Big Red and I are in the middle of a epic, smack-down battle. At stake: the nap.
Missy Hoohaw and I waged this battle last year and I lost. I was not a gracious loser. In fact, every afternoon around 2:00, you can hear me mumble, "Rotten, bleepin' kids and their 'I'm not tired,' bleep." I'm determined not to lose this one.
Big Red used to be my sleeper. After Missy, who made putting her to sleep an Olympic event, it was refreshing to have a baby that laid right down in his crib and went to sleep. It was great because I knew when he needed a nap and when he didn't. If I put him down and he fussed, I could pick him up and wait an hour before laying him down again. He'd go right to sleep and there would be much rejoicing in the land. Hooray!
We had a routine. I'd lay him down at 10:00 and he'd sleep for two hours. I'd lay him down around 2:00 and he'd sleep for another two hours. Then he'd go to bed at 7:00 and I'd start on Missy. About 6 months ago, he dropped the afternoon nap and that was okay. He was a year old and I was expecting shorter naps. But just recently, within the last week or so, he's been fighting the morning nap. If I believed for one minute that he didn't need the nap, I'd let it go. But he needs that nap. NEEDS it.
Red has tells. He rubs his blanket across his face and throws it over his head. He rubs his eyes and lays down on the floor, only to pop right back up again as if denying the fatigue. He's not subtle, that boy of mine. When I see these omens and portents, I put him down. Now, rather than give me a sleepy smile and cuddle up with his blankie, he hollers and scrunches up his face and flails. I leave the room and he yells and cries. Occasionally, he concedes and I take the match. Most times, he keeps it up until I give in and pick him up. This usually takes a half-hour, though it feels like a day and a half.
He needs the nap. There's no question about that. The days he doesn't nap, by three o'clock in the afternoon, he's a wreck. Every little thing hurts his feelings, he wants a snack constantly, he'll ask for cuddles, then bark at me for holding him. Hmmm, maybe he just has PMS.
I will win this battle. I will. I just have to re-configure my game plan. I'm going to push back nap time a half hour and let him cry it out several days. I really hope I can get it figured out. He may not want the nap, but mama does. And what mama wants, mama gets.
2 comments:
I feel your pain. I put up with Micah doing somersaults in the bed, playing with my hair and giggling non stop at what should have been nap time only to have him fall asleep two hours before bedtime on the couch. That, of course, means that he'll be up late tonight. It's a lose-lose.
Sounds like you have a good plan in place - go for it... or
May I suggest something - maybe you already have this in mind, but I like to hear myself spout wisdom (don't gag at me)... have you tried and earlier (earlier than the girl) lunch and some play and then nap. I have been all over the map with Lucy, and though I think our naps are nearly through - when I started giving her lunch closer to 11:30 (that's "early for us - as opposed to the other option of 12:45) by 1 she was more ready to go down.. a full-ish belly, but not right on the heels of rusihng through lunch.
I dunno. All kids are different. I feel yer pain.
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