The truth about naps.

Around these parts, naps, particularly afternoon naps are becoming scarce and a daily battle.  Seriously.  Nap is my own personal four letter word right now.  No joke.  Gideon has his own ideas sometimes about what he wants to do and nap isn't always one of them.  Which he lets me know by screaming that scream that causes him to catch his breath after I pick him up in an attempt to calm him down.  And then I know I lost.  That battle is done for that day.  Go play, go to bed and try again tomorrow.

I don't have anything against the CIO method other than I think you can sometimes let it go too long.  CIO has worked for Gideon and I can tell the difference in his cries when it will and will not work.  I guess I just know him at this point. His first nap of the day is going swimmingly.  Out he goes and usually sleeps anywhere from an hour to two and half.  Win.  Afternoon, different story.  Sometimes he will go out like a light.  Sometimes he rolls around and eventually talks himself to sleep.  Sometimes he cries for a few minutes, flips on his tummy, butt in the air and sleeps.  And then you have yesterday.  Making it known to all within earshot that he is having none of it.

I don't think I have a broken baby.  I know I don't.  Six months must be like the middle school of infant-hood.  That awkward time where you have so much going on and those changes that just make it impossible to not be a mess.  He has gas.  And teeth trying to come through.  And frustration that he wants to crawl, but has yet to figure out how.  And I think this affects his sleep patterns, especially during the day when he just wants to go, go, go.

Two months ago, OK, really two weeks ago, I would have flipped and spent that time texting Taylor about how I was going to LOSE. MY. MIND.  Really, you would think I had lost my mind if you saw some of the texts that I sent him from the last few months.  But, I'm done with that.   I still update him with, "No nap. :("  That sad face says it all.  I just know that it won't last.  He will go to bed,  I will go to bed.  We try again tomorrow and by next week he will be on a totally different pattern.

So instead, I eat four, no five Oreos and decide that we will go for a run.  Yes, I am the girl who thinks it is a good idea to eat Oreos and then run.  At 4 o'clock.  In June.  We got a jogging stroller the other day, so I strapped that little Mr. in and off we went.  And yes, I felt like I might die.  My mouth was so dry I got that filmy white strip on my lips.  You know, the one where you crave chapstick more than water.  Am I the only one who gets this? But then I looked down in that stroller and wouldn't you know he was zonked out.  So no matter how much I wanted to just turn around and walk back home, I kept going.  Because he was napping.  And I can't stop now.

Moral of the story.  If there is one, it is this.  If there is no nap, I will at least be in tip top shape.  That is all I have.  And those Oreos?  Totally worth it.  WORTH. IT.

Disclaimer:  These pictures are clearly NOT from yesterday, since he is sleeping soundly in these.  I chose not to document yesterday. For obvious reasons.