February 23, 2009

right now

elliot is running up and down the hall, being generally cheerful and charming and yet looking vaguely dangerous and exhausted around the eyes.  why exhausted, you ask?  well, because he has skipped his afternoon nap.  this is starting to be a thing.  it's happened at least once, if not twice a week for the last several weeks.

brandon and i were both terrible nappers, so i suppose there is a certain justice to this.  but really i don't think elliot is ready to give up his naps...he just ends up miserable and crabby by 5:30, and it's not good for anyone, let alone him.  anyway, we're trying to experiment with different strategies.  if anyone has afternoon nap strategies, i'd appreciate hearing them.

ps: now he is singing this amazing stomping hard core version of "rain, rain, go away, come again some other day."  it's really intense and involves a lot of wailing on his ukulele.  that has nothing to do with napping, though.  i just thought i'd share.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kate Robinson says... maybe he is transitioning into one nap a day. Can you delay the morning nap a little each day and maybe it'll become one longer early afternoon nap... just a thought.

Good luck tonight with the crabbiness. If you need mattie let me know. I'll send him up as a distraction.

sarah said...

o ho! that is a very lovely idea, except that elliot hasn't taken two daily naps since...i don't know when. so this afternoon nap is his only nap, and lord, we will be very sad when he looses it.

Anonymous said...

I think non-napping is a sign that he will be an outstanding overachiever :)

sarah said...

I feel your pain.
I make Teddy nap even if it means that I have to hold him and dance to Jay-Z. I don't care if he's not falling asleep on "his own", or if it takes me half an album of big pimpin' to get there....it's just too awful to be around him if he hasn't slept at some point during the day! Will he fall asleep if you rock him? Lie down with him? Give him a warm bath? I'd try anything, seriously.

w. wilson said...

Honestly? This post made me very nearly sick with fear. No nap? How about keeping him up until midnight?

Anonymous said...

Sarah, let's hope he decides to channel Uncle Mark instead of you.

here's one idea: Tell him he does NOT have to sleep. He can snuggle Lambie, he can read books, he can rest, he can sing, he can have TALK DREAMS (WORK ON THIS ONE!), BUT he does HAVE to stay in bed and talk softly for ...say 30 minutes or whatever you designate. even set the timer or alarm for him, and hope that before it goes off, he'll be fast asleep and you can turn it off.

worth a try! love, mama

Anonymous said...

PS and this "new deal" needs a name he'll like. you and B are clever so you'll come up with an appealing one--but something on the order of BIG BOY NAPS

love and good luck, mama

Beck said...

All three of my kids UTTERLY stopped napping by 15 months.
UTTERLY.
And THEY WERE SO CRABBY.

Sheree said...

Brandon, I'd take your wares. In the way of software, I'd like a nice little tool to do the things I can't be bothered with. Namely, upload my pictures and video for websharing on my behalf.
I also like tea. And I know you make yogurt, I bet the locals would appreciate.