Yes, I know; I have no right to complain. My girls have generally been great sleepers, and we can't realistically expect them to go on sleeping 14 hours a day forever (12 at night, two at their nap). But still, it is with considerable sorrow that I must announce that the afternoon nap, generally taken between 12:30 and 2:30 every day, appears to be on its way out. For the last couple of weeks, the girls have gone many a day without ever actually falling asleep at naptime. Or if they have fallen asleep, it's only been for about half an hour. Our precious, precious hours of midday respite -- dwindling! (Maybe this is just a phase? Please, let it be just a phase!)
It may be in part because the girls are so enthusiastic about talking to each other lately. They really do like to chatter back and forth. I wonder if it might be worth trying to separate them during naptime, as one reader mentioned she did with her kids. The other problem is that they seem to both enjoy taking massive dumps right as their naps are starting, which is definitely not conducive to sleep, and requires an interruptive diaper change. (Sorry, TMI?)
But if I am truly honest, I must admit that the gals just don't seem to need a nap like they used to. They are definitely tired by bedtime, and maybe a little crankier than usual. But they're not a mess. And they aren't sleeping any later in the morning (in spite of the recent super-light-blocking "Eclipse" curtains we bought.) So, my sense is that this is just a natural (sigh) inevitable (sniff) development.
The good news is that they don't seem to mind being left in their cribs for about an hour to chatter, look at books, etc. So hopefully we can -- for some time -- keep up the ritual of having "quiet time" in bed for an hour or so after lunch. (Which, frankly, I think we ALL should get, regardless of age.) Again, though, getting them to stay quiet is an increasing problem. But maybe now that they're getting a little older and more capable of understanding we can start trying to "enforce" the quiet part of quiet time. (Anyone who has had luck with this, I'm all ears!)
On the flip side -- and there always is a flip side, isn't there? -- they really are starting to pitch in more around the house. Last night, Elsa saw a spot of partially-dried ketchup on the floor under the dining room table and announced her intention to "clean up." She went and got her toy broom and dustpan (aww....) and gave it a shot. I suggested that a sponge might work better, gave her one, and doggone it, that girl totally cleaned up the ketchup! She even used the abrasive side of the sponge, which you've really got to do with dried ketchup. Of course, Clio wanted to do some cleaning too, and before I knew it, we were having a whole sponge-a-palooza:
(Clio is now in the habit of saying "Please" and/or "Cheese" anytime a camera is aimed at her, hence the silly face.)
And finally, one last thing, which I'm posting way down here because I hate to use this blog for blatant self-promotion, but as some of you may know, last spring I finished a novel I'd been working on since before the girls were born. My agent has been trying to find a publisher for it since the summer, and though we've had some near misses and very positive feedback, the state of publishing in this economy and the competition when it comes to new writers has made it pretty tough. So, I entered my novel, EDEN LAKE, in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, and just found out that I made it to the quarter-finals!
So, if you're curious to see some of my fiction writing, and you have the time, check out the excerpt, which you can download here. (It says "ready to buy?" on the download button in the upper right, but it's actually free.) If you like it and feel compelled to leave a review, that would be awesome -- feel free to mention that you're a reader of this blog. Whether or not I advance to the next round depends in part on how many and the quality of reviews I get. The novel, FYI, is a family drama set against the backdrop of a kids' summer camp in Maine. (There's lots of 70s and 80s nostalgia for my fellow Gen-X-ers out there.....) I like to think it's a fun and compelling read. Thanks in advance, and please forgive me for pimping myself in this manner.
