As a teacher you realize that after a break, long weekend, and sometimes just after a normal weekend... it takes a bit to get back on track. You know this is important, you know that it will make everything soooo much easier to deal with, you know that it is what you and the children need and want... buttttt it is so hard sometimes to get there. In my classroom I had what I called a flexible schedule... we did everything on the board (I wrote out the day each day on the board) but I never really planned how long any specific activity would take. The children also adjusted to some minor tweaks if something took a bit longer and we had to move activities because of lunch or specials.
The last few weeks we have been so busy with this, that and the other thing that Blake had gotten off schedule (of course the fact that he had a molar cutting through at the SAME time didn't help at all!). As I've talked about in the past, Blake doesn't have a super strict schedule/routine. But, he still needs to have a specific order to his day (not necessarily time, but order). In a lot of ways I let him pick the time frames he naps and eats (to a degree), but it is in a window of time (for example: sometimes between 8:15 and 9:00 he goes down for his morning nap). When we are busy he is more active and therefore has a harder time slowing down to stay on track. Plus when we are going we may not always be home for his windows of time... throwing off the rest of the day.
Well the last few days Blake seems to be back on schedule (whatever that is for the day). He is again sleeping through the night which makes my life a wholeeeee lot easier! But, as Andrea mentioned in her blog yesterday (about herself of course)... now I'm not sleeping through the night just for the fact that well... I'm pregnant. (Oh and our dog thinks that when I'm up she gets to be up... yeah not fun)
Now if he could decide which is his long nap time. Yesterday he slept 1 hour in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon. Today he went down at 8:30am and here it is 11:05am and he is still sound asleep. I try to do stuff around the house when he takes his 3 hour nap and then rest/watch tv during his 1 hour nap, but it is hard to plan that when I don't know which nap is going to be which. At one point I tried waking him up from his morning nap after an hour, but that didn't always mean he wanted to take a long afternoon nap... and if he didn't take a long afternoon nap he was not fun to be around in the early evening.
Oh well... guess it is just one more thing getting me ready for a newborn in the house... unpredictably!
I know this feeling. I think being a teacher first, before becoming a parent leads us to believe that we can remain in "control" of our schedule. After all, if we can keep 20 little ones on track, why not ONE? Well, wake-up call!
ReplyDeleteNaps are difficult. I often felt paralyzed by them. It's a catch 22 -- we all need them to rest, but when it's time to go DO something, we also need them to be ready.
I don't like this feeling either!! It's the worst trying to get back on track, especially with little ones!!
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great day!
Getting back on track is the story of life here at home... the kids are always up to something... changing it around..... What ever happened to normal!! (wink)
ReplyDeleteglad he is getting back to "order" hope you get some rest and it just goes to show how unpredictable all children are!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed yours naps that well! My son? Not so much the sleeper . . not at night, not in the day. Ah, well.
ReplyDeleteYou know Lori I found it so much easier to manage the nap once they went down to one a day. At least there was a bit more predictability.
ReplyDeleteBut then they stop napping altogther.
Oh shoot, you don't want to hear that.
Forget I ever said anything.
Glad things are back on track ;-)
I liked the whole nap thing better when it was one nap a day....then I KNEW when it was going to happen, etc and could plan my day better. Of course, the older one is now at the point where she doesn't want any naps and Riley still takes two....so we are stuck in limbo land too! Glad things are back on track for you though!
ReplyDeleteyes, getting back on track it good. Sonia is definately a creature of habit. Things usually have to go the same way every day or she gets all confused!!!
ReplyDeleteAh yes. Naps. I wish they would stick to a schedule! LOL It would make our lives easier!
ReplyDeleteI am having so much trouble with nap time. Mainly because J has gotten used to napping in his swing and he is now leaning over in it--so, the swing's days are numbered.
ReplyDeleteToday, NO NAP. We woke up late, I'm sure that had something to do with it. I'm determined to make it work tomorrow!!!
So, when do they give up that morning nap, anyway???
Good luck!!!