The never-ending nap wars....

Ok seriously, just when you think you've got this thing down pat, the child goes and wonks everything all up!

I thought that Hunter and I had finally settled on a nap routine.  Lunch, book, music, set him down at about 12, wake up at around 2:30 to 3:00.  Brilliant!! Enough time for shower, lunch, laundry, my Days of our Lives, and if I feel up to it....a little running.  But NOOOOOO! He has to go and say " oh mummy....I think I'll throw you off balance for awhile....just to shake things up a bit.  Things have become quite boring and routine..."  Yes, he does speak with a slightly English accent...he's very sophisticated.

So the past couple weeks he's been getting SUPER tired at around 10:30...and falling asleep for about 5 to 10 minutes in the car.. or stroller, or couch....where ever we happen to be.  Then I quickly try and feed him a lunch and do our nap routine, but he decides that that is not what he wants to do right then.  He's already had his "nap" and he's ready to go.  Thanks to my video monitor....I see that he plays in his crib, talks to himself, walks around, calls for me.  And what am I to do? I'm beside myself!  Should I get him? Should I leave him? What do I do? What's the right thing? So, I ignore him.  Yes....I ignore him.  He has to take a nap or else the rest of the afternoon and evening are a nightmare with the throwing of the dinners and the getting clumsy and running into walls.  So I ignore him until he gets tired enough to go to sleep.

But how long am I supposed to ignore him?  Well....so far....my record is an hour and a half....actually close to 2.  This happened to be when Heather and fam were here and they did not chastise me or call me an irresponsible parent (at least to my face) so I felt validated for what I was doing.  What's my record today? Well...we have folded laundry to Robin Miller, Paula Deen, and now we're done and blogging to Giada....so it's been a good hour now...perhaps a little bit more.  The child's not crying, he's not upset, he's not screaming....he's just not tired yet.  But he has to be soon, right?  Argh! H may as well be screaming cuz it's still torture watching him play there by himself.  I feel bad, like I should be playing with him for the hour he's been in his crib by himself, but I fear to throw him all off if I go take him out then put him back in and hour later.  Oh I can just imagine THAT situation.

I feel success coming soon...I see he's in "nap postion"....but eyes are still wide open.  Sometimes I wonder why these toddlers just can't do what they're "supposed" to, you know?  (Sigh) I have a feeling that he'll be shaking things up for me the rest of my life....and always right when I think I FINALLY know what I'm doing.....