A Mother's Woe

Let me start by saying - I love motherhood. I love being a mom. I love tubbies and nursing and stuffing wiggly legs into jammies. But I am going to be very cliche here - I wish babies came with instruction books.

You have purchased the 2012 MAR Model, it is known to be very smiley, rarely cries, but only sleeps for 45 minute lengths. For tips and troubleshooting see appendix B.

Oh how my life would be simplified.
You see the 2012 model I purchased has sleeping issues, in that he sleeps exactly like his Papa - not at all. Ok, that's not true. He sleeps, he is actually a pretty good night sleeper. He still wakes up twice, but only with a wimper, he drinks his milkies and is immediately back to sleep. No crying nights - just milkies - twice - always. (I am knocking on wood, I am SO grateful to not have a night crier. I can sleep and nurse, I'm ok with that.)

So then we go to daytimes. We discovered early on that a schedule is REALLY important or he doesn't go to sleep well at night. So Art has been so good at being on top of it (especially for a man who believes that anything requiring a set time is against his style). So Miles naps about 8:30, then again about 11-11:30, and finally at 3. And like clockwork exactly 45 minutes after you put him down he wakes up. And when you walk in to see what all the noise is about (he likes to talk) he looks up at you with big sparkly blue eyes and an open mouthed grin - and you're faced with a major decision.

Does he look "done" - as in "done-napping" - should I give up, smile, and talk to him?
OR
Do I avoid his eyes, ignore the pouty lip, and swaddle him back up (I'll get to the swaddling issue soon - I'm sure you're waiting with baited breath) and try to put him back to sleep?

Art is great at reswaddling and forcing Nap Part II, but he has to do it every day for at least two naps.  And that brings me to the swaddling issue. We didn't swaddle when he was first born because he wanted his legs out. Then someone gave us the Miracle Blanket swaddler and a story about how she wraps up her baby, plops her in her bassinet, says goodnight and her little one would sleep for 2 hours. So we started swaddling.
Actually it helped, he stopped whacking himself in the head and waking up even before the 45 min. body clock went off. So we became swaddling supporters, he knows when he's wrapped up it's sleep time.
But now he's getting big and wiggles out of that thing in seconds, then proceeding to whack himself until he's fully awake.
Do you see my woe's?

So here's my spring break project:
1. Teach Miles to put himself to sleep so that when he stirs at 45 minutes he can wiggle then put himself back to sleep (I know, a bit of wishful thinking here, but at least he'll be able to put himself to sleep at naptime instead of rocking and lovies)
2. Break the swaddling habit.
(3. Deep clean my house, finish my ruler project, write a measurement and a fraction unit, make the gumpaste flowers for Grandma's cake, exercise, and get caught up on my ELED grading.)

I tried to start yesterday. He took two 45 minute naps in the morning slots. Then I took him on errands with me and he slept for almost 2 hours in his carseat. (I woke him up because he was 30 minutes late for milkies).

So I started again this morning.
He is currently sleeping in his crib with one arm swaddled (the other wiggled out, and reswaddled 3 times before I cussed and said fine leave your dang arm out), the other tightly gripping his blankey, after having wiggled and talked himself to sleep (with my hand on his belly - it's supposed to help keep his arms swaddled, guess not).
It's been 30 minutes.
I have 15 minutes until I face the dreaded decision again. Or maybe he'll love one arm out so much he'll sleep for 2 hours. Or he'll whack himself in the face and be up in 5 minutes.

Could someone please send me Appendix B?

(Try telling that face to go back to bed...)