I NEED A NAP!!!!!

Wow! What a day! Let me start by saying that my life is not an endless invitation to event after event. I have not yet begun the stage in mommyhood where there is always someplace that I have to be. Maelyn goes to school 3 days a week and I work every Tuesday. Other than that I don't generally have ANYPLACE to be, which is a blessing and a curse. However, when it rains it pours! Sometimes 2 or 3 things come up on the same day and today was one of those days. I still have it in my head that I can do several things in one day. That I can attend every event or playdate that I get invited to. And I can...my 2 year old, however, CANNOT!! Not without a substantial nap, anyway.

This morning Maelyn and I attended the Easter Egg Hunt at Longue Vue House and Gardens, which was beautiful! The gardens were in bloom, there were tons of easter eggs to be found, bunnies to pet, face painting and loads of kids to play with. She had a ball!! If you haven't been, you must take your kids next time around, you won't be sorry. This concluded stimulation overload event #1. It is now nap time o'clock on the nose. We go home, I pack a lunch, we get back in the car and head to the northshore for a group playdate, that I have been looking forward to for days! I get to hang out with my mommy friends and Maelyn gets to play at the park! Perfect!! Of course, she falls asleep on the way there, for a solid 50 minutes. Pretty good nap, right? Everything is working out the way I had planned. We get to the park and she is so excited she can't wait to get out of the car. "Yay! Park! Park! Go mommy, go mommy!" We get out, meet up with the girls and begin to scope the place out. The place is packed and she doesn't know where to go first. "Swings, see-saw, tunnel? Maybe the sand pit? No. I'll save that until later". I can hear her saying to herself in her little head. She finally decides to see-saw and for the next 2 hours she managed to leave her mark on every inch of the playground. The giant sand pit was, by far, her favorite spot, of course. I am cringing as I am watching her thinking that she is going to have germ filled sand in every little crevice of her body. Gross. As she is loving life in the sand, it dawns on me that she has tried to initiate play with 3 other children so far and not one of them took her up on it!! One kid just ignored her and the other 2 literally picked up their buckets and walked to the other side of the sand pit. What the hell is that??? Maelyn handled it well each time. She stared at them confusingly and then went about her business. My girl!! No crying, no fits. Yet.

The mommys decide that it's time to leave the park and grab a bite to eat. This did not sit well with the peanut. She cried and screamed loudly and let us all know that she did not approve of this decision. She finally calmed down and then proceeded to say several times that she "had a bobo on the back of her neck and needed a band-aid." When I told her that I couldn't stop driving to give her one, she became very upset and started crying again. Ok God, this is a test. I get it. Maybe I passed, maybe I failed. Guess what, I don't care, just make it stop. I'm tired!! I would like to just hang out with the girls and chat. So far, that hasn't really happened because I have been chasing the energizer bunny around. When is it mommy's turn?? We finally get into the restaurant and sit down. There are colors on the table, which is a GIANT plus, and we are about to order lemonade and mac & cheese. Does it get any better than that in a 2 year old's mind. I think not. I thought I was in the clear when she begins to cry and, for the first time in public, lets out a blood curdling scream. Great. I guess God didn't like my opinion on his testing skills.

After a brief visit outside, we came back in and all was good again. We finally finished dinner, she begins to cry again and we rapidly walk to the car. Half way home she tells me "Mommy, I need a nap!" Amen to that, sister. If anyone needs a nap, it's you! She then put her head back and fell asleep. We arrived home and all was well again in the world of Maelyn.

The lesson I learned today was; don't try to push too much on a kid who is VERY nap dependent. Just because I can go, go, go, doesn't mean I should expect her to do the same. From now on I will remember this day and make sure that she gets the nap that she expects and down right deserves. Not only does she deserve it, but everyone within a 10 mile radius of her being deserves it. Sorry, angel, mommy will do better next time. All in all, I enjoyed my day with her and the few sentences I was able to share with my girlfriends were better than none at all. Oh, and God, your test was right on. Sorry.

I hope someone out there learns from my experience and can relate to mommyhood with a nap dependent child.

Love,
Jenny

P.S. - Karen and Jen, thanks for today! I love you both!