26 month sleep regression?

The last week has been rough... my son is generally a good sleeper. But all of a sudden the night time routine has become a challenge.

We follow the same routine each night (dinner, relax, bath, lotion, pjs, stories, bed) - and he usually just says goodnight and lays down in his crib. He might roll around for 5 minutes or so - but it was typically a smooth transition.

However, for the last week he is screaming for us when we leave the room, throwing a tantrum (like hyperventilating cries) and will keep himself up for an additional 30-45 minutes. He’s clearly sleepy as he’s rubbing his eyes and getting whiny in the evenings - but he’s made us feel like we’re going through sleep training all over again!

If we do re-enter his room, he wants you to sit by the crib and hold his hand through the slats. Or he simply wants you to sit there in the dark 🙄

Besides this, he has been waking up either in the middle of the night (1:30-3:00am on Monday was my favorite!), or waking up over an hour early and crying out mama or dada about 300x.

Anyone else going through the same thing with their 2 year old??