Little One Please Take a Nap Already

Your little belly is full of food, you’ve been given water, the lights in the living room have been dimmed. There is white noise playing and I’ve sung “You are my sunshine” 100 times over. Nothing has worked. Nap time has come and gone and you’re still awake. You’ve been awake for more than six hours. It’s been three hours since I’ve eaten, two hours since I’ve had anything to drink, and I’m about a minute from losing my mind.

You’re in tears because you’re so exhausted and squirming to get down. I know that the second I set you down you’ll cry and ask to be picked up again. It’s a never-ending battle. While I usually win, you typically put up a very good and stubborn fight. Your eyes are refusing to close and I can’t sing anymore. Instead of trying a new song why don’t I take a moment and go over with you why you desperately need this nap.

Now that you’re standing straight up and crab walking with the assistance of furniture, I bet you’re appreciating how tall you are. That height has helped you pull open drawers, grab items off the couch and pull dishes off the kitchen table. When you sleep your body grows and grows. If you ever want to reach the fridge doors you’re going to have to nap a lot so that those little arms and legs stretch to their full potential.

You know how you cry when Papa leaves for work in the morning? Aren’t you happier when Papa is home and playing with you and your toys? If you nap he’ll get home faster. Sleeping for an hour or two will make the afternoon get here quicker. That means that Papa will be walking through that front door with his arms open wide for his big bear hug very soon.

I’m so happy that I get to spend my days with you. I get to watch you learn, explore, and grow. When I decided to stay home with you I knew I had to work on something. Mommy now writes about our daily adventures and our vegan journey. This helps me feel connected to the outside world and I love sharing with others the amazing time we have together. Because you are a full-time job mommy is only able to write when you sleep. Or when you play on your own, but let’s be honest how often does that happen? I’d seriously appreciate it if you gave me an hour to write about the yummy food I made for you today. The food that you shared with the dogs.

Speaking of the dogs, I know they are your very best friends. They have taught you how to lick the floor (much to my horror), how to drop food into their mouths from your high chair, and how to open cabinet doors. Haven’t you realized how many naps they take in a day? If they’re not circling your high chair during mealtime or asking to go outside they are curled up into tight little balls on the living room couch. They sleep to conserve their energy so that when you’re ready to play with them they can get up and go at a moment’s notice. If you want to keep up with them then you need sleep too.

While I rattle these reasons off to you, your eyes finally start to close. You drift off to sleep and I wait 15 minutes before I try laying you down. Thankfully you stay sound asleep. After grabbing a snack from the pantry I sit down in front of my laptop. Luckily my coffee, now ice cold, is still sitting there. Happy to be eating a snack, I start typing out new ideas for posts. Something catches my eye. I quickly spring up and start running towards the front door, but too late, the delivery man already rang the bell..……..