Today's big plan was to get the girls to nap in the same room. For too long, whenever they are both here (they each spend a day a week with my mom), they have napped in separate rooms. We live in a small house. To lose access to two rooms (especially my own bedroom) during naptime is inconvenient, to say the least. Also, this is a precursor to putting them to bed at night in the same room -- a personal goal to achieve before my 40th birthday for no good reason except that it will give Skip and me a lot more flexibility in our evening lives. I want to feel like a grown-up again at 40.
So, after a long and fun morning at the zoo, I closed the door to the girls in their bedroom at 1p. Dee had fallen asleep on the car ride home, but woke up while I was reading to Kay (she needed a change -- fair enough, she'd taken a poop); as I left the room neither one of them seemed the least bit sleepy.
It was 2:30 before they were both asleep.
I had to go in four times -- once at 1:26 when I heard a loud, disruptive noise (among many, many) that I couldn't for the life of me figure out (it was Kay dumping out all of her legos onto the hardwood floor); once at 1:53 when Kay needed to go to the potty (also to poop); once, at 2:15, when after hearing screaming, I went in to find Kay standing in front of Dee's crib, trying to force her to drink water (I put Kay into her bed, kicking and screaming, and forced Dee to lie down for thirty seconds before leaving -- after I'd taken out all of the books, toys and dress-up clothes that cluttered her crib); and finally at 2:23 when I entered because Dee was calling for Mommy (Kay was already asleep and Dee needed her blanket put back over her).
Lord only knows how long they'll actually sleep (someone sounds kind of restless through the monitor, though not yet awake), but it feels like a small miracle that (1) they are still asleep an hour later, and (2) that I didn't eat our cupboards bare waiting for them to fall asleep as I anxiously anticipated a nightmarish afternoon of over-exhausted kids and over-exhausted mother. In fact, I didn't eat a thing.
Truly, a miracle.
Really at 40? Maybe 41? Haha!
ReplyDeleteWe still put them to sleep separately every night and reunite them after they are asleep. It wasn't until I read this that it dawned on me. Hmmm. I don't really need my bedroom at all, I guess...
I'm striving for 45. At 45, I will live like a grown up again. A grown up who is drowning in sweat socks, I just know it.
I'm trying to avoid the napping in the same room. It's destined to never happen for us as the Big Boy hardly naps but the Little Guy takes three-hour naps.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they have been going to sleep at night, together, in the same room for over a year. I never thought there was another option! Silly me!
Weeel...It's been a few years since our kids took naps, but I do remember the difficulties you speak of, Phoebz. Here's hoping life will be grand before 40!
ReplyDeleteI've Missed ya!