Sleeping woes

I just saw my poor little boy cry himself to sleep :(

I've been trying to wean him off napping on me in the baby sling since Thursday. I couldn't put him down; he would wake. And my back has been complaining.

But the weaning process has been very difficult and heartwrenching. A couple of times, I could make him doze off in bed with minimum crying just by soothing him with my singing or his pacifier, with naps lasting 5 min (!) or 30 min. I dimmed the room to mimick night time when he could sleep in his bed but to no avail. The longest nap was after nursing on our sides.

We were out most of yesterday so it was back to the sling but even then, he didn't sleep much. The morning, he fell asleep in my arms and just as I thought it was safe to put him down, he woke. Just now, I watched him cry* for 40 min before he fell asleep :(

* The aware parenting approach says that babies shouldn't be left to cry alone so I was with him to comfort him while he cried.

He just woke after only 17 min. Seemed hungry. So I'm nursing him now. So sad to see him so tired but refusing to succumb to sleep.

He must be quite unhappy too. I only weaned him off the swaddle on 17 Sep and now this! And that disrupted his sleep too. It became more difficult to put him down in bed as he would stir when he touched his bed.. Very often, I had to hold down his flailing arms in time before he woke himself up! Then he woke more at night. I had some bad nights when he couldn't return to sleep. These days, I nursed him lying down, easier but somehow, he decided to wake every hour after the first four or five hours! So I wouldn't say we're out of the woods yet for swaddle weaning...

He's back to sleep now. Kind of fitful.. Had to hold down his flailing arms a few times when he stirred. I hope he can sleep longer this time...

I feel like napping too but I'm afraid he would wake while I'm asleep.. I'm so tired at the end of the week! Sito is out for some work thing so can't watch him.. Should be back soon, I think..

His little heaving chest is so cute. He's sleeping with his arms stretched out. His right thumb is pinned under his fingers as usual so I don't dare to open up his hand to check on his thumb - I nicked his right thumb while cutting his nails this morning and we cried :( But ZK is a brave little boy. He stopped crying soon after being smothered in kisses of apologies, and looked as if nothing had happened.

And he woke again after 16 min :(

We're both exhausted! May Monday bring a better week...