Naptime success

I just wanted to post this because it felt so good to be successful with something.  Don't feel like you have to read this!

So today was the first day of real attempts for an actual designated naptime.  And it was a success! Probably because I started the process of going down for a nap an hour early ...  I want Little Girl to have a morning nap between 9 and 9:30 (I wanted a range because she's not consistent at waking up at 8 anymore.  Now it's usually seven to 8).  So at 8 after she ate for the second time we changed her diaper and went into her room.  I let her explore while I reorganized her clothes.  I turned on some piano music so that it would be relaxing in her room.

About 10 minutes to 9 I stopped what I was doing, turned the light off and picked her up and sat in our rocking chair.  She was not having it though.  She squirmed and wrestled.  So I stood up instead and bounced her.  She still wasn't incredibly happy though.  I swear everything that is supposed to relax a baby she hates.  She doesn't like to be cuddled or have her back rubbed.  She doesn't calm down when I sing or rock her either.  It can be incredibly frustrating.

In the No-cry book it says you should have a few sleep words, like 'night-night', or 'shh' and you should only say them when your baby is relaxed so they associate the words with being relaxed.  I actually had tried doing that in the past with the word 'relax' but I was using it when she was squirmy and loud.  So today I used that word and alternated with 'shh shh' when she was quiet and still and it worked!  After the first like 15 minutes of trying to get her to nap she was squirming and whining, but once I started using the words while she was somewhat quiet she calmed right down and fell asleep within five minutes.  It was glorious to have some control.  And not that I don't have control as a mom, but there are days where I just hate the fight for her to sleep.