My dilemma

Ben is a great sleeper. He rarely wakes up in the middle of the night - if he does I don't know it because he gets himself back to sleep on his own... He is still in the crib and will be there for as long as he stays put - if that is five, then five it is! (Emma comes to our bedside every single time she wakes up because she is not locked down... drives me batty.)

Y'all know I am kind of a schedule nazi when it comes to bedtime. Emma got two stickers taken from her "Get a Rapunzel Dress" chart tonight because she was fussing and whining and wouldn't stay in bed. She also then got all her dolls taken away and the final threat that kept her in bed and finally asleep was the fear of me taking away her precious blanket. It is now 8:23. Poor Benny who still shares a room with her (Penthouse is only a 2 bedroom) gets to lay there and listen to her go on and on. She is now asleep but he is quietly awake. I can hear him chatting to himself as I type.

My dilemma is this, when the kid gets a nap he ends up not falling asleep until 8:30-9:00. When he doesn't get a nap, he is passed out by 7:30... Emma stopped napping at about this age as soon as she was potty trained. Ben is no where near being potty trained, but could probably give up the nap - if only for my ability to get him to sleep in a timely manner.

It really is just me feeling guilty and selfish. I like having time in the evening to clean the kitchen / penthouse and possibly read / blog before going to bed. I can't do any of that if BOTH kids are awake. I feel guilty because Ben lays wide awake for 90 minutes quietly in his crib. I feel like I should be stimulating his brain instead of letting him lay there doing nothing.

But if he gives up his nap, he can be pretty cranky by dinner... It is challenging enough to get him to consume anything as it is...

So, let him lay quietly nightly for 90 minutes hoping his cute little brain is concocting fabulous plots that he will someday write about? Or take away the nap so he goes to sleep quicker risking dinnertime melt downs?

P.S. Daddy and I decided to call the speech therapist for Ben. He now has tons of words but when he goes to string them together he gets seriously tongue tied. I am trying to get him in starting August...

I still have the 4th of July and today's fun to write about but I have to CLEAN the living room first.  Anyone know a good maid who will work for free? : )