Nap time? What nap time?

As much as I'm liking the new routine, there is something which threatens to undo my work. It seems Boo Bear has deemed herself too old to nap.

Sure, it's nice to have a couple hours without the constant vigilance and perpetual interruptions demanded by and inherent in caring for a three-year-old, but still I wouldn't mind so much if it weren't so obvious Boo still needs a nap. The building sleep deprivation is apparent not only in her behavior but in painful looking dark circles under her eyes. Try explaining this to a three-year-old though.

"No, I up!" she cries, tears welling up and making her hazel eyes look darker than they really are.

I know she's about three seconds away from emitting a piercing cry she uses every time tears start falling, whether produced out of sheer emotion or her obvious acting skill. Sneak's just settled down to sleep after crying for a good fifteen minutes thanks to no longer getting her water bottle in her crib, and I know it'll only take one shriek to start the whole ordeal over again. I have to tramp down on my irritation to keep from raising my voice.

"You don't feel good do you?" I ask. She shakes her head, bottom lip trembling as the whine starts just outside what range of hearing I still have in the upper ranges. "That's because you're sleepy," I explain. "You need to lay down, so you can feel good to play when sissy wakes up."

"I want play," she insists. A tear falls.

"Alright," I agree. Maybe I can use some of the tactics which worked so well for Hubby's grandmother. "You can play in your room with the door closed, but you have to be quiet to keep from waking sissy."

"Too dark!" She gestures toward her room. "Need my light on."

Uh oh, I think. There's enough light to see in her room thanks to the curtains not being fully black out curtains, but there's no way she'll settle down at all if the room is bright.

"It's light enough for now," I say.

"I want read," she answers.

She thinks I'll turn her light on for her to read or let her read in the living room. I know she does. In the end I got her to agree to take a few books and "read" them while laying on her bed. She never did get a real nap, just some down time, but I'm patient. Eventually exhaustion always wins, even against us stubborn girls.