Waking the kids up from their naps and getting them into the car to go to Nikki’s violin lesson has become an art form, especially now that all three are usually asleep when it’s time to go.

Twenty minutes before we need to leave, I wake Nikki since she’s always excited to get up from her nap. I ask her to use the toilet and then go wake her deeply sleeping brother. She whispers to Michael about how we’re going on a car trip so she can have her violin lesson. She also sweetly encourages him to use the toilet and get into the car.

Meanwhile I get the car ready with the rear passenger doors open and Sakioroma loaded in while Michael uses the toilet. Nikki hops in the car while I put Vi in, because Vi is much happier to be in her car seat if someone else is in the car with her. With the girls loaded up, I help sleepy-slow Michael get his shoes on the correct feet and all strapped into his car seat. And off we go!

one of the ways Vi and I used to spend our time while the older kids napped

For thirteen months, Vi’s one-on-one time with Mama during the older kids’ naps has been primarily used for tanking up on numnums. The past couple weeks I noticed a change: Vi was more interested in falling asleep on my back while I did chores than she was in cuddling on the couch.

Following this sign of consistent naptime readiness, I laid Vi down in her crib when I tucked in her older siblings for their after-lunch naps last week. She was not too pleased with the idea at first, but tiredness won. She naps an hour, compared to her siblings’ two hours of sleep/quiet time each afternoon. This newly scheduled daytime sleep has not affected her wonderful unbroken night sleeping at all.

I think we both benefit from Vi’s new naptime, though I’m still trying to work out the best way for me to spend a child-free hour at home. (I have already reorganised the shed…)

We continue to be amazed at how well our children transition to their own beds in their tenth month. After nine months of round-the-clock breastfeeding on demand and snuggling to sleep either while nursing or being worn, placing a babe in a crib all by herself is a big change. Each of our children has demonstrated readiness for this major transition in his or her tenth month.

It was Vi’s turn Monday night, after she slept straight through Sunday night and even continued sleeping until 10:30 the next morning.

We set up her crib and bedding in the kids’ room when Ben got home. Then we began dinner and the bedtime routine as normal – with the addition of Vi fully participating rather than watching.

She happily chewed on an apple slice at dinner, and then it was time to spashily join her older siblings in the bath.

After everyone was dressed for bed, Vi sat on Baba’s lap during the Bible story and laid down in her crib wearing the same sleep sack Nikki and Michael each used at this age. A few minutes of crying, and she was asleep. She woke only once, right as I was laying down in bed without her for the first time since she was born, but she was quickly back asleep after Baba checked on her, and she slept straight through until 7am.

Last night was even better, with less crying when she first laid down. Vi didn’t wake up until 8am. Hurrah for long winter nights!

Sweet dreams, little one!

Most days, afternoon rest time means Nikki and Michael lie quietly in their beds “until the red disappears.” Generally they sleep two hours and sometimes more. When Nikki and Michael wake up they each join Mama on the sofa where we have a post-nap cuddle.

photo credit :: Elisa holding her phone at arm’s length

On Fridays, since Michael usually falls asleep on the way home from music class, and since the kids don’t seem to need another two hour nap after having four in a row, I have begun “Friday rest time.”

“Friday rest time” involves Nikki and Michael playing quietly in the living room. The key word here is “quietly.” If someone is loud or asks Mama a question, they have to go lay down on their bed quietly for a while before they can come back and play. Inspired by MaryAnne at Mama Smiles, I am using this quiet play time for audio books, which further encourages the kids to be quiet and listen while they play.

advantages of “Friday rest time”

The kids love having a rest in the same room as me. After the first Friday rest time, Nikki told me she liked it much better than nap time. I asked her why, thinking she was excited about being able to play with toys, but she surprised me by saying that she didn’t like not being able to see me when she was in her bed during normal naptime.

The second advantage is one that I didn’t anticipate but happily accept. During “Friday rest time” Vi is usually happy and alert and she loves playing with Nikki and Michael. With all three children happily occupied and not on my lap, I can type with both hands on the keyboard, a rare and wonderful luxury.

Nikki and Michael have adapted so well during this move! Probably their biggest adjustment is at naptime, with Michael no longer confined to a crib. Also, the bookshelves and toy baskets from our former playroom are now in their bedroom, so they have access to a plethora of fun activities.

How, then, to encourage them to rest? In addition to the consequence of having all the toys removed from their room if they play with toys instead of resting, our secret weapon is a simple visual timer.

At the beginning of each nap time, I pray for Nikki and Michael, kiss their foreheads, turn on a white noise machine, set a timer for 45 minutes, and close the door “shutly tight” as Nikki says.

Our battery-powered Time Timer displays a red section covering the amount of minutes my resting children need to be quiet – if they are loud, I simply add more time. As the minutes elapse, the red section becomes less and less until it silently disappears. Nikki will often wake long after the allotted 45 minutes and say “the red disappeared so quickly!”

I am glad we are back on track with a much-needed afternoon nap!

Midwife Vanessa discharged Vi and me from the Community Midwifery Program today. I’ll miss her visits.

One month old today, Vi has gained half a kilo in the last two weeks! Also, my body is recovering its pre-pregnancy state more quickly than it did with the previous pregnancies. Could it be because I’m nursing three children?

In addition to weight transfer, the other miracle rocking my world is this: Nikki and Michael are on a consistent nap schedule. Both of them sleep for an hour and a half each afternoon. If he needs it, Michael will take a morning nap as well. They both continue to sleep well at night.

I caught this picture today of Vi taking the floor during a sibling conference.

Time to put my feet up and just enjoy Vi each afternoon is an unexpected blessing. I notice I’m singing a lot more during the day, which is a good sign that, despite being well outnumbered, I’m still feeling pretty blissful.

Each pregnancy, I find I gravitate toward certain creature comforts. Below I list of a few of my favourite things the third time around:

• side-sleeping memory foam pillow, which complements the long feather pillow that keeps my lower back straight (from the first pregnancy), and the wedge pillow to support my bump (from the second pregnancy). I feel that I’ve found the ultimate pillow trio for pregnant side-sleeping and am luxuriating in the ability to sleep straight through the night every night!
• fit ball – still a favourite from the first pregnancy
• tubigrip to support my bump and lower back during the day – and hold up my maternity jeans, which I pessimistically bought a size too large
• Lunapad underwear fits comfortably under the bump and keeps me feeling fresh
 

photo credit :: saidaonline
 
• organic grapes – I try to keep a bowlful of loose, washed grapes on a shelf in the fridge. With my senses heightened during pregnancy, I really appreciate that the organic grapes don’t have a chemical aftertaste
• Similarly, my Kleen Kanteen provides convenient, non-spilling water that tastes good.
• … and last but not least: Baba’s oatmeal – his secret recipe involves using more than twice as much milk as oats, and soaking the oats in the milk prior to cooking. Unbelievably delicious!

Related posts:

   Favourite Pregnancy Things
   Favourite Pregnancy Things – volume 2

During the first trimester of this pregnancy, I mentioned to my parents that I was feeling tired. My dad asked, “so when is the kids’ naptime?”

Good question, DaD! Naptime… I had forgotten about that!

If naptime is an set time when children go to sleep in an organised fashion, well, for the most part we haven’t managed that. It has happened a few times. We were getting into a groove with Nikki right before our most recent trip to the US. During our whirlwind tour, we were with new people in a new city nearly every day, and that’s when Nikki developed an acute case of FOMS (Fear Of Missing Something). Wide awake she would stay until we were back at the hotel at the end of each day (though she would nap occasionally in the car).

Our last few months in Egypt, our first few months here, no naps for Nikki, except in the car. Michael slept twice most days, either in a baby carrier or snuggled on my lap after nursing.

And that’s when my dad reminded me about naptime.

At first I dismissed the idea, but I began to realise that my pregnant self needed a nap at least as badly as any one- or two-year-olds I could name. So one day I announced that I was going to ‘rest on the sofa.’ I made this announcement when Michael was making signs that he would be settling in for some numnum-induced sleep. Soon we were curled up, both with our eyes closed.

Nikki fussed a little. Then she went to my bedroom and grabbed a pillow. She also pulled an afghan my mum made off the sofa. Additionally armed with her sippy cup of water, she made a little nest for herself, then laid down and slept!

In fact, we all slept! It was marvelous!

Since then, I have added to my Nikki naptime photo collection, each time using the camera on my mobile phone since it’s what I have with me and I don’t have time to get the camera – at any moment she might wake. In one of these I did only catch her just after waking following a nap when she had curled up to sleep with The Economist.

   

I think these photos prove that my daughter can sleep anywhere… as long as she’s not missing something!

Nikki finally got to move out of the tent she’s been sleeping in ever since our temporary furniture was replaced by our sea shipment from Egypt.

She’s been great about camping out in the room she shares with Michael. But we could tell she was thinking about her big bed. “Nikki’s bed not ready yet. No.”

Ben picked up the “long single” mattress from the store, which just fit into the back of our Odyssey with the five seats in the back folded down. (Note this is a stock photo, not our actual car. Photo courtesy Honda.)

The next morning Ben put the new mattress on the bed frame, and hooray! The bed built in Egypt fits a standard size Australian mattress.

Which meant we were able to buy sheets, a duvet, and a duvet cover locally.

Nikki tried it all out, and pronounced it “very nice.” She even thanked me later as she went to bed for making up her bed so nicely.

Sleep well, sweet one.