Naptime Wars

Ever since Nathan learned how to climb out of his crib, getting him to stay IN when it's time for sleep has been a battle. Before this though he'd been such an awesome sleeper ~ 12 or so hours at night and then a 3-4 hour nap in the daytime. Maybe we touted him to friends and family one too many times, because boy are we being tested!!

After hitting the floor hard one day while trying to climb out of his crib, Kurt switched Nathan to a "Big Boy" bed. We hoped he'd feel so cool that he'd WANT to stay in. Silly us. Silly, silly us.

So I wage a battle every day I feel up to it: the battle to get Nate to hold still long enough (could be as little as 30 seconds) to fall asleep. Really, if he just stops moving, he'll tip over. Hmmmm, I wonder who his mother is, or where he might have gotten that from. Melissa does the same thing. Could there be a sleeping gene?

Anyhow, the battle usually entails sending him back to bed again and again. And again.

First with warnings, then stern warnings, then loud warnings and while I'm willing to admit trying corporal punishment, it doesn't work through a diaper or

seem to phase him, so I try not to go there.

Sometimes he wins because after two hours of battling, I have something else I have to do ~ like pick up a sister from somewhere. Of course putting him in his carseat forces him to hold still, and yep he's out before we leave the subdivision. So cruel, but true.

Here would probably be a good place to say that Nathan doesn't do this to his dad. Kurt MAYBE has to send him back to bed twice before he stops coming out. Sigh.

So today after several (much more than two!) attempts and still no success, I heard him come out of his room and instead of charging right up the stairs with a

"you are in the wrong place!," I waited.

Nathan came down the stairs slowly, talking quietly to himself. Proud I'm sure of how sneaky he thought he was. I ignored.

He sat on the bottom stair, just breathing. Still I ignored.

What must have been about 30 seconds later, I peeked around the corner to find him like this:

Mommy Wins!!