Naps - a Mother's challenge.

Wow, babies really like to mix things up a bit!  Chloe hasn't had brilliant afternoon naps the last few days but I figured it was because we were out and about and just not keeping to much of a schedule so she'd just end up cat-napping on the go.  So there I was this morning telling Alex how I'm really going to concentrate on her naps this week and make sure she was well rested during the day to hopefully help with her sleep at night.  There I was this morning, feeling in control and being all naive, you know, like I had any say in the matter.  Well today Chloe decided that afternoon naps are for SUCKERS!

I mean, she seemed pretty perky at 12:30pm despite having been up since 10:15am, but she had to be tired, didn't she?  The crying, back arching and throwing away of the dummy whilst I tried to gently ease her into sleep seemed to contradict my opinion on the matter.  I gave up, we had some lunch, I let her play a bit more then decided that she'd probably nap if I put her on my back in a sling, so up she went secured on my back in a Double Hammock, and she did eventually succumb after some general fussing, pulling of my hair and yet more bouncing on the exercise ball.  So she's there, she's asleep (ish) and I figure that now that she is settled I should be able to gently ease her off my back and into bed, and even if she does wake up a bit surely I can just bundle her up in a blanket and bounce her a few times and back to sleep she will go.  The words plan, men, best-laid, and mice are twirling around somewhere in my head at this point but I forge onwards.  I think you can see where I am going with this...A little more rocking of, singing to and bouncing of the very awake baby ensued.  She eventually humoured me be shutting her eyes and feigning sleep for all of 10 minutes before she was once again wide awake.  Okaaay....there followed some more playing, another jaunt on my back for a trip to the supermarket hoping some extra stimulation would tire her out.  No joy.  Maybe she's hungry?  Hunger resolved, eyes wide open.  Right.  It's 3:30pm now, there's no way she cannot be tired at this point despite her protestations.  So I end up feeling like a very mean mummy cause in the end I just held her tight while she wriggled, cried and back arched.  I replaced the dummy every time she threw it away and I just kept bouncing til she gave in to sleep.  So, there she is, finally asleep.  Will she stay that way?  Who bloody knows?  I know I'm exhausted by it all now!

Seriously Chloe? Really?  A measly thirty minutes is all you give me for my efforts?  Good God!

Chloe's new favourite past-time: standing up on anything she can pull herself on to.  Usually followed shortly thereafter by falling over as she lets go kamikaze-style.