Hi there Carrie, it's not something that is easy to do, that's for sure, so wait until you are comfortable with it. Remember this is a short time in his life so if you have to continue this prop until you feel ready, it's ok, really it is :-)
We didn't have a prop like feeding at the EW, we did a bottle for a very short time, but in the beginning we just ignored his waking and did nothing - lay in bed thinking 'why why why!'. In hindsight, I wish I had tried GW to see if it would have helped him learn to go back to sleep, or even shush/pat. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't but as you say, at least you know you tried.
I am sure Asher is tired at the EW, as is Finn. Now we just have 1 nap and a reasonable length night (10 hours most nights!), but I am always on the look out for some tweak or something that's going to get him sleeping longer at night.
Your LO has slept longer before, and I believe he will again. It's a blip right now, a hurdle to get over, a crazy transitional period as Sarah mentions. It's about figuring out his day/night sleep balance.
It might be worth a post on the Toddler board at this point, I know your LO is young but he's 11 mths so close really and he's in the 2-1. A lot on there have done GW and some broken the feed back to sleep bit. It's a new set of eyes on the issue, routine and new perspectives will be offered.
Not abandoning you hon, just recommending that you post for some support as you go through this. We never did GW so I am not sure what to expect or how long it may take realistically. I don't think WI/WO is recommended when breaking this kind of prop. But if you do a new post you will get some feedback.
(((hugs)))
I honestly cannot remember exactly what Tracy wrote about EW but I do know that she always advises not to become a prop.
