I got many, many comments about last week’s photo of Walker sleeping on his feet. Not having significant experience with babies, I didn’t realize just how odd this behavior is. I wrongfully assumed that every baby fell asleep in various contortions. But given the incredulous reactions of friends and family, I now know Walker is rather unique. Might we say he wants to get “one more thing” complete before he succumbs to sleep?

While a picture may say 1000 words, I did regret not having the foresight to shoot a bit of video capturing the absurdity of a child snoring while sleeping peacefully, doubled over and resting upon his face.

Today I got one of those rare second-chances. We were on the phone with Grammie Shirley and Walker was exhausted so I put him in his crib for his afternoon nap. (And I must take a moment to mention that this is the very first weekend we were able to keep him on the same schedule as Sofiya’s weektime regimen.) Of course, Walker takes after his Daddy and despite being so very sleepy, he continued to play. But in his sleepy fog he couldn’t decide what to play with so he simply held Bunny Foo Foo and twirled the ears between his little fingers until he nodded off. (I know this because I went in to check on him just as he drifted off to dreamland.) His breathing became deep and regular and his head got heavy and drooped all the way forward to the mattress. The snoring commenced. And I tiptoed out to fetch the camera. The video above was the result. (NOTE to concerned readers: yes, I did unbend him and put him to sleep on his back.)

Walker did have a bit of a fitful nap experience. He awoke 20 minutes later and was definitely not ready to resume his busy day of crawling, pulling himself up, and chasing after disks. Larry rocked him and he’d drift in and out of slumber. I went in and we rocked a bit in the chair until he slept and I put him back in his crib. He stayed asleep long enough for me to download the video from the camera and upload it to YouTube before he awoke again. And again, he was not ready to be awake. We lay down and he rested his little head on my chest and drifted off. We stayed that way for more than an hour.

Now, I really enjoy my sleep. There’s something euphoric about slipping between some soft silky sheets, under a few fluffy comforters, and placing your head upon some big puffy pillows and prepare to meet the Sandman. There are a few occasions that make an already perfect time even better — when I’m bone tired, the room is cool, the bed is toasty warm and I snuggle up next to Larry and fall asleep on his chest. Until Walker, there was nothing better in this world.

I don’t sleep much anymore and I’m grateful to fall into bed regardless of the status of the sheets, comforters, or pillows. And as my sleeping patterns have changed, so has my perception of the perfect sleeping scenario.

Naptime with Walker is beyond what I once considered bliss. When we catch a few zzz’s, we lie down together and try to recharge our batteries. We might hold hands or snooze with our heads gently touching. And naps like today, with the rare full-body snuggles, are tucked away in my head and my heart as what is sweet and wonderful about life.