A Classic Mistake

My daughter looked so peaceful sleeping on the couch this afternoon. She was hard to rouse when we left the house for swim class at the YMCA around 5pm. She slept on the way to the YMCA. What a mistake it was for me to let her take that nap...

I'm lying in bed, snuggling with my two year old. She's lying peacefully next to me. The hum of the window unit in the background lulls me off to sleep. But wait...UGH...OUCH...WHAT?? I get pounced on by a bundle of cute energy that wants to play instead of sleep. She climbs out of bed and heads downstairs to accompany my husband and four year old.

Ah, it's quiet again. I have the bed to myself. It's nice and warm under the blankets and the pillow feels so nice under my weary head. I drift off to sleep once more. Then...."SURPRISE!" and "Hi, Mommy!" ring in my ears and my eyes open to find my two year with her big brown eyes smiling at me, waiting eagerly for me to wake up. It's after midnight by now.

I grumble, lay her back down next to me, and try to snuggle in for some more sleep. After much struggling while trying to keep her laying next to me, she drifts off to sleep. Suddenly all of the frustration that had built up over the course of the previous hours melts away. I finally fall asleep.

Next time, she's not going to get a nap, if she doesn't nap before 4pm. She's getting awakened at 4:30 when she does nap, regardless if she's ready or not.

Let this be a lesson learned for me. Late naps = late bedtime.