Lithops seedlings - the critical turning point?

[Steph115]

I sowed these seedlings about 6 months ago. A week or so ago, I noticed that the first one appeared to be forming its second pair of leaves and shedding the cotyledon. At first it was just looking wrinkly and sad, but then I caught a glimpse of the bright green, new leaves forming underneath and was beside myself with excitement. The old leaves didn't form a true fissure like mature lithops, but rather "cracked" down the side. I continued to water daily & lightly with mist. All 40 seedlings are together in a pot and from what I understand, they don't tolerate drought until a year-old or so.

I'm wondering now if this was a mistake. The first "true leaves" were showing some subtle speckling and a nice clear window when they first emerged with excellent turgor. The new leaves look a little sad, wrinkled and without the same turgor they had after they first emerged from beneath the cotyledon (pictured at the very top of the picture of the pot), although they still have the same clear window. Also, the cotyledon itself was not completely dried/dehydrated as I believe it should be (second picture).

Right now, I've cut down the amount of spraying on all of them to 25% of what they were getting. None of the seedlings seem to mind. They are rock solid to the touch. I'm thinking of cutting down even more, and maybe even going every other day. I believe with my current watering regimen that I may be sabotaging the new leaf formation, or even causing the old leaves to explode prematurely with overhydration. Normally, the new leaves should resorb all of the moisture from the old leaves. I think this might be a critical step that isn't happening for my seedlings.

I hope this first lithop makes it! Otherwise, I have a lot of troubleshooting in my future. I've just ordered a bright & colorful variety of lithops seeds (blues, greens, bright yellows, purples, brick red). Better figure this out soon! If any of you have any advice/experience with this, I'm all ears!