Sweet Sleep--sleep training, Day 1

I've reached my limit of sleepless nights, interrupted zzz's time, and midnight nursing sessions. Don't get me wrong, I love bonding with my little one, but after 6 months of choppy sleep I'm due for a good night's rest. So, I set out with a few tools to jump start my venture into sleep training.

After talking to multiple mothers, I checked out the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and a few other books about calming and sleep training. I've read several articles on Parenting.com and felt I was ready to give it a shot.

So, tonight was number 1 and for the next week or so, our routine will go something like this:

7:00 pm: Let Lauren burn some energy in the Johny-Jump-Up.
7:10 pm: Give Lauren a warm, relaxing bath and talk in a soft, calm voice
7:20 pm: Have Lauren in a fresh diaper and p.j's, comb her hair, and then bundle her in a warm blanket.
7:30 pm: Read a short story, say family prayer, make sure dad has a chance to kiss goodnight, and nurse if needed.
7:35 pm (or about then): Cowboy up and place baby in crib. Turn off lights, turn on "white noise fan" and sit beside the crib as needed.

We did great tonight. After 30 minutes of roller coaster crying (started out with a complaining cry, escalated into a scream-like cry, then hit a real cry which took every ounce of my will power to not pick her up, then back down, etc.) and me whispering little words of comfort to her, Lauren settled into sleep recognized by her easy rhythm breathing. Then I knew it was safe to tiptoe outside.

All references say Lauren should reach destination Dreamland bliss within a week (9 days max). I'll log our progress with the hopes of getting 7+ consecutive hours of sleep by the time October ends.