Oh S-Nap!

 I want to write about the adventures in sleep that's going on in our house, but before I rant about all the night-time sleep and wakings, I think I'll start with a blog entry on Naps. Both bedtime sleep and daytime naps involve some time-management, multi-tasking, and planning who goes down first. Knowing what to do with the baby who is not napping WHILE I am putting the first one down is an art in itself as well. Thankfully, both involve a happy outcome: when Kirra or Liam wake up, I am greeted with a big smile and they are usually happy to see me (even if it involved crying to get me there). While I look forward to both (is that bad of me that I look forward to putting the babies down to sleep? only so I can have some alone time-- even if it means I am doing more chores?) at least naps take place when I am awake and alert, and usually I carry my camera (phone) to s-nap photos. :)

Liam has been having only 2 naps a day since he turned about 6-7 months old. This is especially because at daycare they only put him down for 2, so he probably learned to sleep longer during #2 nap and his growing body and mind was able to stay up longer between the wakeful time after nap #2 and bedtime. We put Liam down for naps usually with a bottle, and usually it's the rest of a bottle he started before his last meal (Breakfast or Lunch). He used the pacifier as a newborn baby, and then we only used it to help him fall asleep in the car or in place of nursing. But we used it more for his night-time wakings when he used to want to nurse, and now he's sleeping through the night so he isn't hungry through the night as much. That 'binky' however has grown on him more, and he will even put it in his own mouth when he's soothing himself back to sleep.

Liam taking an afternoon nap (this one was 2.5 hrs+!)

So Liam usually takes a late morning nap at around 10am, for anywhere between 45 min to 70 minutes. If Kirra can keep quiet maybe on the longer side. His second nap takes place around 1pm or 2pm, coinciding with Kirra's nap. He slumbers in the sunroom which I have arranged to cover the 3 large windows with curtains (not black-out curtains though) and shades. He falls asleep in my arms when I give him the rest of the bottle he didn't finish, and I place him in his crib to keep sleep/napping. I can't even believe he's sleeping the way he is, given that our experience with him napping as an infant/newborn was so unpredictable.

Close Up of Mr Liam napping so beautifully

 When he wakes up sometimes I don't even hear him because he's put the binky in his own mouth. I go in to check on him after looking at how much time has passed, and he's awake, on all four's and with his binky sucking away. Hmm yes we are probably going to wean him off the binky soon. He's not dependent on it. but I don't want him to be either.


Kirra's been down to one nap a day since she was about 18 months old. Luckily that one nap is long (because it takes the place of 2 naps). I am always impressed that she can take a 2.5 hour nap. Sometimes even a 3-3.5 hour nap! She wakes up all disheveled, having taken her hair ties out and socks off, and greets me with 'I'm Awake!!!' when I open her door. She used to turn her own music mobile on and sing songs in there to wake up slowly, but ever since she was 22 months old when she started her night-time waking and crying, she also started afternoon nap waking crying as well. She calls out for us like she is afraid we forgot about her, shouting demands like she's got poop, or she's hungry, or come get me!, or daddy!!!!!, or i want out!!!! Gone are the days of waiting it out when Kirra stirs, because if she is making noise when she wakes up, there's usually screaming involved, and that could lead to waking up Liam.

I can't wait until the two have better sleep and nap patterns, so that we can try them sharing the room again. We tried it once for 2 nights and it did not go very well due to Liam's waking through the night disturbing Kirra. Once Liam catches up to Kirra a little more I think it will work out just fine. It's the one only area where I am hoping the time flies by quickly so that my ideal sibling sleeping arrangement and room can finally work out and everyone can sleep better. But in all other areas of Liam's growth we are constantly noticing how he's out-growing that baby-phase, and quickly entering big baby phase.

the face of someone who is not having a nap

this is what Liam was doing last week instead of napping

Kirra's 3 hour nap.