Schedules, Smedules

How many mommies and daddies out there keep their LOs to a regular schedule?

I'm only asking because my 9 month old daughter WAS on a regular schedule up until four days ago.  And it has been a hellacious four days.  She didn't nap at all Monday until two hours before bed time then slept only 2 hours before waking up, eating quite a bit and then going back down an hour later.  She only slept until 8 am then.  Yesterday, no nap at all.  Not a one.  She finally went down to sleep for good at 10 pm and slept until 10 am, which was wonderful. 

It wouldn't be so frustrating if she had phased out her naps like most children do but that didn't happen.  And it has happened at such a young age, after all, she's only 9 months old.  Most children start to phase out naps at around 12 months or more. Not my little ray of sunshine, heck no.  She wants to be advanced for her age.  LOL 

She's advanced in all the other milestones for 9 month olds so why not this, too?  She's already walking pretty well when holding your hands and she can hang onto the couch or any other piece of furniture and walk along with ease.  She's standing up and staying standing up all on her own without holding onto anything for quite a bit of time. 

It's amazing really.  I'll look back and remember how tiny she was, how much she needed me all day every day and how fragile she seemed.  Now she's saying Momma and Oma and Dada.  She's walking with assistance and crawling at speed.  She's just started eating meats to go along with her fruits and veggies.  She has her two bottom teeth in and is working on her two top ones.  It just doesn't seem as though it has been that long.  It's only been 9 months.  9 months!  That doesn't really SEEM very long in the long term perspective of everything but apparently it is.  It's long enough for her to have done all of these things and progressed so far.

And she just keeps going.  I'm going to attribute her lack of napping to teething, daylight savings time and a growth spurt for now.  Maybe she'll start napping again in a few days but if she doesn't then I'll chalk it up to her hitting another milestone in her life. 

For now, I'm just glad she's happy and healthy and moving along in life as she should be.  I try to remember every day to enjoy the little things in life and hold them precious because they aren't little for very long and they don't stay babies.  They grow quickly and in no time she's going to be walking and talking all on her own and she'll need me even less than she does now. 

Being a first time mom, this is all new for me but I wouldn't trade any of these experiences for anything in the world.  Because let's be honest here, for me, I know that there is no greater reward for all the lack of sleep and the frustrating hours and everything else involved in parenting than having my child look at me and smile and say Momma.  And I know the rewards are only going to be greater as time goes on, yes the frustrations will still be there but just to here her say Momma makes it all worth while to me. 

It really is the little things.