To my delight, Friday was a Daniel Date day, as usual. Only this day would be anything but usual.
Our normally busy big boy was spiking a fever. With no other symptoms, we were glad to take him for the day like we usually do. My question, as always, is how to keep our little brainiac from getting bored during times when the heat index is 108. Since Papai and Mamae wanted him to stay inside--a decision with which I totally agreed--I wondered how we could keep him from clinging to the glass door, begging for the pool, hose, and sandbox uh, entertained.
Our plan was to take D to Barnes and Noble, and let him play/wreak havoc in the toy department. Well, they have a community Lego table, but those lower shelves have all kinds of temptations too. That should take care of mid-morning and get us home in time for lunch. Then we're home free from the inside/outside battle for a while, because naptime follows lunch.
Mamae has such a wonderful naptime routine established. Hooray for Mamae!
(If you want to skip past the parenthetical BTW, just scroll down to the ZZZZ below.)
By the Way--You may remember that Daniel has been reigning King of the Sleep Fighters since birth. I never saw a newborn stay awake so much. I mean, the kid rarely ever slept at night, much less during the day.
 |
| At home in Rio, Papai watches Daniel through a fog of sleep deprivation. Daniel, however, is kickin' and going. |
 |
| Sleepy Skypers in Brazil. Even Little Man looks like he's wishing for the sandman. |
When the three arrived in Texas last fall, no one had slept at night more than 4 hours at a stretch. Counting those wonderful pre-birth sleepless weeks, that made for nearly 8 months of sleep deprivation.
 |
| Just off the plane from Rio, Cecilia and Will were flying really low on sleep. |
With the installation of a rede/hammock, serious sleep training began.
 |
| Daniel trained his Papai in the peaceful benefits of rocking to sleep Brazilian style. |
If you could keep Daniel still long enough, the magic happened. Once wrestled into his stroller every morning, he would fuss and spit out his pacifier and fight to keep his eyes focused on the passing scenery. With a secured seat belt, a pacifier clip, and soothing electronic tunes from Glo Worm, the miles of walking trails in our neighborhood did the trick.
 |
| No matter what the weather, we didn't miss a morning walk/nap. |
Afternoon naps were always a crap shoot. *deep breath* Guess that was just Little Man's way. I mean he had a reputation to uphold. The King of Sleep Fighters couldn't just go gracefully into that good night. So who had the right to complain? Solid morning nap, possible afternoon snooze fest if the stars were aligned, and 9+ hours every night?!!
There comes that limbo time where a little one transitions from two naps to one. That happened about the time that Cecilia and Will moved and settled into their own home in March. By that time, Mamae was onto D's game. She has established a successful sacred ritual that has made Daniel give up his crown and Kingly title. Straight from the lunch table in her arms, they brush their teeth. They tell e.ve.ry.thing good night: lights, outside, sunshine, food, table, toys, bib, fans, everything. Blinds are closed, curtains drawn. Pa (pacifier) makes a welcomed appearance. Fresh diaper. A little light massage. Mamae breaks out Goodnight Moon for the Academy Award winning read of the day, and it's the knock-out punch. Mamae's wisdom lies in repetition, calm, and never letting those busy little feet hit the ground from lunch table to crib.
ZZZZ
Okay, enough of the background on the sleep patterns of young Master. Suffice it to say, we don't take toddler sleep for granted, and value said commodity as a rare, priceless treasure.
So here's our little fella on this Friday morning. With a fever sapping all the Daniel-ness out of his blue eyes, which look pretty blunky, he sits silently in his carseat, staring at Little Bear. HeyYea and I 86 our plan to go to Barnes and Noble, and decide to go home to Nemo on dvd. D's not interested in going out the back door to play, and doesn't even talk about the pool or agua. In fact, I can't entice him to drink his favorite 'cold agua.' Ice water in his favorite cup--no. Orange juice--no.
 |
| Just let me chill on the couch with HeyYea, |
 |
| . . . and watch Cars. |
 |
| So that's what we did. |
 |
| And the King of the Sleep Fighters relinquished his crown. |
When Cecilia arrived before lunchtime, she got his fever down a little, got him to eat, nap, and drink, and took him to see his doctor. I'm glad to say that D's fever was gone within 24 hours. He's back to his old bouncy, busy, chatty self.
