I hate it when Annabel does this.

It's time for her morning nap. She's been fighting sleep for a full half hour now. Crying. Rubbing her eyes. Crying. Lying down for about a minute, making me hope she'll surrender at last, only to stand up and start crying again.

It's driving me crazy, but I feel like if I pick her up or take her to the living room to play, she won't sleep at all, and will get even more cranky and off schedule, so the only thing to do is wait it out. But it's maddening. I may have to leave the room in a few minutes for my own sanity.

Susan, could she be hungry? Usually, when Aidan fusses and won't go down, it's because he hasn't had quite enough to eat yet.

Doubtful. She ate her usual breakfast at the usual time, and left a little bit of it in the tray/jar, so it's not like she cleaned her plate and asked for more. Normally she doesn't eat again until around noon, after her morning nap.

It's a good thing Annabel doesn't usually cry much, because I just can't take this.

Dang, I was hoping for an easy solution.

Susan, I can't remember exactly, but I think around Annabel's age, my kids outgrew their morning nap. I don't know if she's still napping twice a day or not, but if so, this might be the beginning of the end of two naps. With all three, I ended up moving the afternoon nap earlier, once the morning nap phase was over. It all depends on the baby, though.

She seems to be drifting sleepward. At least, she's lying down quietly, eyes closed most of the time, and isn't whimpering.

It's probably just the adjustment after having an extra day of Daddy over the long weekend. She's usually a little grumpy on a Monday and worse after a long weekend or vacation.

We've definitely got a daddy's girl on our hands. And I have to admit I'm jealous.

Susan, I can't remember exactly, but I think around Annabel's age, my kids outgrew their morning nap.

She skips it sometimes, and will instead take a single long afternoon nap or a brief nap around 1:00 and another around 4:00 or 5:00 (the latter being her standard second nap time). But this was a clear case where she was exhausted and fighting sleep--the way she was fussing, the eye-rubbing, the lying down for a minute only to pop up again are all things she does when tired but not wanting to admit it. Only on a much larger scale than usual.

But now I think she's really asleep. Phew.

Susan, I'm so glad she finally went down.

I am making my head hurt. I'm trying to figure out what requirements still need to be done before I can graduate. It's crazy-making!

((Connie))

Heaps of health-ma to Emmett.

((((Connie)))) It sounds like a good, neutral but kind letter. I hope it turns out to be exactly what your mother needs to feel at peace.

ION, bleargh. I'm 99% certain that I am sick. Weak, achy, queasy, drippy nose and the whole nine yards. I feel like I should stick it out today, though; there's such a ginormous pile of crap to be done, and as long as I'm just sitting quietly and typing I'm not overtaxing myself or infecting anyone.

Plus, I have a doctor's appt. at 4:30 -- mostly to meet and talk about other, girly-stuff, matters, but I feel like I should stay until the appt. The doctor might be able to prescribe something, and even if she doesn't, I can at least get the other business squared away without hopping on the rescheduling merry-go-round. The appt. for today was such a fluke -- usually they're booked a good 2-3 months in advance, and I will never ever get an appointment this early again. I feel disinclined to squander it.

Emmett looked so small and wan and flinchy lying on the couch this morning it made me crack into little pieces. I want him happy and pain-free, dammit! And if the universe can spare any -ma from that task, a little bit in my direction wouldn't go amiss.

Yay for at-long-last-crashing Annabel!