Napping in school, sleep arrangements at home, and the lovely rash

Apparently, it was not a one-time deal. Amor Chiquito has now napped five times in school! Yay!

Somewhat related topic. We are in the process of moving her back to her room. It was unplanned, but it seems to be working ok.

For the past few months, Amor Chiquito has been sleeping on a separate mattress, right next to me. This has worked well. Daddy and I have enough room and Daddy does not get kicked anymore.

When Amor Chiquito got sick, I suggested Daddy sleep in another room. That way only one of us would be getting up in the middle of the night. You see, if I make sure he gets his sleep, then I feel just fine about asking him to take over at six or seven a.m! Getting another hour or two of sleep after a rough night makes my life and day so much better!

We have been dealing with a runny nose and a rash for over a week. We have been trying to figure out what is causing the rash. We wondered if there was something in our bedroom, so we moved Ari to her bedroom. She has slept there the past three nights and she has not complained once. She would prefer if I sleep with her. Usually, she comes to snuggle sometime between three and six a.m. The new system is mostly working. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks.

As far as the rash, I still have no idea whatsoever as to what is causing it. We saw a pediatrician on Monday. He says it is not an infection or anything serious. If it was an infection, benadril would not get rid of it. It gets rid of it completely, but after six to ten hours, the rash comes back.

I have gone through the list 20 times. No new soaps or detergents. No new foods. She gets the rash both at our place and at my mom's. She has gotten in the car. The doctor says it is something she is eating, touching, or smelling. It could be anything. I am clueless.

We are looking into an air cleaning system. If you know anything about that, please share! I am slowly going up the learning curve.

Big News: First Nap in School

So, at pick-up time in school yesterday, right away, one of the teachers came over and said “Arianna napped today.” Then, the other teacher came over. She always practices her Spanish with my mother and I. As one teacher was telling me that Ari slept, the other teacher was telling my mom, in Spanish, that Arianna slept for a long time, close to an hour and a half.

Call me super weird, but I almost wanted to cry! You have no idea how huge this is for us!

You should have seen my face! I simply could not believe it. I had given up on it. I was figuring that if she ever napped, it probably would not happen until March or something!

Amor Chiquito desperately needs a nap. When I pick her up, she is usually very tired and cranky. She only wants me, she wants to nurse many times, she is whiny, etc.

Yesterday, I picked up a completely different kid! She was happy, very active, and playful. No whining. She did not ask to nurse all day, not until bedtime. We played lots. We went out for a treat. We had a lot of fun taking a shower together.

I am so proud of her! I told her that I was happy that she napped and that I love seeing her rested and happy. Let’s see what happens the next few days!

Oh, if you are curious, this is week eight in school!

Have I mentioned that I still can’t believe it?!

Oh, by the way, she is less dependent on me when it is time to go to sleep lately. She is also not asking to nurse nearly as much. Is my baby getting ready to wean at last? My baby is growing up!

Yes, I know she is no longer a baby. Whatever, she is still my baby!

I had secretly started to wonder if kids really do wean themselves. I have been a strong believer in child-led weaning, but, to be honest, I have felt frustrated the past few weeks and I had begun to second-guess my decision. I feel that I am beginning to see the signs.

More on breastfeeding, weaning, and support for breastfeeding families in another post.