The source of all my productivity? Naps! My little Charlie is a rockstar napper now. He was down for 2 1/2 hours this morning and has been down for 1 1/2 this afternoon.
A few months ago we were lucky to get 45 minutes out of him and getting him to fall asleep was pure torture (for the whole family). But now, as soon as he's sleepy we just swaddle him up, close the shutters, break into a lengthy (and quite random) version of Old MacDonald and down he goes. Obviously he doesn't always sleep for this long, but we rarely have naps shorter than an hour anymore -- and if he wakes up mid-nap, sometimes he'll even fall back asleep! (For all you non parents out there, trust me, this is a huge milestone!)
The funniest part is the way he gradually comes back to consciousness. The other day Jason peeked in when he got home from work, and Charlie was in a little baby trance just staring at the side of his crib. Jason came down and got me, we both watched and giggled for a bit, tapped him on the back, and he rolled over and grinned.
While that's the funniest, the best part is the ability to count on productive periods of the day. This morning I was able to schedule a call for his predicted naptime -- and it worked! Almost every evening Jason and I can count on having 8 PM to 10 PM to ourselves for chores, chats with neighbors (love our new super-long range monitor) or even a quiet glass of wine by the pond. It's a whole new world!
So yes, I just spent the last 15 minutes or so of Charlie's afternoon nap flat out bragging. I have a baby who sleeps! It's a minor miracle. But...now he's awake, so off I go to get my grin!
(Thank goodness I don't believe in superstitions or jinxes, huh?)
He looks so big in these pictures, he is changing so much.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the naps! I don't have kids, but I certainly understand the importance of nap time (for the kid and the parents!). :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're enjoying being "Charlie's Mom". I love reading these stories.
I finally got to check on your blog. Sounds like the way I used to organize my day and I loved it too. What a reward to see the smiles and get some hugs after the nap and some chores finished. The pictures almost make me feel like I'm there once again.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great schedule. Having predictable nap times always made life easier for me; and makes for a happy baby. I can see he is pretty happy. Thanks for the pics. I can't believe how much bigger he looks. Make sure he gets a hug from BaBa and PaPa.
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