Don't forget the sound machine

There was a time when Grady had trouble sleeping.  It started around 7 months and lasted until he was a year old.  We used to wake up with him 2-3 times a night most days of the week.  We had to rock him back to sleep each time.  Sometimes it would take a few minutes, sometimes an hour.  Eventually, we were so tired, we had to let him "cry-it-out."  (Now I'm a big supporter of this method, but that's another post).  One item we tried to help him sleep better was a white noise sound machine.  I don't recall if it help with his sleeping habits at the time, but we've used it ever since.  

The other day, I went through our typical nap time routine.  Diaper change, read two books then put Grady to bed.  I gave him a kiss and shut his bedroom door.  I quickly threw on my exercise clothes and hopped on the treadmill.  Then I looked up at his monitor and heard him yapping away...with silence in the back ground.  I forgot to turn on the sound machine. 

I figured he'd fall asleep and I'd sneak in after I was done on the treadmill to turn on the sound machine.  He got quiet for about twenty minutes then suddenly he starts chatting to himself and Elmo.  [insert expletive here].  I was working night shift that night and was looking forward to taking a nap myself.  Since he was still happy, I finished my workout.  I even took a shower hoping he would eventually fall asleep.  With no luck, I decided to try something risky.  I walked right into his room, turned on the sound machine, told him to go to sleep, and walked out.  He cried, of course, but, I wanted to give him a chance to fall asleep.  Within 5 minutes, he was silent.  Five minutes after that, I was in dream world too.  

I can't believe he was awake for an hour and a half because he didn't have his sound machine.  I never realized he needed it so much.  That's a mistake I wont make twice.