No more naps :o(

I think I'm officially giving in. Emily has decided that she no longer needs to take a regular nap. She has skipped 7 out of the last 10 days, and the days she did "nap" were really busy ones where she fell asleep in laps towards the end of the afternoon and had to be coaxed awake again. I knew I was doomed when at the end of the day she was no more tired/cranky than the beginning of the day. Unfortunately, most of the time I was the tired, cranky one! One positive note is that Emily has readily adapted to a "rest time" in the afternoon where she quietly plays in her room and doesn't peek out for an hour or so. I have taken this opportunity to nap myself. It's funny because when she's ready to come out she knocks on the door and waits for someone to come get her. :o)

The next question is "Does Emily go to bed any earlier?" Sort of. We've been putting her "down" at 7:30pm vs. 8:00-8:30pm, but she still plays in her room/bed until 8:30-9:00pm. She has been sleeping in until 7:30am on a pretty consistent basis, though, which is a bit later than before. I guess we'll take whatever we can get!

I definitely mourn the passing of regular nap time simply for the lost "me" time, but it also has some benefits. I don't feel like I have to rush home from morning activities to get lunch and a nap in on time. I don't have to fight Emily to stay awake in the van on the way home from morning activities/errands because it's not going to affect her nap time anyway. I don't have to fight Emily to stay in bed and go to sleep in the afternoons. I have a lot more options for scheduling activities/errands in the afternoons, although I haven't tried it yet b/c I've been too tired. An earlier bedtime is an option even if she doesn't fall asleep right away. There will be surprise naps and chunks of "me" time that will be viewed as wonderful gifts instead of something to take for granted.