Thursday, April 7, 2011

The End of an Era

I no longer have all kids taking a nap every afternoon.
Those days are over forever.
Gillian no longer takes an afternoon rest.
This has been consistent for over a week.
I am finally accepting this as reality.
I denied it for a few days.
I was extremely annoyed by it for a while.
I know.
I know I had a sweet deal, that she napped for as long as she did.
I know not all 4 year olds are still napping every afternoon.
I knew it wouldn't last forever.

Now I have to move forward in what is.
I may not have quiet time everyday all by myself.
But, now I have time with just Gillian & me, everyday.
And, that's pretty sweet!

Yesterday we sat outside & made jewelry.




The elegant bracelet on her left arm is the one she made.
I made the sloppier trio on her right.


She didn't think I should be in a picture unless I made myself some jewelry.
I was inspired by her bracelet & made my necklace in the same style.

I got into the shot, trying to Embrace the Camera -

11 comments:

Linda said...

Yes. Jonathan is no longer a napper... Sad times. But Abigail goes down quite nicely lately. It is what it is.

erksmom said...

yeah... Ethan quit naps at the age of 2. I wasn't quite prepared for it, but its been clear he's just not a day time napper. I still do 45-60 minute quiet times for him and Rachel every day. For me, I need it and I think its proven to be good for them. Away from TV, away from noise, quietly in their rooms either reading or just laying on their bed for a bit. Sometimes Ethan gets to quietly play legos... but only on days where I'm feeling super nice ;-)

Janelle - The Opinionated Mama said...

My first gave up her naps 2 months before my second was born. We try to do quiet times in either the play room or her bedroom. Usually it is more work than it is worth.

I love the jewelry idea. Where did you get the beads?

lesley said...

Adorable!

Krista S. said...

Elijah just gave them up for good this week too! Too funny, I was going to do a similar post because I also feel like it is then end of an era...I have been trying to force it for the last 2 weeks, but it turns out if I actually DO get him to take a nap somehow that then he stay up until about 11pm! AH! Not worth the trade off for a tiny bit of quiet time for me. He has a hard time doing quiet time in his room, because even if he is on his bed, he is just constantly flipping around and doing head stands or something. The movement/noise wakes up Elena early from her nap and it is just not good. SO, all that to say, I started no naps/no quiet time for him this week too.

Erin Adams said...

So, I do get a little bit of quiet time still, it's true. Gillian goes down with the other kids & gets back up after 20-30 minutes. I was just SO spoiled before. She was still napping for 2 hours with the others, several months ago. Then she went to a 1 hour quiet time a few days a week, but still napping for 2 hours every couple of days. Now, it is 20 minutes...

Erin Adams said...

Janelle,
I had these little beads on wire "garlands" that I used to use with twinkle lights for Christmas decorations. But, I haven't used them in a while & they had just been sitting in a wad. Gillian saw them & had the jewelry idea!
I'm not sure where you'd get beads like this, though.

Nicollerobidart said...

Yes it's hard when they finally give up that nap! It seems like more often that the oldest child is the best napper. With Isaac we still do a quiet time for at least hour and half. Its nice to have down time with just one child. Its my favorite time of the day. I usually do puzzles, reading, spelling, and playing cards. Lots of stuff that only two people can do. Have fun!!

Stephanie said...

Our 2-year-old has almost completely given up her nap...although she did take one today! :)

Nini Lettner said...

Ahhh...the no nap life. It is a transition. Jameson still naps (most of the time), so they are in separate rooms. Analise hasn't napped for quite some time, however I still have her have a quiet time each day. We all need that time away in the quiet to refocus, settle down, and recharge. It is special to have some time with just Analise in the afternoons though. I love the jewelry you two made together.

Erin Adams said...

Thank you so much for this positive encouragement, Nicolle!