Naptime

So I guess Aaron has hit that inevitable stage of not taking naps every day.  I'm determined that he has at least quiet time in his room at naptime until he starts Kindergarten.  But since he tends to melt down more on days he doesn't nap, I'm not ready to give up naps completely.  So I've been experimenting to see what works.

He had gotten to the point where he was only going to sleep at naptime 2-3 times a week.  On days he didn't sleep, he would be noisy enough I'd have to go in a few times.  I tried rewarding him when I didn't have to go in (with an unspecified "special treat" after naptime).  I tried punishing him if I did have to go in (taking away buddies and losing bedtime stories).  But it wasn't working.  He was also starting to have to go #2 during naptime, so he'd make noise until I came down to his room and then he'd tell me he had to go.  He used to go before naptime like clockwork, but before naptime, he'd say he didn't have to go and wouldn't go despite sitting on the potty before naptime.  Since I work while the kids nap, his interruptions were becoming a problem. 

First, we tried allowing him quiet time in his room until 1:30pm.  At 1:30, he needed to stop playing and get in bed.  This worked well for a couple of days.  But then he started getting too many toys out and couldn't relax in bed at 1:30 because he felt like he had to clean up.  After catching him out of bed on two occasions after 1:30, we cut out the quiet time privilege.  But we went back to the same problems as before.

So starting last week, I implemented a suggestion from our nanny.  If he takes a good nap one day, meaning even if he doesn't actually sleep, he is quiet and doesn't have to come out to go potty, then he earns quiet time the next day.  But quiet time now is from 1-3pm.  This way he doesn't have to worry about cleaning up and getting into bed.  If he's not quiet during quiet time and I have to come in, he's done with quiet time and has to get in bed.  Even if he has a good quiet time (and so far he always has), the next day is still a nap day.  So at most he can have quiet time every other day.  That hasn't happened yet.  In the 10 days since we've started this, he's had 2 bad nap days where he didn't earn quiet time the next day.  In fact, one day he even woke Audrey up an hour early.  But the days after a bad nap day, he had good naps, even if he didn't sleep.  So I know he can be quiet. 

On quiet time days, he can take books into his room and I leave his closet doors unlocked and open.  He usually takes beginner reader books with him and I'll hear him reading them at the start of nap time (talking quietly is OK, just not loud banging or yelling).  At 3pm when he opens his door, I can see what he's done during nap time.  Typically, he'll have gotten out all the wooden letter blocks and organized them by letter.  He has some sight words in a little box and he'll have those out and lined up on the floor.  He has fraction cards with little fraction pie pieces from 1 whole to twelfths (excluding 7ths 9ths and 11ths) and he'll have those out.  He has cuisinaire rods which he'll have out and sorted by color, lined up on the ground.  So there is a lot of stuff out on the floor, but it is all sorted and organized.  He's in an organizational phase lately.

The whole band

Aaron and Audrey perform a duet.  Sort of.

My little musician

Do-Re-Mi like you've never heard it.

Audrey

Audrey reading a book to her doll.

Preschool

Some photos from our preschool lesson today. Our theme was the sun and we also talked about the color yellow and circles.

Gettin' some love

Every morning either before the kids leave with Kim or before Thom goes to work (if he leaves before them), the kids give Papa some love.  Love involves hugs, nose kisses (aka eskimo kisses) and kisses.  And sometimes more hugs.

Eating oatmeal with Papa

Thom shares his banaba blueberry oatmeal with Audrey.

Reading

Kim takes Aaron to storytime at our local Barnes & Noble and one day they picked up a form for their summer reading program.  Kids read 8 books, record them on the form and then they get a free book (one of about 18 pre-selected children's books).  They had picked up the form last month and then we'd forgotten about it and lost the form. But last weekend, Aaron suddenly remembered and when they went last week, they picked up another form. 

That was Thursday.  On Friday, Aaron was so excited, he read 2 books to me before we did preschool at 10am. I wrote them on the form for him.  He was so excited.  He carried his entry form around all morning, showing it to the kids and moms who came over for preschool.  He carried it outside when we went to look at trees (our preschool theme).  The form was getting pretty wrinkled. 

After nap time, he read a few more.  He did a great job of picking out books that he could read almost all on his own.  Mostly board books, but not all.  Sometimes he needed help with words.  He wanted to keep reading but we had to go to the grocery story.  We actually had to fight with him over it.  When we left for the store, he had 3 books to go.  He read 2 more to me after we got back while I prepared dinner.  Then he read the last one at storytime before bed.

There was another storytime at B&N on Saturday so I decided to take him to reward him for doing such a great job reading all 8 books in one day.  But first I made a photcopy of the filled in book journal because he seemed so proud of it and I knew we'd have to hand it in.  The woman at B&N who does storytime on Saturday was the same one who does it on Thursdays so she knows Aaron well.  (We'd also been the previous Saturday.)  He was excited to show her the list and then she showed him the display of books from which he could choose. 

He picked one called Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig.  (Mercy actually is a pig).  The story is just OK in my opinion, but Aaron loves that book.  It's his free book that he got for reading 8 books.  It has 15 chapters (about 3 pages each with pictures).  He's so excited that it has chapters and that it has 15 of them.  If you forget to say the chapter and number when you are reading, he'll remind you.  He has been carrying his book around.  Yesterday we even took it to the library to show our friends we were meeting there.

This is the most excited Aaron has been about reading books.  We have 3 different library systems near us and they all have summer reading programs.  Even though they only award small prizes and not books, I thought about signing him up.  But sadly one just ended and the others end very early August so I don't think we'll get signed up in time.  As a lover of books and avid reader, I couldn't be more proud of him.  I hope he continues to love reading.