Sunday, January 21, 2007
Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg
Mae started napping in a regular kind of way this past week. It's fantastic. She sleeps for an hour, starting at 9:30 or 10:30ish. Then we go out (as per our busy social calendar) to storytime at the library, or play group at the community centre, or for coffee. And then she has a second nap later in the day at 2:30 or 3:30ish. And while she naps, I can write, or clean, or else just walk around the house marvelling at the fact that I'm walking around the house without a baby.
The only real downside to naps is that I'm hooked. This afternoon, she fell asleep in the stroller when we were out, and then didn't want to sleep at her regularly scheduled time, and I felt so cheated. I spent about 45 minutes feeding her, and then my husband spent a good 30 minutes walking with her, and then I fed her for another ten minutes. We did get her to sleep in the end. For 30 minutes. Hardly much of a return on our investment.
Still, I'm not really complaining. Most days, she sleeps. And it couldn't have come at a better time because - and this, I AM complaining about - she's also learned how to whine.
It's this awful, groany, grating noise. If I had to spell it phonetically, it'd be something like "Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg." And, if the mood strikes her, or if she's overtired enough, she can keep it up for ages, until she's wearing so badly on my last nerve that I say things like "You are testing mommy's patience. Stop it. There is none left!! Oh my God. None." And she just blinks her big grey eyes at me and goes "Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg. Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg," until I'm almost driven to the brink of insanity.
But then she has a nap and wakes up cooing like a little dove so as to make me forget her whiny ways and fall madly in love with her again. It's a nasty little trick, really. It's just lucky for her that it works.
The only real downside to naps is that I'm hooked. This afternoon, she fell asleep in the stroller when we were out, and then didn't want to sleep at her regularly scheduled time, and I felt so cheated. I spent about 45 minutes feeding her, and then my husband spent a good 30 minutes walking with her, and then I fed her for another ten minutes. We did get her to sleep in the end. For 30 minutes. Hardly much of a return on our investment.
Still, I'm not really complaining. Most days, she sleeps. And it couldn't have come at a better time because - and this, I AM complaining about - she's also learned how to whine.
It's this awful, groany, grating noise. If I had to spell it phonetically, it'd be something like "Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg." And, if the mood strikes her, or if she's overtired enough, she can keep it up for ages, until she's wearing so badly on my last nerve that I say things like "You are testing mommy's patience. Stop it. There is none left!! Oh my God. None." And she just blinks her big grey eyes at me and goes "Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg. Unnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg," until I'm almost driven to the brink of insanity.
But then she has a nap and wakes up cooing like a little dove so as to make me forget her whiny ways and fall madly in love with her again. It's a nasty little trick, really. It's just lucky for her that it works.
