Sunday, February 28, 2010

But Wait... It's Been 8 Years!

Eight years of kids and 8 years of naptime... could it be possible that this lovely phase of motherhood is really coming to an end? Lillie refused her nap today. *sigh* I tell you, it must only be the beginning of the end.

When I was pregnant with Isaiah, a good number of seasoned veterans offered their litney of advice, through most of it I just smiled and nodded then did what I wanted to do anyway... but when a mom told me to "nap when he naps," I thought "Sure! No problem... that's one thing that I could do well." I gladly followed that advice until I've become so totally dependant upon that afternoon "rest" that functioning without it seems impossible.

Really, it's more than a nap, it's a little escape within the day. A time when all older siblings must be quiet while the younger ones check-out for an hour or two... a time when I can rest my mind as well as my eyes. What will I do without it?

Yes, I know that I will still enforce "quiet times" but they are just not the same. There will still be chattering and needs that must be met and interruptions that will frustrate. I may just need to invent a "let's just get out of the house" time instead. A change of scenery does wonders for a ho-hum day.

There are bright sides to this I suppose - no more having to work everything around the afternoon nap time - we can pick up and go wherever, whenever.... but still it's the end of an era... one that I may not be ready to let go of.

Well, I'm sure today was a little flukey, I mean she is still pretty young. I may have a year or so of the nap time still ahead of me. One can hope.

1 comment:

Michelle said...

It may have just been a fluke! Lucas didn't nap on Wed, but he has taken one every day since then. Although it does seem to be taking him more time to settle down and get comfortable before he falls asleep - at least he's still napping! So maybe this is just a 'mini' strike and she'll be napping again :)