Sleep is Overrated

Gabe is a lovely boy. Very cute. Very sweet. Has a great smile. He's an excellent eater. And is soo tolerant of his sister.
BUT
Gabe is a H O R R I B L E sleeper.
He started sleeping through the night around 3 months. Jeff & I rejoiced. "Yeah! Finally have a good sleeper."
Wrongo.
Flynn JUST started sleeping through the night (w/o crying out at 3 am) about 2 mos ago. But little Gabe wakes 1-2 times each night. He also doesn't nap more than 30-45 minutes.
This makes for a very tired, and frustrated, Mommy.
So Jeff & I decide that enough is enough, we're going to sleep train this kid. Heck, we should write a book. We trained Flynn several times.
Then she'd get sick.
Or we'd go on a trip.
Or something would come along & kink our business & we'd be back at scratch.
So we started last night. We went w/ a method I saw on Dr Phil, thinking it sounded a little gentler than just straight hardcore CRY IT OUT (it is crying it out, but it's sitting beside the bed while they cry).
YIPES. Gabe has a mean temper & some serious stamina.
Laying him down initially at 8:30 meant SCREAMING (like I'm wondering why our lovely neighbors didn't call DFS) for AN HOUR AND 40 MINUTES. I kid you not. We'd take turns. I came out the first time after like 20 minutes & yelled to Jeff, "SUB!"
Wake up #2 was at 1:30ish. This one was another full blown screaming fit. Lasting about 1 HR 20 MINS (improvement?) Then, there was another wake up at 5, which just required a binky reinsertion. That was a challenge which included me crying & asking, "what's so bad about him waking several times to nurse? he can sleep in our bed, lots of people do it! he just needs us!! what message are we sending him? that he can't depend on us!!"
His passing out had to be that...and of just pure exhaustion. Not of a lesson learned or will to give in.
The naps have to be consistent with the bedtime ritual. Which means another day of screaming. They say that all should be better in 7 days.
God help us all.