Hi! OOOH, you are not alone! My boys are now 13 and 11 1/2, so have hope if poss, in your sleep-deprived state. I was working ft w/ each son, hours until 130 am, WIRED until 330 (busy place, adrenaline surges). Breast fed the 1st until 11 mo, when I found out I was pregnant w/ 2nd. Breast fed 2nd until 9 mo....was I CRAZY????? MY FAULT, due to lack of sleep; brouht baby 1 to bed, to nurse; we would flip sides every 2-3 hrs. Tried to put him in crib mult x ; dove out onto head x 1, and that was it...Kid in bed. Then 2nd baby; better, in bassinet and crib til big bro showed him how to ESCAPE!!! Then 2 kids in bed w/ us..............crowded!!I know they sleep as fams in Europe all the time; perhaps they get siestas, so can handle it.It is such a hard decision, and I am one who CANNOT handle a lil baby crying; I believe they SHOULD NOT NEED TO!!! I did it, altho marriage suffered...An exhausted mom is not generally a vivacious party girl, as we all know. Of COURSE, the boys NEVER took naps at the same time , so I could, too...God got us thru all of it. Whew! Reliving it makes me tired =).
End of story is, that it took a LOOONG time to get kids into their own beds...a process, filled w/ new beds, clocks, stars on ceilings, etc. The books say a child develops a healthy sense of independence sleeping alone...My suggestion would be to do the transition during time off work,(vacation time) so all can better tolerate the process. Let me know how it goes! My heart goes out to you!