Who'd have thunk it?

Lily has never been that great about going to bed. She does wonderfully if she's in arms and will sleep long and hard, happily snuggled against one of our warm bodies. So our night time routine has been somewhat frustrating: we change her, hold her, put her into bed and then stand there for a LONG time with a hand on her chest while she falls in and out of sleep, fussing and straining to get back up.

The other day, however, I really had to pee. So, I popped her into bed and then ran to use the toilet. She stood up and hollered, and then, by the time I washed my hands... was asleep. AND (and here's the kicker) she stayed down until Mark and I came to bed several hours later. I've been repeating this little experiment and am finding that it actually works. I am absolutely against letting a baby cry it out; if she didn't stop after 30-60 seconds, she'd be in my arms in a heart beat. Part of me feels guilty for those 30-60 seconds... but isn't 60 seconds of really intense unhappiness better than half an hour of struggle?

I guess that this parenting gig is all about situations that don't have obvious answers. I mean, who would have ever thought that the more a child naps during the day the better they'll sleep at night? But it does work that way. Who would have thought that BEFORE the teeth cut is when the child is most uncomfortable? But that's what we've seen. It's like all reason and logic just flew out the window! MADNESS, I tell you, MADNESS!