9 month old refusing afternoon nap

[ctk134]

About a week ago, my DS (who will be 9 months in a week) has been refusing his afternoon nap. He's been on a great 4 hr EASY for the last 3-4 months. Sleep has always been an issue for him, but over the last 3 months, he's been doing great with few hiccups along the way.

Over the last week, he's been going down wonderfully for his morning nap and will sleep any where from 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 45 min. Then, when it's time for his afternoon nap (which never has been more than an hour long), he flat out refuses. I know he's tired because he'll be spacing off and rubbing his face, but he will not go to sleep. He's in a great mood the entire time except whem I'm trying to get him to nap. He'll scream bloody murder (which is very new) when I put him down, but as soon as I turn on a light and get him out of the crib, he's happy as can be. I've read the post about "sleep gone wonky..." but I'm worried about cutting his morning nap short. I work afternoon/evenings 2 days a week and I don't want to leave a baby who has had a short morning nap and refusing an afternoon nap in the care of someone else. I'm wondering if I should just let him go. Sleep as long as he likes in the morning, then try for a small cat-nap in the early evening, since he seems not bothered by the no afternoon nap.

This is what his easy looked like until about a week ago (Its still the same except for the afternoon nap)

7 am: wake, formula bottle, diaper change

8/830 am: solid food breakfast

930: down for morning nap no later than 9:30 am

11/1130 am: Wakes from nap, formula bottle, diaper change

1230 pm: Solid food lunch

130/2pm: Back down for nap (which is the nap he is refusing)

3pm: Wakes from nap, formula bottle, diaper change

5pm: Cereal for supper

530pm: possible cat nap. Depends on his mood

630pm: Bath, formula bottle, story then alseep by 7:15-7:30pm and doesn't wake until the following morning

**I know his A time is short for his age. This morning I kept him up 3 hrs in the morning, and he still went down for his morning nap wonderfully. I woke him after 1 hr 30 mins to see if it would help with is afternoon nap and it didn't. Its now 4:20 in the afternoon. He's been awake since 11 am. He's happy, smiling, talking to himself and playing. I know after I give him his cereal, he'll go down for a cat nap.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

[~Karen~]

Is he still on three naps a day if I'm reading that right?  He should be on two at this age.  This is an example of what we were doing at 9 months and my ds2 will still do short A times.

7am - Wake up
930am-1130am - Nap
230pm-4pm - Nap
7pm - Bed

He's refusing the second nap as his second A time is too short at 2 hours.

[ctk134]

He only takes a 3rd cat-nap if is second nap was short. (45 min or less). His second A time, between his first and second nap is no longer too short. I can try to lay him down after 2 hrs of A time or 4 hrs of A time, or anything in between and he'll refuse to take a nap. Yesterday afternoon, after 2 hrs 45 min A time, he was rubbing his eyes and face. I tried to put him down. He seemed like he was going to go down easily, but as soon as he went into his crib, he was wide awake. I then tried to put him back down at 3 hrs 30 min, still refused his nap, then 4 hrs and 30 min, still refused his nap. I've tried the PUPD, which used to work like a charm, but now just causes him to be hysterical. By the time I got him to nap, it was around 5 pm, after his cereal. He went down wonderfully, but he only took a 30 min nap because he was overtired.