Sleepy

I realize that I have been blessed and perhaps spoiled with a child who is very skilled and agreeable when it comes to sleep. Matthew is nearly 4 and a half and still takes a long, luxurious afternoon nap; on most days that is. I marvel at his need and desire for sleep. When we talk about his days' activities he thinks about the things he will do before nap time and then after nap time. He is generally ready for that nap and most often asks for it. And even on those days when he's disagreeable about going to his bedroom, once he's in bed and we shut the door he's out. He has always been my marathon napper. When he went down for a nap earlier in the afternoon not too many months ago he would often sleep for 3 hours. Now it is more like 2. This nap has saved me. It is God's grace and provision for me and my sanity. It has been especially helpful with the addition of William into our family. At the moment we have an hour or two in the afternoon when they're both asleep. That is nice right there.

I speak about these things because I know we're in the twilight of Matt's napping days. I'm beginning to see end drawing near. It's got to happen, right? He turns 5 this year! Missing a nap is longer an extreme detriment to Matt's behavior, but it does still affect him. He & Ava had a very active day of playing together this week, and I had let Matt skip his nap that day. We got home from their house and he was whiny and generally pitiful. It was all I could do to get him fed, bathed and into bed. He told me he wanted to go to bed when Will did. That's at 7:00, mind you. How much longer will these blissful naps of Matthew's last? I have no way of knowing, but I will continue to savor them while I can.

The little one I don't see as having as much a need for sleep as Matt, but lately he's been trying to prove me wrong. Like right now, he's going on almost 2.5 hours for his morning nap. I feel this means we are moving toward dropping the morning nap and transitioning to one, long afternoon nap. Will loves his bed though, that's for sure. In the evenings he dives for it and wiggles his way to the corner of the bumper and commences to sucking his thumb and finding his happy place.

Thank you, Lord, for children who love sleep.