All Good Things Must Come To An End!

As I write this my little Pinball is sleeping and still in her bed. It is nap time -- one of my favorite times of the day. I get to sit and write, eat without sharing (I know, set a good example), chat on the phone with curse words if I feel like it, and read quietly without interruption. I can also get stuff done without feeling like I am a short order cook in a busy restaurant, or have an immediate onset of a bad case of ADD.

Today is a good day since she is fast asleep, but yesterday she didn't feel like it. I have been noticing a pattern of a few days on and one day off. I am in complete denial about the possibility of her phasing away from naps. This is a very crucial time of day for my sanity, not to mention my recent on-line shopping habit. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I am a bit obsessive at times and that video monitor gives me the sense that I can be that spy I've never imagined I could be before. I watch it like a hawk (or a crazy nut, you pick) just to see when she drifts into a golden slumber. I can't rest until she has stopped moving. I know her every move. How many times she gets up out of bed, how many books she has read and which doll she is singing too. I am a completely invading her privacy and she is at an unfair advantage.

If I go into her room to tell her to sleep, everything backfires. Her private playtime has been exposed and it is no longer fun for her. She also assumes nap is done whether she slept or not. It's not in my best interest to interrupt her since she is perfectly happy having a quiet rest time. From what I have heard from friends, I don't know how lucky I am that she chills on her own. I do know that if she didn't have that, she and I both would have rough afternoons. I have also noticed it takes her longer to fall asleep on nights when she naps. So I suppose it's a toss up: as long as she lets me have my time and visa versa, it's not such a horrible thing. I just miss being able to go in there while she is napping and get pictures of her sleeping with her sunglasses on.