anatomy of a nap

as the mom of a 2 year old, i am fully aware of the challenges of naptime. i have to admit that my little lad is pretty darn good about getting in his bed and taking his daily nap. i don't have to deal with tantrums and crying and getting on him to stay in his bed; he is quite compliant. however, as he gets older it seems that we keep adding to his essential naptime items. at first it was just his blanket (beek-beet) and water bottle. now, however, if the above items are not in bed with him, my ears are accosted by screams of protest when he realizes one is missing. which means a frantic hunt for missing item x until it is found and secured in his bed with him.

this applies to nighttime as well. it's usually very brief (thank god), but sometimes he decides in the dead of night that he desperately needs a new item. case in point: 330am we are awakened by full on crying because dutch has decided that he needs his tractor. which of course, cannot be found anywhere (especially in the dark). i am then compelled to make promises that the minute he wakes up in the morning we will locate it and mentally red flag it for future locating ease. thankfully he trusts that i will keep my word, and goes back to sleep. rest assured however, the moment he wakes up in the morning, his first words are "find tractor." nothing like a toddler to keep you honest.