Cry it out...all over again...

Gunnar has developed a bad habit of waking to feed every 3 hours lately.  I let it happen while we were on vacation because I didn't want to risk waking up everyone in the houses we were visiting...but now it has to end.  He is almost 9 months and I know he's capable of sleeping through the night...what happened to the 10 and 11 hours of straight sleep he was giving me just a few short months ago?

Frankly I think he's learned the art of making mommy feel guilty. His sweet innocent blameless cry that won my heart for the first 5 months of his life...has been replaced with a wailing, screaming, guttural howl that sends me leaping from my bed almost instantaneously to make the dreaded sound cease.

We've had guests for the last 3 nights and will have yet more guests in a few days and I am determined to squash this habit before they come....but it is not going to be easy.

As we speak Gunnar has been walloping now for over 40 minutes. I know if I go in there my motherly instincts will give in to the tears and that would only teach him to continue this habit. I just don't know how much more I can take...but if I go in there now...those 40 minute will be for nothing. This is the hardest thing I've done...and I've already done it before...why do I have to suffer it again?!!!

Gunnar...mommy loves you. Go back to sleep...you need to sleep.