She Stays Where She Lays

10AM and out of gas. At least she was freshly bathed!

Like her sister, Ireland has traded potty training for naps. I'm so grateful she's out of diapers but man alive, I miss having a few hours in the afternoon of guaranteed quiet! When it was her turn, Liesel transitioned smoothly to a standard bedtime. To this day, she never fusses, never gets out of bed (unless she needs to go potty, which she does quietly on her own and then goes straight back to bed) and never tries to negotiate for more awake time. Yes, we realize we're insanely lucky with that one!

Amazing, I could never fall asleep sitting up!

Months ago, we had Ireland trained for a standard bedtime as well, just 1 & 1/2 hours after Liesel's. We used the Ferber method until she quietly let us put her down for the night. Our tranquil evenings came to a crashing halt when Ireland figured out how to climb out of her crib. With memories of Liesel's broken wrist in my head, Brent and I immediately converted the crib into a daybed. She's fallen out of bed, but thank heavens it's from just a couple of feet and not from the top of the crib rails!

We'd just gotten new pj's at Gymboree. I guess that was
enough to provoke a nap!

I think for all of 3 nights Ireland went to bed like normal. Then she started crawling out and harassing Liesel to entertain her. Sleep-loving Liesel was none too pleased about that and we ended up having two cranky girls on our hands not to mention a messy bedroom.  Brent and I finally said, "uncle" and decided to keep Ireland out with us until she fell asleep.

She took her stuffed bunny with her this time.

Ireland definitely maximizes her personal time with me and Brent. She becomes incredibly charming in those late hours, which is hard to resist. Whenever Brent tries to get her to sleep, she widens her big, blue eyes and asks for "lap." This means the two of them watch basketball together. Ireland is happy getting around her bedtime, and Brent is happy watching basketball with his girl in his lap. As of now, Ireland's not in any kind of a routine when it comes to sleep. Ergo, she just drops from exhaustion at various times throughout the day.

Ireland never gets a bottle, but we were ahem,
a little behind on the dishes.

Initially it bothered me to have her sleeping random places around the apartment so I'd try to move her to her bed or the couch. Brent taught me a wise lesson: if she's really uncomfortable, she'll move herself. Otherwise, let her be. Oddly enough she seems to favor the floor. No pillows, no blankets, just a spot of floor.

Sooooo cute! Sooooo tired!

Somehow, someway we need to get Ireland into a good bedtime routine like her sister. I just have NO idea how to get there! The girls share a room which makes it tough and Ireland is really, really persuasive about staying up. Any suggestions? Bueller? Bueller? In the meantime, we're having a lot of fun capturing those moments when she actually does sleep.

It all reminds me of the poem by Dylan Thomas Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Although I'm confident Thomas didn't have toddlers in mind when he wrote it, Ireland sure knows how to "rage, rage against the dying of the light."