crying it out...

so, here's my philosophy when it comes to crying it out... i've always been ok with the idea but just sort of felt like we weren't going to do it because i couldn't handle it, and, after all, there are other ways. plus there's a lot of talk going around nowadays that if you do that, your kid will not trust that you'll come when he needs you. so, we were trying other things for getting caleb to sleep for naps and bedtime. and they worked ok, but not great. and when he would test me, i would cave.
well, that changed last week. it all started friday when caleb did not want to go down for his second nap. and he'd been testing me all week and i was tired and did not want to fight him. so i just left him in his crib. and walked out. since mom was there, i cried on her shoulder a bit and then she reminded me that i wasn't ruining my son. and that he still knew i loved him. and that crying is just the only way he has of telling me he doesn't like something but it doesn't mean he hates me or is in pain (well, it could, but that sounds A LOT different than the "i don't want to sleep" cry). so we decided to have lunch and then i was going to go back in there and try again to get him to sleep. i just needed a break. but by the time i was part way through my bagel, he had stopped crying and was fast asleep.
i thought, "this is too good to be true" so i decided to try it again when he wouldn't go to sleep easily. and it worked again... and again... and again. so now, i just get him ready for his nap and i lay him in his crib and leave. and he goes to sleep. sometimes it's fast... like 30 seconds. sometimes it's forever... like 10 minutes. but he goes to sleep. and the best parts are that i feel less frustrated with him and he sleeps better.
i know there will be times where this won't work and everything is always changing, blah blah blah. but please just let me enjoy this for a while!