I've Created A Monster

So, I've said many times here that I will not (nor have I ever with any of my children) let Madison cry herself to sleep. I know some parents use that strategy and are successful with it. I can't bear the thought of her crying so hard that she finally just gives up out of sheer exhaustion. I can't bear the the thought that her last waking thought of the day is "I need my mommy, I'm calling to her, and she doesn't care enough to come". In the good old days, I would lay her down at 7 pm and she would put herself to sleep within 15 minutes with no crying at all. The past two weeks, that routine no longer flies. We've already moved her bedtime back to 7:45 or so, thinking she cries when I try to put her down because she's just not ready for bed so early anymore. After all, my baby is no longer a baby :(
As soon as I (or Corey) lay her down, she sits up and starts crying. I give her about 5 minutes and then go in and get her back up. 10 minutes later, I lay her down again. Repeat process 3 or 4 times. It's supremely frustrating, especially because she has always been such an easy baby regarding sleep/bedtime. Last night I actually had to rock her to sleep. I won't lie, I kinda loved it because I have been missing having a baby lately. But still. And so, in repeatedly getting her back up when she cries, I have created a monster. I'm not sure how to remedy the situation, because I still will not let her cry herself to sleep.