All about Taylor + nap time update

Taylor cracks me up every day. He’s got such a fun personality and a love for life. A few days ago, it was really really really really nice outside. Taylor had fallen asleep on the couch, and Billy and I decided to go out on the deck with Logan and Kendall to soak up some vitamin D. After a little while we went back inside, but Taylor wasn’t on the couch anymore. Almost immediately we heard some giggles coming from upstairs. Taylor had woken up, seen no one around, opened up the gate, and gotten into the office (the one room he isn’t allowed in - it's not exactly child-proof). He was just chilling, looking at books. He didn’t seem to care that he was “home alone.” It was an opportunity for him to explore the “forbidden room. Then last night at the dinner table, after he had finished eating, Taylor decided he wanted to sit on my lap. I was feeding Kendall , and Taylor decided he wanted to help. So he picked up the spoon and started feeding Kendall. It was a messy business, but Kendall started cracking up every time the spoon got anywhere near her mouth. Apparently Taylor is a lot more entertaining, and in fact hilarious, than mommy.

With some perseverance, patience, and willingness to give up some mommy time, the boys are napping again - most days. I knew Logan and Taylor still needed naps because they were both sooooo cranky starting 4-5 p.m. I looked forward to bedtime every night because I was sooooo exhausted. Sometimes Billy wouldn't even get to see them at all because they were in bed before he got back from work. So I did a little experiment. Instead of putting them in their room for "quiet time," which it never ever was, I stayed in the room with them. Once they were quiet or asleep I left the room so that I could get a few things done. On those days I can usually get 2 hours of free time. And that's if Kendall doesn't wake up in the meantime. Occasionally, they fight sleep and refuse to give in. On those days, we cuddle up in front of the tv and watch something really interesting to me and really boring to them, like The Doctors. That usually does the trick. And if even that doesn't work, bedtime moves up to 7-7:30. That's just 2-3 hours of wining to deal with. I can live with that, I think... Overall I'd say I'm pretty happy with our new arrangment. Of course it'd be better if I could just put them in their room, leave, and let them fall asleep on their own, like they used to when they were in cribs. But they're toddlers, brothers, and boys, so I'll take what I can get.