napping window

there's always so many things that i could be doing while ben naps. i definitely should take a shower and then there's always cleaning up around the house (today, there's a LOT of cleaning to be done). there's online stuff like tupperware stuff and banking and ben is usually cranky when i'm on the computer so it has to be done during naps. i could blog, check email, and update my status. but some days, taking a nap myself sounds like my favourite idea.

today is one of those days. last night, when we got home from white rock at about 10pm, we carried ben inside and put him in his crib like we always do. he always wakes up for this transfer but falls asleep again quietly and for the most part, quickly. not last night. we could hear him thrashing around in there, knocking his soothers against the bars, and giving little shouts here and there. when we went to bed at 10:45pm, i tiptoed in to adjust his blanket and he sat up. he jumped up and wanted to get out of bed. i got him up, gave him a drink of water, and let him sit in our bed for a few minutes. then we put him back to bed. he moaned, shouted, and cried for a half hour. i went in a couple times and that just upset him more. we left him awhile longer - no sleeping happened. finally, at 12:15am, i sent tim in to help settle him. this just got ben more worked up and tim left the room of a wailing baby. we sat for about 2 minutes listening to the crying and then went and got him again. i brought him into our room and told him he'd have to lay still and go to sleep. he did his very best to be very still. every so often, he'd wiggle but stayed in his spot in the middle. finally, at 12:45am, i sat up to see if he was sleeping - his eyes were open. this is SO my kid. (it takes me forever to fall asleep too) so i picked him up, took him back to his bed, and tucked him in. i went back to bed with my fingers crossed. he eventually fell asleep there - quietly this time. there's really no way we could ever have him in our bed as we're both such light sleepers.

okay - too many details there, i'm sure but all this to say, when ben woke up at 7:30am this morning, i was bagged. 6.5 hours is not enough in the least for me! i figured his 3 hours awake stint in the middle of the night would lead to at LEAST an 8:30am sleep-in! no such luck.

so the napping window that i speak of in my title - it's the first 20 minutes of ben's nap. during this window, if i want a nap, i have to take it asap. that gives me at LEAST an hour of sleep and hopefully i will wake up before ben. if i don't lay down practically right when he does, i am woken up by him a short time later and am in a terrible sleepy mode. i feel much worse than if i hadn't napped at all. these people who take 10 or 20 minute naps and feel good when they wake up? i'm SO jealous of them! i haven't taken a cat nap in my life!

today i missed the napping window. i got going on online banking and boom - an hour later, i haven't gone down for my nap! good thing i didn't because as i write this last couple sentences, i can hear ben moaning as he wakes up. i may be a bit tired but at least it's nothing that a cup of coffee can't cure!