Resisting Rest

I put the girls down for a nap at their usual time after lunch. They both resisted, as usual. By 2pm, Valerie made an appearance, announcing that she was no longer tired.

Knowing that she had originally awoken at 5:17am, returned to a restless sleep, and started her day by 6:52am, she needed a nap before her scheduled play-date arrived. I coaxed her into my bedroom. We flipped on some awful cartoons that caught her fancy and laid together on the bed, hand-in-hand. Within five minutes, she entered the sleep zone.

At 2:23pm, I heard a startled Dagny crying through the bedroom monitor and quickly jumped to quiet her without waking Valerie. Dagny happily climbed into my arms and laid her head on my shoulder, in her usual way. We moved to the rocking couch in the family room and cuddled. Shortly thereafter, I recognized the slow deep breathing. Dagny fell asleep again, right on my lap. For the first few minutes, we rocked together and I enjoyed the quiet mind-numbing time of doing nothing. Ten minutes into Dagny's nap on my lap routine, I was fidgeting and ready to be productive. It took me awhile to ignore my antsy attitude and enjoy the moment.

Dagny napped on my chest and lap, curled into a little ball for about 50 minutes. She smelled like sugar-water. She looked so peaceful. Her sweaty head pressed against my cheek. The only sounds I heard were Dagny's long, steady breathes and the chirping birds outside the window. And I wondered, "Will my baby ever cuddle like this with me again? I just hope this isn't the last time."

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.