The start of operation CIO "cry it out"

Night one... OMG! So much worse than I had ever imagined. Matthew screamed/cried over 6 hours on and off. At one point it was 3 hours straight. He was crying... I was crying :(
Day 1- Would not nap.... Clingy, Wanted to be held all day, really bad mood. Long day! I questioned my decision a few times.

Night two... Still bad but better. About 3 hours of screaming/crying on and off.
Day 2- Would not nap.... Clingy, Wanted to be held all day, really bad mood. Even longer day!

Night three... Wow.. Only 5 minutes of initial crying and then he slept through the entire night! WOO HOO... I felt hope!
Day 3- Took 45 minute nap on my bed, still super clingy and in poor mood.

Night four... Woke 3 or 4 times w/ ten minute bouts of crying.
Day 4- First nap in crib since starting CIO... (lasted only an hour and i had to get him asleep first before putting him down.) Still very clingy and irritable at times.

Night five- Woke 2 times w/ a few minutes of crying each time.
Day 5- First nap where he fell asleep after being put down in crib awake. Continues to be clingy but mood has started to improve.

Night six (last night)... Matthew cried 3 minutes when we put him down and slept through the entire night until 5:30! =)
Day 6- (today) Matthew went down for his nap in his crib today and is sleeping as I type this! Woo Hoo!!!

So it has been a long and exhausting week. I am glad I was determined and ready to do the CIO. My biggest suggestion to anyone considering it is to be sure. It would be cruel to start and then give up after one or two nights. You'd put your child through all that for nothing plus you'd be in a worse position than before you had started. CIO is not for everyone and it took me many months before I decided it was right for us. We tried everything and were at our wits end. If you do CIO surround yourself w/ support and cut off those who oppose CIO for a while until you feel more confident and see that it is working. Also be prepared that days will be affected. Both tiredness/fussiness during the day and nap time issues will have to be addressed.

Some notes: We separated the twins (for now) so they sleep in different rooms. This is essential. We tried to keep the environment the same. Dark and w/ sound machines in both rooms. We try to keep the bedtime and nap time routine consistent. Oh and Andrew (the good sleeper) is sleeping even better than ever! So that is an added bonus.

I will post again to followup and let you know how this week goes.