Slowing down

When you have a new baby, everyone says "nap when the baby naps".  Over time, once you get over the newness of it all, you forget, and attempt to do a ton of things while the little one sleeps. 

Until the little one decides to give up naptime, and makes your life a living hell from 5 to 7 pm.   It's a trade off, a compromise only a toddler understands.  'I won't sleep all day, I'm too busy having fun, mwahahahaha, Mommy.'  Then you hit the witching hour, everyone's home, everyone's hungry, and the sweet little two yr old is suddenly Godzilla to your Mothra.

For me, this has been the norm.  I've experienced it with the three boys so far, I'm a seasoned "let's just get through the next couple of hours" pro.  And then there was a little girl...

A little girl who gave up napping at home the minute Mom stopped providing the naptime snack.  If we are here, she's up.  Yeah, her head might be bobbing up and down, and her eyes are glazed, but she's up.  If we're out and about, however, she can fall asleep in the time it takes for the light to change.   She will blessedly sleep in her stroller for a while too (and is the only kid of mine to ever do that).

But I can't always be out and about at naptime.  There's only so much shopping I can (and should) do. 

Hmm...

Today, I tried an experiment. I told her we were gonna have a nap, and set the alarm so I wouldn't leave the boys stranded at school.

We snuggled up into the bed, pink Hello Kitty blankie close at hand. She noticed my glasses on the bedside table: "You take off your glassie."  Oooh, I could see the wheels turning in her head, Mommy means business.

She flip-flopped around for about 10 minutes, then I felt her kicking her foot like she does right before she knocks out.  As I held her, I remember thinking there are worse things I could be doing than cuddling a baby in the middle of the afternoon.  

And that's all I remembered until the alarm  went off.  No way, I thought.  Has it been an hour already?  I groggily got up to get my shoes, watching to see if she'd stir.  Nope.  Out cold.

She stayed asleep until all the kids were loaded up in the van, ready to come home.

I think I could get used to this.