No rest for the weary

Sleep has been on my mind all day.  Mainly because I am desperate need of a good nap.  There hasn't been too much sleep for this mama lately.  Caroline just isn't a good sleeper.  No other way to say it.  She has pretty much cut out all her naps.  She'll take a nap on average once a week, and it's not usually for that long.  You would think this would wear her out and she'd have a super early bed time.  Sadly, you would be wrong.  Her bedtime is around 8:30 and sometimes I find myself still fighting the bedtime fight well after 10:00.  After that long process of getting her to bed you would think she'd sleep well, right?  Nope.  She's up at least twice every night.  It doesn't take long to get her to sleep again, but getting up is getting up.  Luckily, Ann Parker is a great sleeper.  She sleeps through the night without waking for about 12 hours.  She has done this since she was about 6 weeks old.  The only problem with this little girl is now she is not napping either!!!  She takes about 2 cat naps each day - lasting no more than 40 minutes each.  As bad a sleeper as C was, I could still get 2-3 naps out of her when she was an infant.  And those naps were good naps - like 2 hour naps.  I don't want to push the napping too much with AP because I worry it will mess with her wonderful sleeping through the night schedule.  If she starts getting up at night, I will never sleep since I would have 2 kids up at night!! 

Usually by 2:00 each afternoon my eyelids start getting heavy.  I find it difficult to think about a few more hours of playtime followed by dinner, baths, books, bottles, bedtimes AND cleaning up the dishes, straightening the house, etc.  I am counting down the days until school starts - seriously.  With no family near by to help watch the kiddos for a bit, we are both always so tired!  I had to laugh at us this past weekend when a friend asked how many kids we wanted.  We both said, without hesitation and at the same time, "Three."  After we got in the car we both were talking about how we just wanted to crawl into bed and get some sleep.  I'm sure a third child will bring us lots of extra sleep one day... ha. 

I never put C on a schedule.  She ate when she wanted and slept when she wanted.  I treated her (in that respect) like an adult.  I eat when I am hungry, not just because a clock says to.  With AP, I need something more predictable.  I have two kids now and one has places to be at certain times.  I have her on an eating schedule and it works great.  Any mama's have any advice for getting babies and/or toddlers to nap?  Or toddlers to sleep through the night?  Or any advice on what schedule works best with multiple kids for you?  Strangley, Caroline is fast asleep right now but Ann Parker is demanding my attention!  Like I said...any advice??  Or would anyone like to watch my kids for an hour each day??  That could work :)