Emry, July 2014

For the last several months, Nubbins has been dropping his nap.

(Everyone who has parented a nap-dropping child now sighs.)

I’m knocking wood as I type this, but so far, this transition hasn’t been nearly as gnarly as Elan’s nap-dropping chaos was. Part of this is probably because I have not attempted to force him into nap or enforce a set rest-time. I’m still scarred from the screaming fits that happened when I tried to convince Elan that a good alternative for a nap would be to have quiet time alone in his bedroom while Mama enjoyed a peaceful lunch downstairs.

But I’m sure most of it has to do with the fact that Emry isn’t constantly sleep deprived like Elan was at this age, so it’s a more natural transition.

However, a few days ago, when Emry was on Day 7 without a nap and getting punch-drunk crazy, I did trick him into falling asleep in the car. I can be sneaky when I have to.

And yesterday, we went to the zoo and each kid got to pick out a stuffed animal at the end. Emry chose a fluorescent green monkey, the kind with Velcro on the hands and feet. I looped the monkey’s arms around his neck and he strutted around the zoo store, enamored.

“Sure, you can go in the Ergo,” he told the monkey, and then he announced that his name would be Green Bean.

These are the moments that 3-and-a-half seems like the perfect age.

So after a hot day at the zoo, as soon as we hit the freeway, he fell asleep with a bright green monkey named Green Bean on his chest.

And then occasionally, if there are no other kids around and the house is relatively quiet, this happens:

Kai the red ninja was in the middle of fighting some evil force that had taken up residence in the dishwasher basket when suddenly, his fearless leader was asleep in the middle of the hardwood floor.

Sucking his thumb.

Because ninjas totally rock the thumb-suck move, didn’t you know?

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