New Nap Mat

Sometimes I pick Lucy up early from DayCare. We try to work around nap time; however, at 2:30 or 3 pm, sometimes, Lucy is still sleeping. I would usually walk in and take an immediate left into the baby room, where Lucy had her own pack-n-play to sleep in. Well, a few weeks ago I turned left and was halted by one of the daycare providers. "Lucy is over here."

I turned and Lucy was to my right. She was on a nap mat, sleeping with the older children. First, I was thinking, "Wow! How did you get her to lay there and fall asleep?" Then, I thought about how big she was getting, as I approached her. She was on a daycare nap mat.

They look like this. They are red and blue, and they easily fold up for storage. They are pretty cushion-y, actually. However, they are that vinyl type of material.

When I approached Lucy she was so sweaty and her poor little face was sticking to the mat with sweat and slobber. I type that and kind of smile with amusement...but, I knew then that we needed to get her a nap mat of her own. Even if she got a sleeping bag and placed it on top of the mat, it would be a little better for laying on.

I scoured the internet for a comfortable and affordable option. You could literally spend, like, $50 on a mat! I found a winner and we ordered it.

I knew Lucy would love the princess mat, with the crowned frog in the bottom, right-hand corner.

We removed the name tag and the pillow to give it a quick wash. The next morning it was rolled up and ready to go! :) Lucy loved that she could grab the handle and easily carry it with her.

She carried it into DayCare and I was bursting with happiness. She was so proud of her new mat. She started yelling from the door, "Look! New mat!"  Or, for those of you who know Lucy, it was more like, "Gook, New maat!"

She even yelled at one point, "Awesome, new mat!" The phrase she picked up from Heath.

We all walked into the kitchen, Lucy leading the way with her mat. She stopped and lifted it above her head. Her eyes were wide and mouth was dropped open in awe. I was so happy that it made her so happy. I scanned the room of children. Most were holding some type of breakfast item in their hands and they stared blankly at Lucy. Poor girl.

No one was giving her the awe-stricken reactions that mom and dad did. Then, the daycare provider turned from the counter and started to ohh and ahh. :) Lucy lowered her mat in satisfaction. She then got to carry her new mat over to where the others were stored and place hers on top. :)  She was so, so proud of herself and at that point, I wanted to buy her the world. She was so happy...

She turned around and brushed her hands along her legs, as if she had just accomplished a great task. Then, we told her goodbye for the day.

My heart bursts with happiness when I think about her showing it off. She was so proud and excited over a nap mat. A nap mat. It was the best $23 we ever spent! :) She is getting too big!