Our ridiculous sleeper

Let's see. With 10 minutes on the clock before Shane gets up from his morning nap, I will do my best to squeeze in these thoughts. He will wake up from this nap, play until 1:00pm., nap again, play, and after dinner he will go to bed at 6:00pm. The amount of sleep he needs throughout the day is ridiculous.

He's our Ridiculous Sleeper. There's just no other way to put it. From the time Shane was born until now at almost 19 months, he's been sleeping an exorbitant amount of hours during the day and night-time. He broke all statistics of newborns who are "supposed to" sleep X-amount of hours, then climbing into four months he was "supposed to" become more wakeful, etc. But instead of becoming "more wakeful" he's still sleeping. At 9 months old Shane quite his third nap, and now at 19 months with each passing day I wonder when he'll have more hours of wakefulness. So far though, even while I watch and listen he's holding fast to those two naps, rubbing those eyes and yawning as nap time/bedtime approaches.

And here's the thing: none of this forced. I say that because of the direct and non direct accusations of being one of "Those Mom's." I've been questioned with, "Do you still have Shane on That schedule?" To which I reply, "Yes, Shane is still one sleepy baby!"

There was a time when Shane learned to sleep without me. Around three months old I determined (via going crazy) that taking every nap together wasn't going to work anymore. So I allowed him to cry for 20 minutes before soothing him with my own tears and cuddles. In three days the crying lessened (my own tears did not) and by the end of the week he was napping alone.

Since that time, napping and sleep time has been effortless. I have a gap in the morning and two hours in the afternoon to email, nap, read and/or bake while Shane naps. Each evening my husband and I have dinner by 6:30 just us two, and then either work, play a game, or watch a movie.

Why do I share? Because our very-soon-to-be second child may quite possibly be totally different! And if there's anything at all that I have doubts about, it's that I won't know what to do with a baby who refuses naps and cries in the middle of the night. I've been told countless time that this is true with number two, and I'm prepared for that in every way. Except for having a baby who isn't a ridiculous sleeper.

Shane sleeps so much because he was born a sleeper. That's the only way I can understand it. Sure, I aided in his ability; naps are a priority he has rarely missed. I rearrange my schedule so we're home for naps and in bed by 6:00 pm. I politely refuse outings if it means a missed nap or a too-late bed-time. This means that I may come across as the sleep warden of a prison. But admittedly I grow weak in the knees when my baby is yawning and leaning into me with a "sleep mommy, sleep" look in his eyes. I cave and offer him what he needs.

I will do my best to encourage our second child to nap. It will look different--this I know--and I do have this anxiety. But then again I'm sure Little Star will be ridiculous at something. Even if it's not sleeping. And I will somehow adjust, just as life becomes with children in the mix.