help me come up with a plan!

[rachieface]

So, my wonderful son is close to a year old, and lately his evening sleep has been getting progressively worse.  He usually goes to bed between 6:30 and 7:30.  That's great!  What's not so great is when he is up an hour later, requiring who knows what to go back to sleep.  Sometimes he nurses quickly back to sleep (we move him from his crib to our bed at the first waking).  More often he won't nurse at all, which means me laying next to him in the dark until he's asleep.  Repeat hourly (or so) until I join him in bed.  I refuse to go to bed with him at 8 PM.  I refuse.  Lately he FREAKS out when my husband tries to lie next to him instead...dang separation anxiety.

So, what do I DO?  I am sick of spending all evening in and out of a dark bedroom trying to lie with him until he's deeply asleep.  Any plans for super gentle "training" that will, um, encourage him to go back to sleep without ME pressed up next to him?  Having my husband be able to comfort him at night would be great too... he LOVES his daddy during the day but at night, it's all me.  And I'm done.  So done.  Please help??