Nap Time

*Disclaimer: I don't want to get into the politics of sleep training on this post or on this blog. Do what works for you and your little one and trust yourself. Your motherly instincts are more beneficial than any article or advice you can ever receive.*

My son is just over a year old now and still rarely sleeps. I wish I was exaggerating, but sadly he just doesn't like to sleep. Of course, I am concerned for his growth and development, but I'm also concerned for my own sanity.

On top of the fact that he rarely sleeps, when he does sleep he is an incredibly light sleeper. If you move at all he will wake up. Is your leg falling asleep? Too bad! Do you have to pee like a race horse? Too bad! Are you more hungry then a ravenous bear just waking up from hibernation? Too freakin' bad! Once he is down for a nap, a pin better not drop within a mile radius or the moment of peace and tranquility, which is fleeting enough already, will be shattered by the wailing and screaming of a grumpy baby boy. He has woken up from a deep (as deep as he gets anyway) sleep by the mere opening of a small package of crackers (sadly this has happened on more the one occasion).

He isn't just a light sleeper though. Oh no! He also usually needs what we call a "booby snack" to get to sleep. This often leads to him falling asleep on me and once that happens I'm stuck in whatever position I happened to be in at the time. But I'm desperate and the kid needs sleep! So I sit there until I absolutely can't take it anymore and then I risk waking him by adjusting my legs, scratching my nose, or moving him off of me. Sometimes I get lucky and he stays asleep, but most of the time he wakes up.

So the old sayings "sleep when baby sleeps" and "clean when baby sleeps" don't really apply to our little family dynamic. But, despite the difficulty, there's something about going into his room, scooping him into my arms, drying his tears and snuggling my sweet baby boy that makes it all worth it.