Originally published March 10, 2008, thehive.modbee.com

I should have taken a picture today of the two tiny heads smooshed together across adjoining sleeping bags in the living room – why they insist on two sleeping bags and then wind up entangled like conjoined twins is beyond me.

It might well be the last time it happens. Big Guy, it seems, is outgrowing naps.

I hate that, and it has absolutely nothing to do with a longing for my long-lost baby. It has everything to do with longing for my long-lost sleep.

It happened two days in a row last week at school. “He didn’t take a nap today, so good luck to you,” a teacher said as we left Friday.

I was as shocked as anyone when I didn’t need good luck. Big Guy was uncharacteristically angelic through out the evening. He didn’t even so much as growl at Little Guy. And he went to bed without much fuss.

He’s about right on schedule with the family history of nap dodging. When I was 4, I would sneak out of bed and down the hall to peer around the corner and watch the soaps when I was supposed to be asleep. Never got busted either. Ah, the glory days!

I remember other glory days, too, back when baby Big Guy could be counted on for two naps a day – a short morning session that let me catch up on chores and a marathon afternoon bout that let me catch up on sleep. Once Little Guy came along, I needed the catch-up even more.

I can’t blame it all on the guys. I’ve always been nocturnal, and that doesn’t square with needing to get up early. Some mornings, it’s a tough call as to who wins the grump contest in our house – Big Guy or me.

Knowing that he’s probably inherited my night owl genes, I feel bad about strong-arming him into bed at night. Left to his own devices, though, he’d be sharing Leno’s monologue the next day at school.

For almost a year, I’ve relied increasingly on trickery to get him down in the afternoon. First, we moved naptime to my bed. Once the novelty of that wore off, I added “Lion King” to the mix. “Oh, I don’t expect you to take a nap,” I’d tell Big Guy. “We’re just going to watch the movie while your brother sleeps.”

Little Guy, also known as Sir Sleeps A Lot, would be out as soon as his head hit the pillow. I don’t think he’s ever seen more than the first five minutes of “Lion King.” Big Guy sometimes would last as long as a half hour before giving out.

It was the perfect solution, especially for me. Sometimes they’d be down for as long as 2½ blissful hours.

A few weeks ago, the “Lion King” maneuver quick working, so we moved to the living room. For a while, their SpiderMan sleeping bags and a “Max and Ruby” marathon did the trick.

I don’t think it will for much longer, and there’s no where left to nap at home. Don’t think I wouldn’t try the kitchen or bathroom, if only there were enough space to fit three.

Besides, if Big Guy can resist the peer pressure of 30 other slumbering kiddies at school, he’s not going to cave in the wake of one sleeping brother at home.

I miss my nap already.

Copyright 2008 Debra Legg. All rights reserved.

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