Rebel Yell

When I was a kid, I was afraid I would miss out on something fun if I took a nap. Now, I'm a professional napper. Lately Penny has been all smiles, except when it's time to go to sleep. She gets So. Angry. I've been trying to head off these tantrums by tricking her into relaxing before she can explode. Ha! My Jedi Mind Tricks can be quite effective. Sometimes I'm successful, and other times, she detonates. Her eyes will be so heavy while she wails, I think the crying must come from exhaustion. Just...go..to...SLEEP!

It's not like she doesn't get enough sleep. We have a pretty predictable eat/play/sleep routine which repeats several times a day. Here's our schedule. See if you can identify a pattern (times are approximate):

6ish: I'm awake! Smile, Hello! I'm so happy to see you!
6:15: Time to eat. Maybe daddy will give me a bottle. Hooray!
7:00: Hmm, I'm kind of tired, can I go back to sleep?
9:00-10:00ish: Ok, I'm hungry again.
11:00: Entertain me! Smile, smile smile.
12:00: Getting sleepy, better put me down before I throw a fit!
1:00: What's to eat?
2:00: Let's play some more! Smile, smile, smile.
3:00: Hmm, I feel like complaining. Better take a nap.
4:00: Where is that woman with the boobs?
5:00: I'm SO CUTE! I love to play.
6:00: If you don't let me have my binky, you'll be SORRY.
7:00: Can I have something to eat?
8:00: Bath time? Cool! I get to eat again? Cool!
9:00: Wait. You want me to go to bed? NOOOOOO!

Sometimes it takes up to an hour to put Penny to bed. We start the process at 8:00 with the hope that we can get her in bed by 9:00. Is this normal? Kids cry when they're tired, right?

I guess I should be glad it doesn't happen all the time, but I feel bad for Britt, who works all day, only to come home just in time for the nightly crab-fest. What seems to work is letting her suckle (is there a better word than this? I am getting the image of a sow). She will suck for a minute, then fall asleep in an instant. And then I have to figure out how to detach myself without waking her up.

We have had a few nights where she has gone to bed without a fuss. But I have no idea what we did to get that to happen! Is it going to be like this for the next 5 years?