This morning I had to wake Steve up since the painter was getting here early, and was painting the room Steve is currently in. He woke up all smiles. He was so happy! Before I saw him, I was so tired I could barely function; I am a night owl and have a hard time falling asleep. This all changed when I saw his sweet little face light up.
Breakfast went well, and so did playtime. If we aren't going anywhere, I usually bring him downstairs with his toys and we take turns watching TV and playing with his toys. He was great about playing on his own while I read. I was so tired! I felt guilty about not playing on the floor with him, but tried to tell myself that him playing independently is a good thing. He'll have to do it soon enough, and I don't want him thinking that Mommy isn't playing with him only because of the baby.
Steve decided around noon that he was hungry. We generally eat lunch between 12:00-12:30, so this was perfect. I made him a large lunch complete with pineapple, grapes, green beans and a peanut butter sandwich. He ate it all, so he got a treat----cheese! Steve loves cheese! Finally, it was time to go to take a nap.
The painter was still painting in Steve's room, so we set up his playpen, which he can't get out of. I did the routine of changing him, kissing him, handing him Elmo and putting him down. Phew! I was ready for a few moments to finish my lunch. All of the sudden, I hear little footsteps and lots of noise from Steve. I went upstairs to find my little boy out of his playpen and having a great old time. For the next hour it was a battle to keep him in his playpen and laying down. I felt he really needed a nap, especially since I had gotten him up early. Well, apparently my boy had other plans. When the painter was done, I put him into his crib and turned up the fans. He took another hour to fall asleep. Unfortunately, by that time I could only allow him a short nap or I know he wouldn't sleep at night. He was very upset with me when I woke him up! He was AWFUL! He was so crabby, and nothing made him happy. I made dinner while he whined about everything.
Finally, Jeff got home and took over, well, until he had to leave for basketball. We fed Steve, and then Jeff changed him which seemed to help. This evening he was back to my sweet little boy.
I am really perplexed about Steve's lack of nap-taking. All weekend he fought us. I thought it was a fluke, but now I think Steve may just not need naps like he used to. The problem is that I need them more than ever! Anyway, my idea for tomorrow is to get him up and ready for the day between 8:00-8:30. We have tumbling later that morning, and some errands to run afterward. Then I thought I'd feed him lunch, put him in his crib for an hour of quiet time with a few small toys. That way I can get some time to do what I need to do. My mom told me about 'quiet time', so I figure heck I'll try it! Then I will get Steve up, and he can play while I do whatever I will need to do tomorrow. Maybe he won't be so crabby in the dinner-hours, and will readily go to sleep. The funny thing is tonight he asked to go to sleep. Maybe this new approach is the answer. I'll let you know.
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