Robby was going out of town for the weekend and he once again had an early morning flight. Being the "Super Woman" that I tout myself as, I declared that we would get up at 4 a.m., I would drop him off at the airport and then drive directly to our Lake House, where Justin and Sarah would meet me with Parker to baby-sit for the day. NO PROBLEM (I thought...)! I would just drink enough coffee to get me charged up for the day.
I'm not sure what has happened to coffee (or maybe me...) over the years, but it just doesn't seem to do the job like it previously did. By the time Parker arrived I had already consumed two cups and still wasn't very perky. By her morning nap, I was feeling tiredness begin to sneak up on me, but I had household chores to do and lunch to get ready while she was napping. And then BOOM! She was already awake (sigh...). Maybe I could slip a nap in myself in the afternoon.
Why is it that as children we fight AGAINST taking naps and as adults we fight TO take naps? I could tell that Parker was tired; she had laid down on the floor. I decided I would pick her up and attempt to rock her to sleep. The reason I say, "attempt" is because she doesn't really like to rock and she fights napping when she realizes that is your goal. Sarah has great success with just laying her in the bed to take her nap, however, I believe she has already figured out that Ya Ya is NOT going to leave her in there to "cry it out"; that's just NOT in my "job description"!
So, as we sat there rocking, I felt my eyes becoming heavier...and heavier. If she didn't go to sleep soon, I was going to fall out of the chair. I closed my eyes for a minute and peeked to see if Parker had drifted off to sleep yet. She was still hanging in there, apparently not as tired as I was. I felt my head drooping and as my eyes jerked open, I noticed Parker had finally dozed off to sleep. Now, to wait at least 5 good minutes before laying her in bed...I didn't want her waking up again.
As soon as Parker was in bed, I reached for a blanket and hit the couch. I made sure my cell phone was on silent and then snuggled down to take a much needed nap. The last thing I remember was Sissy (one of my doxies...) joining me. It was one of those naps that take you under quickly. You know the type...you are drifting out there in a peaceful place and when you suddenly wake up, you can't remember where you are or what day it is. When I DID awake, I found that 2 hours had passed! I listened and it was clear that Parker was still sleeping (WHEW...). Quickly checking my phone, I found that everybody and their mama had either called, texted or left voice mails for me. So much for that peaceful place I had visited out there in "napland" (sigh...).
It wasn't long before Parker woke up from her nap and we were both happier that we were now well rested. I can remember making my children go to their rooms for an hour each day when they were young. I would always call it "rest" time (NEVER "nap time"...). They could take books with them to read, but the rule was: You have to stay in your own bed and have some quiet time. I told them that they were not required to "sleep" and THIS seemed to do the trick. Peeking in their rooms, most times I found they were all sleeping soundly. There weren't many days that I was fortunate enough to sneak a nap in myself, however, I can recall telling Robby, "I sure wish someone would send ME to MY room for a while; I wouldn't mind that one little bit!"
Ahhh...There's NOTHING like a GOOD NAP!
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