NO NAP!
Has anyone seen “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid”? Disney movie, circa 1990 or so. Rick Moranis builds this machine and it’s supposed to make things bigger. However, he zaps his two year-old and the kid keeps growing and growing until he towers over Las Vegas. (Keri Russell was in this movie, come to think of it.) Anyway, the kid’s least favorite word is “nap” because whenever he hears it he says, “NO NAP! NO NO NO NAP!” But when he gets to be gargantuan-sized, Rick Moranis wants the kid to lie down so he can get him back to normal size, so here’s the conversation between Rick, the kid, and the Mom.
Rick - “How about we take a nice…”
Mom - “NO, honey!”
Kid - “I love bunny.”
Rick - “…long…”
Mom - “Don’t say it!!”
Rick - “…NAP!?”
Kid - (pulls his thumb out of his mouth, throws his bunny on the ground and starts stamping) “NO NAP, NO NAP! NO NO NO NAP!”
So why am I telling you this? Because even though Colby is not a giant, he has decided that he is against taking naps. Thankfully, he doesn’t tell me “NO NAP!” But, my life, as I once knew it, is changing. No, it’s not over, but it is changing.
Colby has been very good at keeping routines. When it’s time for nap, we get some milk, we change his diaper, he gives me his milk back, we sing some songs, I turn on his singing aquarium and maybe his cd player, and then I’m out the door with a “Night-night, Mama.” Apparently, that routine has passed. And, what works one day will not work the next. I also think he’s beginning to understand having a wet/dirty diaper, because when he has one, he comes to me and tells me, no matter what time of the day or night it is. He’s also having a hard time falling asleep for his nap if Kennedy is crying because he wants to be with her to console her. So, combine the beginnings of potty training with an infant baby sister, and his schedule is changing for sure.
Some days he naps, other days he doesn’t. Some days he’s okay without a nap, some days I think he might qualify for the “world’s tired-est kid” contest. Yesterday we went to Aerofit so I could teach my class. The ladies in the nursery told me he was so sleepy and that he would probably fall asleep in the car. Wrong. We went home, ate (some more) lunch, drank (some more) milk, changed (another) diaper, sang songs like usual, and he still wouldn’t fall asleep. So, after awhile, I let him come out of his room so he wouldn’t fall asleep too late. Then, I had to feed Kennedy while he went over to our refrigerator and played with his Fridge Phonics & Fridge DJ. A few minutes later, I hear silence in the kitchen, followed by… snoring. This was at 5:30 pm. Can you guess what our evening was like, trying to get him to bed after he took a nap at 5:30?
Ugh. Colby has always been very good at playing by himself in his room or in the living room. He doesn’t usually come out of his room during naptime unless he wants more milk or needs another diaper, so at least he is getting some “down time”. I’m just complaining because I want a nap! 
3 comments September 18th, 2007