The beauty of a nap

I feel like I should be jumping up and down singing and dancing because of the amazing revelation that has been made in our house over the past couple days. Abby has learned the beauty of a nap!!! Most people, parents and non-parents alike, expect their kids to sleep during the day. When we first interviewed our fantastic nanny Courtney, Abby was almost 3 months old and Courtney said, "she still sleeps most of the day, right?" Nope....not our child.
Since Abby was two months old she has been sleeping through the night. I know, shoot me now. Even our pediatrician tells us not to say that out loud when we are in his office because I'll have mothers putting out a hit on me. She started six hour chunks at 6 weeks old, and by 2 months she would go down around 9:30-10pm and sleep until 7:30/8, wake up to nurse, and then sleep again until 10ish. After that, she was awake. We might get a cat nap for 20-30 minutes, but nothing you could really "do anything" with. Did I complain? NO WAY! We were told that she would figure out her nap schedule eventually, and given that we needed to function efficiently during the day, I did not mind the sleep at night!
About 2/2.5 months ago she started going to sleep by 8pm (except for the special nights we go and watch Kyle play softball and she gets to "stay up late"), and she will wake up between 7 and 730, entertain herself in her crib for about 30 minutes, and then demand attention. Then it happened....we made friends with the morning nap about 6 weeks ago. All of a sudden one day she had her second bottle around 10am and went to sleep....and slept for an hour and a half. That nap has stuck ever since (with a few rogue mornings). It is absolutely amazing how much you can get done in an hour or two. I LOVE my daughter and I love hanging out with her, but the clothes need to be washed, dishes done, emails returned, business built, and sometimes this mama needs to sit down for ten minutes without being drooled on.
Two days ago Abby made another friend called "Afternoon nap". It was a discovery by accident, and again paired with a bottle. Around 2:30pm she had her afternoon bottle and looked very sleepy. Given that she had only slept for about 45 minutes that morning I thought, "hmmm, maybe I'll try laying her down". Sure enough, 20 minutes later she was out cold and slept for almost 2 hours! Not only is that impressive, but every time you lay her down now for a nap or for the night she does not cry. She plays with bun-b (her bunny "blanket" from Pottery barn) and goes to sleep. You can get your own bun-b here from Pottery Barn Kids (it's the Thumbie...Abby's is an older model and has knots on the edges, but this is pretty close!)

I think it's absolutely perfect that as soon as my life stops being so "scheduled" my daughter decides to adapt to a nap schedule that allows me to have some "me time". The only thing we need to work on now is how to avoid the predictable mid-morning-nap stinky diaper. I'm convinced that she's sleep longer if she wasn't sleeping in stunk...I mean, wouldn't you?  Every day I spend with her I admire stay at home moms so much more. There is nothing "easy" about that job. It takes a lot of work, dedication, patience, and flexibility. With me still working and playing more of an "at home mom" role, I rely heavily on my support system of Kyle, Courtney, Mimi, Grandy, Fairy Godmommy Lindsey, and all of those who send me encouragement via text, Facebook, and email. Of course, I still aspire to someday take a nap of my own during the day, and to "think happy nap thoughts" here are a few of my favorite nap products!

Eucalyptus Spearmint Pillow Mist from Bath and Body Works for anti-stress or my other favorite pillow mist:

Lavender Chamomile Pillow Mist and right now Bath and Body Works is having a buy two get one free mix and match sale!
Also, check out Dream Essence for a full line of masks, body pillows, and aroma therapy sachets as well!

Until next time, happy napping!!

Dabble

Outdoor Cooking

With the weather getting nicer by the minute, I am getting VERY excited for outdoor cooking. For me this means a grill on the deck and some fun drinks made inside. With Kyle in culinary school my daydreaming went to how the outdoor cooking experience could be made glamorous. Sure, there will be splattered bar-b-que sauce and dishes to clean up after. It's not like things like that disappear when you have a luxurious space to cook in. Just like people who have amazingly designed nurseries still have to change stinky diapers...sometimes even exploded ones on their silk crib sheets. **shaking head**
What kind of inspiration would I be if I didn't share some of my findings with you?
All stainless steel kitchen, configuration can range from $3,000 to $30,000 (yikes!) found at The Outdoor Kitchen

This next one is SO me! I love the bamboo wood accents, and it's less built-in more placed in the environment you already have. This makes it more feasible for those of us living with pesky HOAs!

There are few things in life that can make a fabulous outdoor kitchen even better, but the views are one of them. Personally, I am an ocean girl. However, there are some situations when mountains can take my breath away just as much. This is one of them!

This photo was found in a blog post talking about things to consider when planning an outdoor cooking space and what your real needs are. Clearly the family that has this kitchen had the space and the views to get everything in kitchen sink included!
I LOVE the hardwood floors and the lattice above the grills especially!

Dablet is awake from her nap, and while I will not be pursuing any of the above projects anytime soon (we haven't won the lottery YET!), I am very much looking forward to outdoor cooking!

Until Next Time

Dabble