Naps change, again, but I'm nothing if not persistent

Yesterday, after school, she was TIRED. So going to take her nap at 1pm wasn't a big deal.

Today, we were both tired in the morning and ready to lie down and read and such by about 11.30am, after her music class. So we got the pajamas ("ja-mamas" as she calls them) and pacifier and changed her diaper.

I left her room at 12pm and about 45 minutes later she was still talking to herself and then called out "Momma! I pooped!" So, I went in to change her and, again, told her to close her eyes and be very quiet.

"I can't be quiet. Want Mary to talk."
(She has a little Virgin Mary figure next to her bed and recently has taken to holding it in her hand for naps in order to fall asleep. When I explained that Mary was tired, too, she told me that Mary had a snake. I told her Mary is stepping on the snake, so there's nothing to worry about. She then said that Mary can't sleep. I explained that Mary is a mommy and made Baby Jesus take a nap, too. She insisted that wasn't true. So I just went blunt and told her it was time to take a nap, and left.)

Over an hour later she's still in there talking loudly and moving around. So I go in again, now it's nearly 2pm. I had considered just letting her get up and forget the nap, but I know better now. If I keep at this, she'll eventually go to sleep and in a week or so we'll go back to "normal". If I let her give it up, she'll be exhausted AND I'll be exhausted, and more importantly, she's not ready to give it up. (I've seen what happens when a parent lets the kid give up a nap before they're really ready to give it up for good. They're the twirlers and/or whiny and/or super-hyper ones at the park. With parents that often look befuddled. I'm not befuddled, I have a newborn on the way who is going to need some sleep, a toddler that's going through another adjustment phase, and a family in a two-bedroom apartment to keep happy.)

At this point, she looked EXHAUSTED. So I told her it was time to be quiet and close her eyes. She said, "Oh, okay, mommy. Have good nap." and rolled over on her side.

Then, quiet. Finally.

Of course, I haven't rested much but at least she is. I think we'll make some strawberry muffins today as she asked for a lot of them yesterday and then didn't eat them. So I have a big bowl cut up and no cream to eat them with :)

Nap Protesting

In the past few weeks, maybe a month, naptime has gone from a nearly reliable tradition where I put her down and more or less she sleeps for two hours (or more), to spending time going in once or twice (mostly to make sure she's not up calling for me because she pooped) before she sleeps.

Today is perhaps the worst it's been so far. I'm grateful she doesn't have a bed as she would most certainly be at her door knocking on it while calling for me or playing with whatever she could find in there. Instead of resting.

She's started to buck against sleep at night too. Not just the head banging and body rocking, yes that's still going on to some degree, but she objects to sleep. I know full well thus is that age. I fluctuate between going in to get her to sleep and ignoring her. I'm not sure what tactic is best but I'm trying to be reasonable while also trying to get her to sort it out on her own in there.

Trying is the operative word as I'm not sure if what I'm doing is helping, hurting, or simply following along this new path.

It's been just over an hour and she's still calling out for me in increasingly whiny and tired tones.

And today is very hot and humid out, so as we are probably apartment-bound this afternoon, should be a major pain if she's refused a nap today. That doesn't happen very often, but it does happen.

Hilariously, there's a kid outside our building about her age having a total meltdown. She's calling out to him from her room. The chorus of the over-tired toddlers in joint protest.