Naptime, Mommy Style

Let me begin this diatribe by sharing that if I had to choose a hobby, it would, hands down, be sleeping. 

Before children, I could sleep 12 hours a night and take a 2 hour nap every day.  I thought people who called other people before 9:00 am were insane.  Connor worked into this routine fairly well, sleeping in late with me, playing for a few hours, eating some lunch, playing some more, and then napping into the early evening (he slept in so late in the mornings because he was often up watching The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in bed with Mommy and Daddy).  Then, along came Kylee.  She was not content to lay in bed and "chill out" in the mornings.  When she was up, she was up.  Lazy mornings were over.  And of course, when Kylee came along, Connor was dangerously close to giving up his afternoon naps.  It was a rough transition for me.

I now consider myself lucky to sleep 8 hours a night, and am reduced to an emotional mess if I consistently get any less than this.  My body has adjusted to the mere 8 hours of sleep at night, but I still LOVE naps.  Bliss is Sunday afternoons when Brandon is home to herd the children so I can lay down for 2 hours and snooze.  I should take a moment and say that one of God's greatest gifts to me was a spouse who doesn't need a lot of sleep.  This is (quite literally) one of my favorite things about my husband.  He is willing to get up in the mornings and get the kids started on breakfast so that I can catch another 15 minutes of sleep before starting my day.  He realizes that this is no small investment in my sanity...and therefore, his also.

Last night, Kylee had some friends over for a sleepover.  So, of course, she's been an emotional mess today because she's so tired (I don't know about you, but at our house, a sleepover means up way past bedtime, some sleep, and then eyes popping back open around 7:00 am).  Connor decided that he just wasn't tired anymore and woke up at 6:00 am this morning.  Hadley, not wanting to be left out, was also up early.  Brandon is away at class (more info on that later) all day today, so I was on duty in the early morning, cooking waffles for our slumber party guests.  I consoled myself by thinking "Everyone will be so tired...there will be a MANDATORY naptime this afternoon!".

So, at 1:30, I laid Hadley down in her crib.  Connor and Kylee, after doing their obligatory whining about having to be banished to their rooms, begrudgingly trudged up the stairs, where I explained that they could play quietly until 2:00, and then were required to make their best attempt at sleeping from 2:00-3:00.  At 3:00, if they weren't sleeping, they could get up and play quietly downstairs.  They acknowledged understanding of the plan and I gloriously retired to my own bed in eager anticipation of approximately 90 minutes of rest.  This is how mandatory naptime went:

1:30-2:00: I enjoyed reading my book.
2:00:I doze off, despite the dog deciding he wants to share the bed with me.
2:24: Tap. Tap. Tap.  I roll over to see Kylee staring at me.  "Mom, can I get up?"  Me: "What time is it?"  Kylee: "2:24."  Me: "Please go back and lay down until 3:00."  She waltzes off.
2:25: I close my eyes again and am beginning to doze.
2:30: I hear thunder.
2:35: Downpour begins.  I realize that there are windows open in the house.  Ugh.  Get up to head to Hadley's room to close window, which of course, squeaks loudly.  Try to sneak out of room unnoticed.
2:35 and 10 seconds: Hear Hadley crying.
2:36: Tell Hadley to lay back down.  Resign myself to laying on the floor beside her bed.
2:40: Success!  Hadley is back asleep.  Head back to bed.
2:45: Connor, hearing the thunder, shows up in my room.  Hops in bed with me.
2:47: Try dozing again.
3:01: Kylee is beside my bed again.  "Mom, can I get up now?  My clock says 3:01."  Me: "That is fine.  Just please go downstairs and play quietly."
3:12: Kylee resurfaces at my bedside with our container of children's Vitamins.  She has decided that she really needs to take her Vitamins NOW.  "Mom, could you please open the jar for me?".  I open the jar and reflect on the amazing sense of humor that God has.
3:15: Connor, hearing Kylee come into the room for the 3rd time, wakes up.  I tell him he can go downstairs.
3:20:  Forget it.  I'm up.

Naptime.  Mommy style.  Gotta love it.