No rest - even for the weary

Scott has never been a good napper at daycare.
He is consistent about his beauty rest at home, sleeping well in both his swing, and now his beautifully-decked-out-in-a-fun-and-colorful-sports-themed crib, but we've had an ongoing problem getting him to shut his pretty little eyes at "school."

On a good day -- at home -- he wakes up around 6 a.m., goes back to bed at 7 a.m. and sleeps until about 8:30, and sometimes, as late as 9:15.

He takes his second nap around noon, and that lasts anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Somedays he'll take a third nap -- a quick 30 to 45 minute snooze, around 5:30.

This schedule makes for a happy baby and, therefore, happy parents.

A well-rested Scott wakes his parents up bright and early on Saturday morning.

Then there's the other five days a week. The days he's at daycare. I don't know what the issue is, nor do I know how to solve it.

On a good day, he'll sleep for 40 minutes. TOTAL. As in from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Forty minutes people.
On a bad day -- like the last two days -- he won't sleep at all.

We've tried moving him to a crib in the back of the room, having his teachers put him in the daycare swing, given him a security blanket to hold while he sleeps. Nothing works. He refuses to go to sleep. It's like he's afraid he's going to miss something.

Sometimes, his daddy leaves work early, just so he can get him a late afternoon nap just before dinner.

But most days it's the end of a long workday when I pick up my little Tank. He always gives me a big smile, (which I love), but, then, without fail, he turns into a blank zombie-like blob as we walk to the car. I strap him into the carseat, and by the time I hit the freeway, he's zonked out, snoring lightly to the sound of the radio.

It takes me 20 minutes to get home, which isn't a very long nap, so I've gotten in the habit of leaving him in the car, with it running and locked in the garage (door open, of course), while I unload the diaper bag, lay out his pajamas and prep his dinner.

This typically gives him an extra 10-15 minutes of nap time - enough to get him through the rest of the evening and into bed.

Last night, he was such a mess after a no-sleep day that that tactic did me no good. I put him in his high-chair and he melted down. He was so tired, he couldn't even eat. He tried to put food in his mouth and when he missed, he'd scream and rub his eyes and lay his head on the tray.

When I got to daycare today (at 4:30, after learning we were on Day 2 of no sleep), Scott was laying on his belly, too tired to move or do much of anything. His eyes were irritated, rimmed red. But he wouldn't close them. He just laid there, with his hand outstretched through the slats of the crib, trying to play and hold hands with little Hailey.

I could insert a joke here about Scott being his father's son, and his utter determination to hang with the ladies, no matter the cost, but I am too frustrated. There has to be SOMETHING I can do to get him to sleep.

Any suggestions?

P.S. (For those wondering, Scott did pass out instantly in the car. This time, I woke him up and gave him a bottle while I rocked him. He fell asleep again and I moved him to the swing, where he has been napping peacefully for the past 45 minutes.)

Succumbing to utter exhaustion -- finally -- after going all day without a nap.

My baby snores like an 80-year-old man

I should qualify that headline.
My baby snores like an 80-year-old man sometimes.

In the Tanker's defense, he has had a rotten cold and stuffed up nasal passages. But I wonder if this robust breathing tendency is heredity. After all, his father has been known, to -- on occasion -- exhale with gusto in his sleep.

The following video was taken by Scott's daddy during the little guy's regularly scheduled nap time. His snoring was so loud and pronounced that my husband could hear every little wheeze on the nursery monitor and decided it would be funny to get it on tape.


Makes me wonder if they make Infant-sized "Breathe Rights' and whether I should buy some.

School Days

When I got pregnant, one of my biggest projects was thinking ahead to the time when Jim and I would need to put Scott in daycare (or "baby storage") as my verbally-challenged husband called it.

As much as I wanted to stay home with Scott full-time, I knew it just wasn't feasible. And part of me knows that I need to get out of the house, to work, to interact with other adults. I am just not ready to give up my career.

So the search for an appropriate daycare began. I looked online, asked friends for recommendations, researched the cost of a private nanny (Note: WAAAY expensive) and spent hours scouring the Department of Health Services website (its the state agency that regulates child care centers). I ultimately eliminated 90 percent of the possibilities based on some of the scary things I read in those reports.

Jim and I decided we wanted Scott close to downtown so we would both be easily able to drop him off or pick him up. We finally settled on TutorTime after multiple visits. It's close to both of our offices and has an open-door policy that means I can stop in on my lunch hour or any other time that I want. It's also open until 6:30, which is helpful, given the regularity with which the Governor's Office issues news releases post 5 p.m.

But the fact that I had chosen this facility didn't make it any easier the first time I had to actually leave my precious baby there. I dropped him off and then sat in the parking lot and cried for a good 10-15 minutes.

Fortunately, Scott has a great crew of teachers and he seems happy there. He smiles when he sees them in the morning. And he spends a lot of time curiously watching the other kids in his "class."

Checking out his friend Addison. She's always sick, though, so I am trying to discourage close contact. But she seems to really like our little Tank.

Scott and Miss Laura

But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I still have mixed feelings about daycare. I feel guilty sometimes leaving him with a bunch of strangers. I worry that no one - no matter how much experience they have or how kind they are - will take care of him like I would. They certainly won't love him like I do. But I also have started to see positive changes in Scott in just the short time he's been there. He sleeps better in his crib at night and during nap time, he can occupy himself with his toys for longer periods without needing us to entertain him. And I think, as he gets older, he will learn valuable socialization skills, how to share, and to develop the confidence that will allow him to comfortably be away from mommy and daddy for short periods of time.

And I love that his teachers, Miss Laura and Miss Bridget, are so willing to tailor activities to things that are important to me. The classroom had almost no books when I brought Scott in...so I took several of his down to the school. Now his teachers read to him every day - just like I do at home - and every night I get a report card with details on what book was read, what major muscle development and motor skills Scott worked on...even how much he ate and when.

Playing with one of the many books in his classroom.

Floor time with Miss Laura and (from left to right) Dominick, Adam and Reyna.

Scott is still having trouble napping at daycare. It's just too bright and noisy, so he sleeps in 30 minute stretches, which means he is a very tired little boy when he gets home. But we're all adjusting to the new routine.

And I think he's learning to really really appreciate those special days when his Grandma(s) watch him, and the weekends when mommy and daddy dote on him from the time he gets up in the morning until he goes to sleep at night.

And yes...we're still waiting for the first daycare induced illness. Addison: please do not sneeze or cough on my son.