11 month old still needs rocking before bed and a bottle a night??!?

Totally normal!! My almost 2 year old has never slept through the night and I think that is more normal than a young baby sleeping through the night. A lot of parents have unrealistic expectations when it comes to their infant and toddler's sleep patterns...the fact that there are so many sleep books claiming to have the answer to sleep "problems" doesn't help the situation. I know it's exhausting but I also think it's just a part of being a parent. I think around 10-12 months can be especially difficult for all sorts of reasons. Being gentle and patient (as you seem to be) is the best way to go about things. If you are looking for gentle ideas to help him sleep, I would recommend the "No cry sleep solution" books...there are 2...one for infants and one for toddlers/preschoolers. We co-sleep and breastfeed which is what works for us... Crying it out is never the right answer in my opinion.