Sandman, Where Are You?

Pixie at Swirly's fanciful, perfect wedding, Aug 5 2006. Ahhh, life at the Campbell Cottage is always interesting and almost always changing in some way. As Miles grows into a bigger boy each day, new challenges surface and old issues are forgotten. We no longer dread every car ride like we did six months ago. Now we dread naptime when he is so sleepy but can't surrender to the sandman. Which is what is happening today. We have not been the scheduling kind of parents up until now, but we are finding that Miles is underrested and is telling us in ways only a baby can that we need to support him by enforcing new ideas. The last two days of reading his earliest nap cues and ushering him upstairs for a sweet ritual resulted in hour and a half long naps. It was so easy! Trying to get him to bed last night, however, was another story. He protested in every way possible, all the while rubbing his eyes and yawning. Making happy energetic faces one moment, and glazed zombie ones the next. Singing, rocking, nursing, laying down with him, cozying him with his silkie blankie and bunny simply did not welcome rest. Today's nap window is slipping away, and I don't care. My job is to be flexible, his emotional rock, and remain kind and calm. It is tempting to hand him to the neighbor and run screaming down the lane with my hands above my head at times. Instead, we're sharing cheese crackers with Blue Girlie and watching her roll gratefully on her back all over the floor. And telling you all about it.