence.  I've taught her that she gets her mommy if she wakes up at night.  She's used to me picking her up before her eyes even open.  The first sound on the monitor, and I'm there.  It was fine when it was 5:30 in the morning.  It was a groove we had gotten into.  I could get a little more sleep (or in most cases, my first bit of sleep) if I could get to her before the crying began.  Ahh, what a wonderful couple of months that was.

However, the ignorant bliss bubble we've been living in has been haphazardly popped.  Lately, she wakes up at 2 or so in the morning.  This is the first battle of the night.  I'm trying to teach her that she doesn't get to do whatever she wants if she wakes up.  Night time is for sleeping.  This is what she must learn.  When that 2am cry blasts through the monitor, I sneakily make my way into her room just to make sure she hasn't rolled over or is in some sort of pain.  When I see that she is perfectly fine, I try to wait out the crying.  I do stay in her room until she's asleep once again, but she doesn't see me.  It is, after all, my fault she's doing this.  Once that little interruption has ceased, I return back to bed. The second battle usually happens between 4:30 and 5:30, but this time, she refuses to go back to sleep.  She'll wait me out for hours until she gets a bottle.  Back to sleep she goes as soon as she finishes eating.

I've accepted the early morning feedings.  I realize I've had it easy with her.  She used to sleep until 7:30 or 8am before wanting her first bottle of the day.  The new time has changed our daily eating schedule.  It's OK.  I just have to keep reminding myself that the 2:30 cries are merely a mommy test.  I hate letting her cry, but I'm learning.