NAPTIME

You want to make me really angry really fast? Wake up a 2 yr old, or really ANY child, during a nap. I recall my mother saying in a very scary voice, and with a very creepy look on her face, "NEVER wake a sleeping baby!" She didn't yell it. She more like hissed it. At the time, I recall thinking she may have been going a little crazy. I mean, for goodness sakes, I would think, what is the huge deal? They are sleeping, not solving world hunger. Stopping them would not be the end of the world. But................now I get it. I REALLY get it. There is a fine tuning and skillful craft of getting two 2yr olds to sleep at the same time. And today, I DID IT. First I noticed Evie (my friend's daughter whom I am babysitting today) rubbing her eyes.....wait, no, back a step. First I wore she and my son, Charlie out by playing outside, riding bikes, scooters, sidewalk chalking, building with blocks, doing puzzles, sandbox playing. Then I gave them a good hearty lunch of Chicken, Mac n cheese, and grapes to fill their little bellies. THEN I noticed Evie rubbing her eyes. So I say, "Evie, want to go upstairs to read some books?" She nods. So I sneak her up there and we read very slowly, in my best voices, Horton Hears a Who (which incidentally I have decided should be read to young children, or anyone really during respect life week at school), and Evie falls asleep before it is over. So, I sneak back downstairs and pose the same question to my Charlie who is playing with legos alone in the art room, "Charlie, want to go upstairs and read some books?" Charlie is onto me and says "No!" and tries to wriggle away, but I am a pretty savvy mom by now, so I already have him in my arms and am cooing about what a cool lego guy he has and asking him which lego guy he would like to lie down with. The distraction works, and soon we are up in the same room as sleeping Evie and quietly reading the same book again. I have to shush him a couple times, "because Evie is sleeping shhhhh." I have to run downstairs at one point and lock the dog outside because of his barking at a person walking by. I have to shush Jack and Ben from the top of the stairs at another time. But soon he is snoozing away, once again before the book is even finished. And that is when I hear the word NO being screamed over and over, getting louder and louder. Charlie is out. But Evie's eyes dart open. I quickly and quietly stand and say, "Evie, its ok, I will be right back." And then I proceed to storm toward my 2 culprits with the creepy look my mother used to use, and with the evil hiss my mother used to use, I say, "NEVER...WAKE...A...SLEEPING... BABY! What is wrong with you 2??? Jack, up to your room, and don't come down. Ben, on the sofa, no tv!" ARGH! My experience has taught me not to return to the napping room right away. I believe Evie has fallen back asleep, and Charlie has stayed asleep. And I also believe, my children may have learned NEVER to mess with me at NAPTIME.