Gen Leung Piano Studio, Oakville Ontario

Welcome 2012! 

2011 was such a wonderful year for myself and my family that it's hard say goodbye to it. But one thing that is easy to say goodbye to: Ellis' third nap! 

We've been fighting this third nap for months now and trying so many different ways to get Ellis to drop this nap. The sleep training method that we've been practicing stresses the importance of no third nap by the time the baby turns 9 months. Well, Ellis is 10 months old today and it has been a mission almost to get rid of that nap. 

Over the holidays, with family get togethers, new toys to play with and having Andy at home, not letting Ellis nap for a third time was easy. And miraculously, he dropped the nap himself!! Hooray! And because he has a much longer wakeful period, he goes to bed happily and stays asleep very soundly until 7:00 the next morning. 

Now, because he sleeps so soundly throughout the entire night, his morning nap has been pushed back half an hour but he sleeps VERY soundly for two straight hours during that nap. 

And because his morning nap is so good... I'm having trouble with his afternoon nap now, again.

Right now, my little guy is rolling around his crib having a great time when he should be sleeping. I put him down at 1:15 and now it's just past 2:00 and still not asleep. And the time he was awake, we did A LOT! We had lunch, played with toys, did some exercise, read a story, played some more and I thought for sure he'd be tired as he was sucking his thumb (used to be a tell-tale sign that he was tired... now I don't know!!) So I got him ready for his nap, and put him down and he seemed very happy to sleep. But when I came back down and looked at our monitor, he was just rolling around and playing with his hands. 

Ooh!! I think he just fell asleep!!! Hooray!

But back to my train of thought before I forget!! It is taking him much longer to fall asleep for this second and very important afternoon nap! He likes changing things up on me each month on the 4th (he was born on the 4th and somehow I think he knows!)

Now, if he can continue this new nap schedule (9:30 morning nap for two hours and 2:00 afternoon nap for hopefully 2 hours... WOW! I'd be a very happy mom! Of course, I'm already a very happy mom... hmm, need to think of a new analogy here!)

More new changes, my little guy learned how to "High Five" over the holidays! One of our friends does fist bumps with their little guy and it's insanely cute seeing a 16 month old give his mom a fist bump. And after Andy saw that, he thought it'd be cute to teach Ellis how to High Five, and amazingly, he learned it in about five minutes!! Lol! So now, not only does he wave "bye-bye" he gives complete strangers "high fives"!!

I'm so looking forward to the next couple of months before my little guy turns one year old!! What an exciting time it is for everyone!

Happy New Year everyone!