Just Another Day at The Park

In an effort to exhaust my crazy toddler, trips to the park are almost a daily occurrence. We spend a lot of time at the small park near our house, but about a mile away is another great park with 2 huge playscapes and a nice grassy hill. After Turtle refused to nap yet again this afternoon, it was off to the big park we went. As always, it was packed. There weren't any other toddlers, but Turtle is enamoured with big kids, so that was fine with him.

One of the things Mama appreciates about the big park is their mulch- it's more woody and less like dirt. The park closest to the house has this kind of gravelly stuff rather than wood mulch. Turtle's new pastime is throwing the dirt at himself. He gets sooo dirty and I have no choice but to put him straight in to the tub when we get home. It's in his ears, diaper, every nook and cranny. Life with a boy, I guess!

I know some parents dread the toddler stage. I had so many friends who were like "Oh, you don't want to rush to walking," but I have really been enjoying my little walker. I love being able to take him places like the park. It was nice when he was a baby, but it's more enjoyable for both of us with him running around. It even makes getting groceries out of the car easier- I put him down in the yard and grab the bags. I am really enjoying this "stage" and all the fun things that go with it. The sleeplessness could go away, but everything else is perfect...


Speaking of sleep, I think that Truitt is trying to consolidate his naps, or at least drop one. Naps the last few days have been hell and bedtime, while much earlier, hasn't been without a fight. Tomorrow is kind of a crazy day with Noni at MD Anderson, but starting Thursday we are going to push the morning nap later and see if just one nap does the trick. It's funny b/c he is such a good boy that I don't feel the pressure to get him to sleep that some moms feel. I have more than one friend whose kiddo goes in to nuclear meltdown mode without the right amount of nappage, but Turtle just isn't like that. It's rare that he ever gets cranky- that is unless we are trying to get him to sleep!

In order to assist with our nighttime issues, I have ordered the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers. Hopefully it will have a plan of attack for getting him to go to sleep on his own. I am not comfortable ever leaving him to cry for an extended period of time, but something has got to give. Some nights it can take an hour to get him to sleep. This is wearing on both of us. We shall see...