Solo Day 1 & a Nap Rebellion

It has been so nice having a second adult - either my mom or my MIL or my husband - in the house since CJV was born.  I am fairly certain that I would not have survived the month of December without all that help.  It's amazing how much better I feel - physically, emotionally, hormonally, and mentally - one whole month (and a few days) after giving birth ... but I was still very sad and a little anxious to have CPV return to work today.

Today was my first official full day of "flying solo" with two little ones.  And throwing my good intentions, reality check, and resolution out the window, we started our day with a trip to my friend Deann's house.  Probably should've been one of those lounge in our jammies kind-of-days.  But instead, I managed to get all three of us fed, washed, dressed, bundled, and out the door by 10:10 am ... only 10 minutes behind schedule.

We had a fantastic - and much-needed - visit with Dee, her daughter Cee-Cee, and her new baby boy Jordan.  The girls greeted each other so excitedly - neither has spent much time with their little friends since becoming big sisters - and played with only a few minor disagreements.  And I got the chance to chat and commiserate and celebrate with my fellow new mommy friend.  Our littlest nuggets slept away the morning side-by-side in their car seats.  I packed up the girls and headed home just in time for Charlotte's next feeding.

Which takes us to nap time, a cherished time at our house.  By cherished I mean by me and by Natalie.  It's quite normal for her to ask for a nap after lunch.  It's quite rare for her to fuss or refuse a nap.  Ah, rarity ... ain't it grand?  After putting NHV down in her room, I headed to my room with CJV to snuggle in and catch up on the sleep I am not getting in the middle of the night.  All was blissful ... until I hear Natalie on the monitor.  She was jumping on her bed.  A big no-no.  Went in and told her to lay back down.  Same thing happened again ... and my brain suddenly flashed to Elmo because his show was all about jumping today.  Darn that adorable red monster!  My request for the jumping to stop was met with disobedience and more gleeful jumping ... to which I weakly responded with a swat on the leg (oh, the guilt!) and a firm reprimand.

Feeling lousy about the swat, I returned to my own bed and shed a few tears as I tried to fall asleep.  Only minutes later, I hear Natalie rummaging around in her room.  Not jumping but definitely not sleeping, either.  I gave her some time and pulled myself together before going in ... and finding her reading books to her stuffed animals ... and smelling something decidedly stinky disgusting.   Changed her poopy diaper and put her back in bed with minimal conversation.

She had already been in her room for 45 minutes, when the game started in full force.  A full hour of up-and-down and opening the door (a huge no-no) and lots of tears and tantrums and my resilient say nothing approach ... we both finally fell asleep. 

That left me a grand total of about 45 minutes before Charlotte woke up to be fed again.  I am quickly discovering the "joys" and scheduling conflicts of dual motherhood.

I had enough time to take care of CJV's needs before having to wake up NHV at 4:30 - we don't let her sleep past that time for fear of bedtime issues.  The three of us played for a while, and then I started dinner.  Yes, friends, I broke my resolution again.  There were plenty of leftovers in the fridge but I also had a new recipe and all the ingredients ... and I chose to cook ... with two kiddos and no other adult to help. 

Thankfully Charlotte slept in the carrier almost the entire time and Natalie was totally enthralled with her new baby doll bassinet, a gift from Deann.  Dinner was delicious.  The kitchen was an absolute mess.  And I was beyond relieved and happy to see my husband walk through the front door ... about ten minutes earlier than expected.

Tomorrow is another day.  Solo Day 2 ... hoping for less excitement and more rest.

Scene of the Crime

Natalie threw herself a little Nap Rebellion today. My baby girl, who typically sleeps 3 hours during her daily nap, didn't want to take a nap. I put her in down at the usual time - five hours after she woke up in the morning; that's her schedule and she's happiest when I stick to it.

After twenty minutes of listening to her chatter in her crib, I went in and rocked her. She never actually settled down while I rocked her. She kept asking me questions and wiggling around. I knew that wasn't a good sign, but I was in serious need of my own nap ... this growing a baby deal has me exhausted after 1:00 most days. So I put her back in her crib, told her it was time for a snooze - that I was taking a nap, too, and hoped for the best. Natalie got a little quieter for a time, but she was still awake another twenty minutes later. Eventually she called out for her binky, and I went in to retrieve her binky from the floor outside her crib.

Another 15 minutes later, I surrendered ... very hesitantly because I had been lying down this entire time on the verge of falling asleep myself. No nap for Natalie means no nap for me, and I was a little distraught by this reality. So distraught, in fact, that I just couldn't do it. I couldn't give up the precious sleep that I and my unborn child desperately needed (doesn't that sound so dramatic?). What's a mom of 1, expecting 1 to do?

I closed the gate at the top of the stairs. I closed the door to my bathroom. I closed the door to the guest bathroom. I closed the door to the guest room. I left Natalie with a relatively small and safe area in which to play and expend some energy. I got her out of her crib, told her to play for a little while, and let her know that mommy was just going to be in her bed resting. I did not expect to fall asleep - just rest - but thirty minutes later I woke with a start having realized that Natalie was unsupervised. I bolted from my bed to check on her, and this is what I found ... a smiling little girl busily reading a stack of books .... and this ...

I totally got what I deserved but my plan also worked. Natalie was ready for her nap and slept great until I woke her up two and half hours later. I couldn't let her have her usual three hour nap because that would've totally thrown off our evening schedule. But I also couldn't resist taking a picture of her sleeping so peacefully. Considering the mess she made, doesn't she look so sweet?

Not only does Natalie look sweet while she's sleeping, but she's also very helpful. Together we restored order to her two rooms ... until the next Nap Rebellion, that is :)