Quiet Time Just Got Quieter

When Camia doesn't nap during the day, we have been observing 'quiet time' where I send her to her room with toys and books and set the timer for 1 hour. We tried it one day a couple of weeks ago, and she had to be sent back to her room 5 times, which I was OK with because it was something new that she would need to learn. She thought I was mad at her and became a little distraught. This was when I started getting sick and felt so exhausted and wanted nothing more than a little nap to get me through the day. Today after baking bread and reading stories and talking my ears off, I sent her to her room so I could finish cleaning my freezer and fridge without her playing with the fridge light and fridge items. I set the timer for 1 hour and walked away. After about 30 minutes or so, it got really quiet and I went to go check on her. This is what I found:

She didn't even play with her toys, she sat - or layed - on the floor and looked at her books. And fell asleep.

We also have banned her from TV and movies for 2 weeks as it got to th point where she didn't know what to do with herself anymore once we turned the TV off. She has completed week 1 and I have been noticing some positive results. She spends more time reading books and playing with her toys, even if her playing with toys only lasts as long as I am in the room with her. She follows me around like a puppy and when I leave the room, she abandons everything and follows me. (psst. I find this kind of endearing.) She currently loves to help with dishes, and she does a fabulous job at drying them and putting them away. When I bake or cook she loves to be there helping me by dumping the ingredients or stirring. When I change the wash from the wash machine to the dryer she loves to be there and take the wet clothes and put them in the dryer.

I am enjoying that she wants to have more stories read to her as she used to associate this with bedtime and never wanted a day-time story. And she never sat still long enough for me to finish the first page. Now we can read 1, 2 and sometimes 3 books, even if it means reading the same one 3 times.

She is growing up, and I am noticing it day by day in that she understands and can carry out instructions. She is happy, talks clear and concise, and it's neat to see that when she does watch a video or read a book, she finds the same things to be funny every time she sees them. It's hard to believe that in less than 3 months my baby will be 3!