I was writing this post all about the cute things that the Pumpkin says, but then my nanny had to go home early because she wasn't feeling well. So I got home during what should have been nap time, but as soon as I walked in the door, Londo told me that she was awake so I didn't have to tiptoe in. They were cuddling on the couch watching Wonderpets, and she was looking sooooo tired. But apparently, he tried to put her down for a nap, and was unsuccessful. Big shock.
I decided to take a stab at it. I brought her upstairs and had a very frustrating hour trying to get her to nap (and get in my own nap!). I gave her a bottle, which almost worked... if only there had been another ounce or two of milk in it, it might have worked. I tried cuddling her, telling her that we could nap together. I tried getting her to help her baby Pooh and baby Tigger lie down for their naps by lying down with them and closing her eyes. I tried being stern. I tried being silly. I had a very long talk with her about why naps are important for recharging our batteries, about how being tired with no nap affects us later, about how everyone she knows is napping during nap time, about how she would nap for the nanny so she should nap for Mommy*, and about how I was tired and so was she and that we both needed to nap. Finally, I tried bribing her to try to lie down, close her eyes and try to sleep by promising her a sticker (I got the furthest with this one, as she actually lied down on her own for a while).
After just about an hour, I finally told her that Mommy was feeling frustrated and sad because it was nap time and the Pumpkin wasn't sleeping. That didn't work, either, but it made me feel better to voice my frustration in ways I'm learning from the parenting books I've been reading and respect. The Pumpkin was sweet, and gave me a hug and kiss, telling me it was okay and asking if I felt better. Then, she went right back to bouncing and jumping on the bed.
My pregnancy crazies are not limited to being weeping. I also get frustrated pretty easily and can feel completely out-of-proportion anger at the drop of a hat. I was pretty impressed with how well I handled the hour with her. But at the end, I was AT. THE. END!
Luckily, Londo was here to take over. Now, I am sitting in bed (with five of my pillows) calming down a bit before I have to get more work done. Londo is downstairs playing with the Pumpkin and her moodiness due to tiredness (and due to receiving my genes).
I think I'll nominate Londo for sainthood. Especially if he would possibly let me stay in bed for the next 2 or 3 days and shut out the world until maybe I can get some sort of handle on my emotions and reactions...
(Oops! I just heard Londo let out a little bit of frustration himself! I guess I won't be getting those 2-3 days.)
*Why oh why is this the case? The nanny gets her to nap almost every single week day. But weekends and other days when it is up to Londo and me to get her down for a nap, she almost never takes a nap! What magic does that woman have? We do the exact same things, but it does not work for us!
5 comments:
I get my kid to nap by lying down with him. It's great because that way, I get a nap and so does he. I read him a few books before-hand just like before he goes to bed. We don't get out of the bed until he goes to sleep. There have been occasional days when it took an hour, but I just keep at it until he goes to sleep. I bet she refuses to sleep because she knows you guys will eventually give up and take her back downstairs. Mine has learned that once he's in the bed, he's not getting back out. I can only imagine it's frustrating, though. Especially when you're exhausted at the end of pregnancy.
At day care, our Pumpkin climbs into her little cot and goes right to sleep. At home, we usually have to put her in the car or stroller to get her to nap. This used to bother me, but I've gotten over it.
It IS really frustrating to not be able to get your kid to sleep. But you are certainly not alone!
Naps are really hit and miss here too. Zoe still has one, but they can be anywhere from 40 minutes to a couple of hours. The two-hour naps are usually the ones my MIL gets. I get a 40 minute one. Zoe also fights going down with me too. Not with anyone else though, just me.
Aria is the same way. She usually naps at school...at least an hour. But at home, it's really hard to get her to nap. Like today, she was in her room talking and playing in her bed for about an hour and then asked to go potty and it was over. It just makes for really long frustrating days.
We usually start naps at home just like bedtime - reading books, songs (now we turn on some music) and walk out. One thing is for sure, when she misses her name we can count on bedtime being a lot quicker :-) The only problem is that she's easily set off (since she's extra cranky) so you have to be careful. Tonight I used the "if you can get your PJs on quickly and brush teeth without a problem, you can have an extra book." It actually worked to move things along. She definitely keeps us on our toes.
Everyone but me can put my kids down for naps. It isn't just the nanny, it is EVERY nanny, my mom, the school, daycares, my nephew, my in-laws...
The twins did have the whole nap-refusal even for the daycare provider until they were 2, though, so at least someone else got the same experience. Makes me feel a tiny itty bitty bit vindicated.
Sigh.
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