Sleep Training Day 2 - Bedtime

Okay, seriously, this cannot be this easy. There has got to be something wrong!

I just laid Annabelle down for the evening at 8:14 p.m., and by 8:15 p.m., she was no longer crying. I did leave the door cracked again, but I haven't checked on her for fear that the floors will creak, and she'll think that I am coming to her rescue again.

She finally fell asleep for her afternoon nap at 2:00 p.m., and she woke up from her nap at 3:50 p.m. She was actually in a somewhat good mood when she woke up from her afternoon nap too, which is very unusual for her. I had planned to wake her up at 3:30 p.m. so that she would go down easy for the evening, but I got busy trying to get a rebate out the door and also trying to get my hours entered into my time sheet for work, so I decided to hold off until 4:00 p.m. at the latest, and then she woke up at 3:50 p.m. instead.

Our bedtime routine now consists of bath (on bath nights...every other night), story time for 30 minutes to an hour and then I nurse her and then we "chat" for a little while. I rocked her for about 5 minutes after she finished nursing, and I told her that "Mommy is going to lay you down for the evening just like we did last night and also at bedtime today." I said, "You know Mommy loves you, right?" And, once again, she nodded her little head yes. Who knows if she really understands just what I am saying. I actually think that this "chat" time will be good for the both of us. I'm just not sure if I should change it up to include her Daddy in the room for this "chat" time so that she doesn't get so attached to her Mommy and the evening "chat" time. Maybe I should try that tomorrow night when he is home again. He didn't make it home this evening.

The screeching also was non-existent tonight. Thank goodness! If she only knew, the screeching is what really makes me want to cry and come to her rescue. Shh! Please don't tell her!

It is currently 8:21 p.m., and she isn't crying, AND I don't hear the Fisher Price Aquarium playing. She seemed pretty tired this evening. She actually wanted to end story time at about 7:45 p.m., but I encouraged and distracted her to continue until 8:00 p.m. at which time we called her Daddy before she nursed.

I try to read a little Sesame Street story I have to her every night called "Nighty Night." I bought it from Target in the $1 bins, but she was not interested. She just pushed it away and laid down, ready to nurse. She really doesn't like to read that book when she isn't tired though. She will push it away and reach for another one.

I suspect that weaning her is going to be my next challenge! Does anyone have any books they'd recommend on weaning a toddler? I really would like to wean this child before she starts asking for it by name. Right now, she will just say "Peeaaasss" whenever she is ready to nurse at night as she lays down in my lap. I only nurse her three times a day right now, in the morning after she wakes up, at naptime and then again at bedtime. That has been the typical nursing schedule since she gave up her morning nap around 14 months.

Okay, I just tried to check on her at 8:32 p.m., but it is too dark in her room for me to see her through the cracked door. I think I'll wait an hour or maybe two!

Thank you everyone for your comments! They are very much appreciated! I think part of me realized that "crying it out" was going to have to happen sooner rather than later because (a) I feared she'd start climbing out of the crib and (b) How many people can really continue to rock both children to sleep at night after a second child arrives? And, for the record, I am NOT pregnant (at least that I know of).