Today I was resting in the room next to where Abigail was “napping.” I couldn’t make out everything she was saying, but at one point, she started calling out in a loud voice, “Allllll Abooooaaarrrd!” After naptime was over I asked her what was going on.

Me: Were you saying all aboard?
Abi: Yes. There was a train. Baby Cat fixed the train.
Me: What was wrong with it?
Abi: It had a hole in it. Baby Cat fixed it with sticky tape.
Me: Who was the driver?
Abi: Me! Mama Cat! All aboard! Choo choo! This is the train whistle (brandishing a mini mag lite).

I’m giving up on naps, I think. She can just stay in there and rest for an hour and half, entertaining herself with stories. We’ve done everything we can think of: Dark room, sleepy time routine, consistent nap time pretty much every day, bribes, interventions, etc. I can turn out lights and take away toys but I can’t get her to turn that imagination off. Maybe if I could get her to close her mouth for 15 minutes it would work. Duct tape? Just kidding.

And I think she’s okay overall– getting about 11 or 12 hours of sleep instead of her former 12 to 13, resulting in the occasional 3 hour nap crash. Most days, she drags around much of the afternoon but she doesn’t get grouchy. There are more morning meltdowns than I would like, but she seems fine-ish without the nap. She would benefit from a nap but won’t die for lack of it.

And she’s constantly full throttle with that imagination. At snack time today a broken pretzel became a tiny bird that a) went looking for its mommy b) learned to fly c) ate some food d) escaped a bunch of snakes and e) landed safely in the house Abi made for it (the pretzel bowl). Yes, staying focused on eating is an issue too. I love that wild imagination and wish it had an off switch.