Fall Break, Baby!

Ah, Fall Break at last. I cannot even believe that it is already here. By the time we make it back to school (next Wednesday) it will be the middle of the month. Which means it will almost be Halloween. Which means I better get crackin' on being a better Hallweenie since my home is still lacking in the decorations department. After Baby B gets up from his nap today I might head out to Hobby Lobby and Old Time Pottery to see what I can find on the cheap. Oh, how I wish Garden Ridge wasn't located in Honyonka (pronounced hawn-yawn-ka), not to be confused with Timbuktu, Bufu, or East Jesus.

Speaking of naps, I'm having a tough time getting Baby B to take a solid afternoon nap for me. I'm not a big proponent of the crying-it-out-method, though I have let him go for 5 minutes before my nerves are grated to the nubs. I just can't stand to let my sweet boy go through such trauma. Anyway, he takes a wonderful AM nap for both the Nanas and for me, too, on the weekends. My mom and Kim both rock him to sleep. Whereas they have comfortable Lazy-Boy-esque rockers, I have the hand-me-down antique that proves difficult for anyone with butt bones to rock in for longer than three minutes. So I stand and bounce. And bounce. And bounce. And bounce. I could compete in the Olympic sport of the bounce and walk if there was such a thing.

So I bounced him to sleep today, walking and bouncing a mile and a half through my downstairs. Once asleep, I tiptoe daintily up our stairs, shuffle through the clothes on my bedroom floor (yep, still there!), and place him ever-so-delicately in the pack-n-play. Not quite to the bottom of the stairs, I hear a whimper. And then a cry. And then he is screaming How dare you lay me down, you terrible mother! and he has not even been laying down a full minute.

I pop that paci back in, snuggle a softie up to his face, his eyes roll back, and he is asleep again. And then he's awake before I can make it to the door. So I grab the paci, the softie, and him and take the whole mess of them to the ancient rocker where I sing such classics as How much is that doggie in the window?, Eidelweiss (sp?), and Oh, I went the animal fair! All the while he is grinning at me from beneath the paci and snuggling so deep into the crook of my arm that I fear he will suffocate. But, alas, he pops back out bearing that big, gummy grin. And I laugh at him because he's so doggone cute. The worst is when he starts talking to me through the paci and then it's all over because I can't resist cooing back to him.

So, after another failed attempt at laying him down, I opt for tummy sleeping (I know, I know - don't worry, I keep a good eye on him). And then he's prairie-doggin' it, poppin' that little head up so I can see his fuzzy little hair over the top of the pack-n-play. He looks like this, except he's now wailing because I've thoroughly ticked him off:

So, I pick him up again. Whisper sweet nothings in his ear and he finally decides it would now be a good time to fall asleep. I say multiples prayers as I exit, asking that he'll be asleep for good now and give me at least an hour to get things done. Like blogging and downloading pictures to the computer.

Well, what was supposed to be a post about all that I plan to accomplish over Fall Break, you have instead just read the saga that is naptime. Thanks for reading. And for all you mommies out there, please feel free to leave a comment about how you're a super mom and you have the most awesome afternoon nap techniques ever. Please share. I could use some encouragement.