Nap Strike

We are in nap hell.  Jack is on a hard core nap strike.  He is in his crib wailing as I type this.  I just have to leave him for a while so I don’t lose my mind.  I feel like I am at the edge of reason.  I never thought something like Jack not napping would have such a negative psychological effect on me.  This is mainly due to the fact that he is very needy and clingy right now.  As a result, when he is awake, he is under my feet every second.  He wakes at 7am and goes to bed by 8pm so that equates to 13 hours of non-stop neediness.  While he has been walking for a couple of weeks now, I have heard that milestones such as walking tend to interrupt sleep patterns.  I try to remember this throughout the day but there is a small part of me that is terrified that he is just throwing in the napping towel altogether.  He is 14 months old…..he still needs to nap!

Here are just a few snippets of my day lately in the midst of nap strike:

- Eat standing up with Jack pulling at my leg - this is if I find the time to eat

- Sprint to bathroom b/c I realize I haven’t peed in hours; Jack tries to climb in my lap or, if I close the door, he stands outside screaming and crying and banging…..not relaxing to hear this while sitting on the john

- My typical shower time was during his nap; since that nap is non-existent, I shower with him sobbing and banging on the shower door.  This happens regardless of the the plethora of toys I have strewn across the floor

- Close baby gate behind me as I go down stairs to flip the laundry or take trash down to garage (both of which take all of 60 seconds).  Meltdown occurs in 5, 4, 3, 2….yep, there it is.  Screaming, crying, etc.

- Several times a day, Jack seems tired, looks tired, acts tired so I try to rock him, read to him, give him a bottle (which we are trying to get away from but I am desperate at this point).  He kicks, screams, wiggles and writhes.  Once he does finally calm down, I put him in the crib and I can’t exit the room before he is standing, reaching for me and sobbing like a lunatic.  Seriously, he is screaming like he is in severe pain.  I’m certain the neighbors are concerned.

I just have to keep telling myself that this too shall pass.  Because if I don’t have a light at the end of this tunnel I will not survive.  It has currently slipped my mind who penned the following quote, but it is my mantra as of late:

“If you think you are going through hell, keep going”

This too shall pass…….