Ahhh... Nap Time {Sigh} ...How I Miss Thee!

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Little man seems to want to put the kibosh on nap time lately. Over the last two weeks or so, he has really resisted nap time! And by resisted, I mean, he either doesn't nap or only briefly naps after a good water works session! Little man just turned 2 this weekend (Hooray! Party and celebration pictures to come soon!) and I can't believe that naps could be a thing of the past for us!!! I really enjoy the 1-2 hour nap time break in the middle of the day - it's perfect for catching up on things around the house {or blogging}! (That's why I've been a little scarce lately)

So, about 2 weeks ago, or so, little man just cried through his entire nap time. :( After reading, snuggling and singing in his rocking chair, he would normally cry/fuss/talk for a little after I put him down in his crib, and then he would go to sleep for about an hour to two hours. He's still in his crib, since he hasn't climbed out, or shown any interest in climbing out of it. Then, out of the blue (I don't even know what might have triggered it), he just cried for the entire nap! The sound of little man crying just breaks my heart! I thought maybe it was just a mild rebellion, but it has persisted! 

I have tried holding him in the rocking chair until he falls asleep, laying in our bed with him to try to get him to nap and I've also tried to simply not offer a nap during the day. Holding him works sometimes. We will usually read a few extra books, then turn off the lights and talk and I'll sing to him until he falls asleep. But, since he is heavy and a light nap time sleeper, I am constantly shifting his weight on my arms and then he'll get restless and wake up after about 30 min to an hour. I tell little man that when we just sit in the rocking chair, that we're "resting". Today though, he didn't even want to "rest" with me. He just kept crying "No more resting with mama! All done resting!" Poor, sad baby! I have also tried laying down with him in our bed. This does not work at all. Our room is too bright in the afternoon and there are too many fun things to look at! It is definitely not a restful environment for him and he just doesn't want to lay still and snuggle. {insert sad mommy face} We've also tried offering a nap at different times of the day...still no luck. We have skipped a couple naps and little man actually does pretty well. He stays chipper and energetic, but does get a little tired when his nap time should be {a snack usually helps} and he is a bit hyper towards the end of the day. He is definitely ready for bath time and bedtime when that time rolls around and he goes to sleep like a champ. He usually says "Goodnight mama" happily and as I close the door, I can hear him chattering to his monkeys for a little bit before he drifts off for about 12 hours of sleep.

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I love that he goes to sleep so well at the end of the day and he sleeps like a rock through the night! It is just a hard adjustment for me right now to try to catch up on so many things at the end of the day, especially when I am usually pooped by the time he goes to bed! I love my days and my time with little man; he has been blessed with non-stop energy and a wonderful chatty personality. but, lately I have had a bit of a harder time getting the extra "oomph" to blog at the end of the day. 

I'm really at a loss about nap times! I thought that little ones still took naps until they were a bit older? I would really appreciate any tips, advice or words of wisdom that anyone has! Are naps times over? Is this a phase? Will nap times ever return?