Obsession

Hi, I'm Krista, and I'm obsessed with baby sleep. I've heard the first step is to admit you have a problem, so I guess that's what I'm doing.
It all started back when Andrew was a fussy, inconsolable, miserable baby and I was a fussy, inconsolable miserable mommy. I got a NOOK for my birthday and one of the first books I bought was The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. This is when I started learning to recognize Andrew's sleepy cues and get him to bed before he turned into a pumpkin. At least, that's what we call it in our house. You know, like in Cinderella when at midnight the carriage turns back into a pumpkin.
Soon, I was reading everything I could find on the Internet about baby sleep. I bought several baby sleep books and each time, I'd think I'd found the answer to our issues which are short, inconsistent naps.
I can't really complain about Andrew's sleep at night. He usually sleeps 11 hours or so and doesn't wake for feedings anymore, even though he still occaisionally has a night waking. He talks to himself for a while and then goes back to sleep, usually without crying. Andrew's pediatrician said he's just built to take short naps and that he's getting most of his sleep at night and for me not to worry. But she doesn't have to deal with him after he's had one of his mini-naps. They just don't give him the rest he needs to be happy and content.
The problem with reading all these different books is that each book contradicts the last one I read and nothing they've suggested has worked to get longer more consistent naps out of Andrew. Some folks think it's no big deal, why am I so worried about it. But any stay at home mommy will tell you that a long nap is like a mini vacation and it gives you time to do stuff, like shave your legs or floss.
And, if Andrew were on a more predictible nap schedule, I could perhaps leave the house without screwing up his entire day.
I am jealous of parents who have never picked up any baby sleep books and who don't sweat it and their babies sleep well and take long naps. Maybe if I didn't think about Andrew's sleep so much, he would sleep better. Greg says I'm crazy. And, maybe I am.
In fact, we had another argument about it today. I tried to explain to Greg how important it is for babies to get the sleep they need and how important it is for them to have a daily routine. But he doesn't get it. He even said to me "why don't you just let him go until he falls asleep." Yea, like that is the answer. I told him you don't let your kid eat Cheetos for dinner even if that's what they want, so why would you prevent your child from getting the sleep they need simply because they protest before falling asleep?
Anyway, I am working on getting Andrew on a more consistent nap schedule using this formula -- two hours after he wakes up in the morning, I'll put him down for a nap. If he naps for less than an hour, he will stay in his crib to finish out the hour (he is typically very content in his crib and will simply play with his lovey or his feet during this time). For the other naps of the day, he'll go down 2.5 hours after waking from his last nap. We'll see how this works.
I'm also going to try to start putting him down for the night at 7 p.m. I had been allowing his bedtime to fluctuate based on when he woke up from his last nap. But, lately, his last nap has been ending really late, like around 5:30, so that moves bedtime back to around 8 p.m. and that is a little too late I think. Anyway, we will try this method and see what happens. Fingers crossed that we can get Andrew into a better nap routine.
Any tips are greatly appreciated!