The Phantom Nap

Mimi's a good sleeper...well, at least at night. 

Our bedtime routine is rather extensive, but we keep with it because it works (generally).  Around 8:30 or so we change Mimi into her pajamas and warm up some milk in a sippy cup.  That's the cue for story time.  As Mimi selects her night's books and then runs over to cuddle on Mama's lap, Papa (that's me) heads over to Mimi's room to secure "mofu" (Mimi's blanket), Nyan-nyan (Mimi's kitty), and Baby (Mimi's, er, baby).  The mofu is a necessity for bedtime reading; she simply will not tolerate a story without it.

Mama and Mimi cuddle under the mofu for at least 3 stories (sometimes up to 7 or 8).  Once Mimi's lids begin to droop, which almost almost always coincides with her milk running low, it's time to brush our teeth.  Papa brings out the Dora toothbrush and scrubs the uppers, downers, and fronties.  After that, Mimi gives them a go on her own (this lasts for all of 4 seconds).  Toothbrush set aside, Papa scoops up Mimi and mofu, and then Nyan-nyan and Baby.  Baby must have her hat on.  If not, Mimi will ask Papa gently, but firmly, to cover Baby's little head.  After all, we don't want her getting sick. 

Baby, Nyan-nyan, and mofu in-hand, we say goodnight to Mama with a few blown kisses and a "Bye-bye!"  Walking down the hall towards the bedroom Mimi always gives her Papa a kiss (granted, at his request) before laying down her sleepy head in the crib.  Papa covers her with mofu, wishes her sweet dreams, and closes the door.  On most nights she's in dreamland straight away. 

In the morning I usually find Mimi with Nyan-nyan and Baby at opposite corners of the crib (does she have them box at night?) and mofu covering her head from the morning light. 

The only reason Mimi's head wasn't totally covered here is that I'd already come into the room to wake her.  This is my third attempt and, as one can see, she's still trying to hide under that mofu.  

Thankfully, Mimi really is rather good about bedtime.  It's one of the very, very few ways (I can count them on one finger) that Mimi tries to make our life a little easier.  The full night's sleep helps her to explore the fascinating world around her.  She has the energy to wear Desitin tubes on her feet instead of shoes... 

and to bring Papa her breakfast even when he's all the way in the back room working on a blog post.  Plenty of rest means that Mimi has littered rice in only half the house on her journey, not the entire home.  Lucky me. 

Yes, we seem to have bedtime figured out.  But naps, I'm sad to say, are now a different matter.  Mimi used to be quite good when it came to nap-time, consistently tramping off to dreamland between 1 and 2 each afternoon.  These days, though, it's hit or miss.  On some afternoons she'll go right to sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.  On others, she'll giggle and squeal from 1:30 to 3:00 without the faintest hint of a yawn or droopy eyelid. 

What we do the morning before seems to have little impact.  On days I think I've worn her out with trips to the museum or park, she'll stay wired through the entire afternoon.  On lazy days when all we did was read, she'll go right down.  And vice-versa.  There seems to be no correlation between morning activities and the guarantee of an afternoon nap. 

I have even taken to going through her bedtime routine each afternoon to help send her off to dreamland.  It worked well at first, but it's definitely not a sure-fire solution.  It's not like Mimi fights me over nap-time, or screams to be let out of her crib when she fails to fall asleep.  On the contrary.  She almost always lets me know when she wants to nap - by saying "ne-ne" - and when she's unable to fall asleep it's almost always because she's too full of giggles.  A stern warning to go to sleep works occasionally (well, it's worked 2 times out of at least 20 so far), but usually, if Mimi gets the giggles, there'll be no nap that day. 

In short, I need some advice.  Nap-times are my "little window of sanity" in the otherwise frenetic and manic days ruled by toddler-logic.  If the readers out there have any tricks, any suggestions, please share!  I'll update in the future.  Thanks!