Nap Time

Has anyone ever noticed that when you really want your kids to do something is when they decide they don't want to? Even if it's something they regularly do, like take a nap.

For the past few days I have been using the hour or so that my girls take a nap to lay out in the back yard and read my book while I soak up some sun, with the proper SPF of course. It's great, I make sure they're fed and they drift right off to sleep leaving me all that time to myself, and today I was especially looking forward to my hour of solitude. I had been on a cleaning frenzy all morning and was anticipating my iced coffee and the next chapter of New Moon, so I fed the girls lunch, changed Mia's diaper (after chasing her down and pinning her to the couch), tucked Leila in her bed and Mia in her crib. I grabbed my beach towel, my book and my cell phone to keep track of time and claimed my spot in the back yard. When I went back in to get my iced coffee, I noticed that their bedroom door was open so I poked my head in and saw that Leila had escaped. I called her name and heard a giggle coming from behind the living room chair.

"Okay Leila, I found you, now it's time to take a nap," I tell her as I walk her back to her bed. She lied down without a fuss and I closed the door behind me and went back outside. The warm sun felt great on my back and the breeze that blew by every so often kept the heat from being unbearable. After reading a few pages I realized I was more tired than I thought, so I decided to take a short nap instead. I fluffed up my towel, got comfortable and closed my eyes--then I heard the screen door open.

"Mommy?"

Ugh, really? I thought. "What, Leila?" I asked.

"I got pee-pee, " she said, which meant she had to go to the bathroom. So I got up, helped her in the bathroom and put her back to bed as quietly as possible.

By then I was watching the clock because the moment Mia wakes up, my break is over. I go back outside, lay back down and close my eyes. A cloud passed over the sun, easing up the heat on my face and the rustling of the trees in the wind was lulling me to sleep. The sounds of the neighborhood were now just background noise as I drifted off--

"Mommy!"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I thought. "What now, Leila?"

"Mommy, I'm up."

Really? I thought, because I would have never guessed. "Why are you up Leila?"

"I don't know, I'm up!"

"Well, go lay down. You need to take a nap," ...so I can take a nap, I finished in my head. I got up again and put her to bed, checking to make sure Mia was still asleep, and she was. I ran back outside threw myself on my towel and shut my eyes hoping to be able to get at least a 20 minute power nap. I drifted off quicker than I expected, and in my dream I heard a voice in the distance. I quickly realized it was Leila calling me.

"MOMMY!"

"Come on, Leila, you need to take a nap already! Get in the bed!" I tell her, without getting up.

"Mommy--"

"Leila! Go!"

"--but Mia's awake."

Great. So much for that nap.