A Cry for Help

I need help. I don't care if you are a mom or not, if you have never interacted with a child at all, if you don't like kids, or if you just like to talk out your backside, I will take any advice I can get.

My two year old has always been a sweet and mild mannered little boy. When he was teething or sick he would get very grouchy, but it always went away when he felt better.

A couple weeks ago we took Harrison's bottle away from him. And he was mad as heck and made sure we knew it. Things are better now. During the day he is just fine. He eats a LOT of solid food, which he never did before, and will happily drink water or juice out of a cup. (He won't drink milk though. Apparently if it isn't in a bottle he doesn't want it.)

But he won't go to sleep. For a while he would let me sit in the room and read until he fell asleep. Which usually took at least an hour. But now he screams unless I am right next to his bed playing, reading or singing to him. And I just can't stand up, leaning into his crib for two hours every day.

In an effort to distract him I got him a brand new toy yesterday that he could only play with in bed. When I put him down for his nap I put him in bed and then opened up his new toy so that he could play with it. He was giddy. And he could have cared less when I left the room because he was so interested in his toy. Mission accomplished, right? Wrong. He didn't go to sleep. Apparently his toy was a little too awesome, because he just played with it for two and a half hours and didn't sleep at all.

So I tried again last night. Put him in bed with his new toy, and he happily played with it in his bed for an hour and then threw it overboard and started screaming. Angry, you-guys-better-come-in-here-and-get-me-right-now kinds of screams. Richard kept saying "I just don't think he is tired." But I refuse to believe that 9 hours of sleep per day is enough for a two year old.

I hate to have him cry himself to sleep. It seems like the only other options are to give him back his bottle (and I'm not even sure it would work at this point), or let him stay up until he passes out somewhere on his own. AAAAAAAAHHHHH!

So, all you geniusss, if you have any advice, I am all ears. I want my sweet little boy back. Help!