Ever since I got back from the conference in Toronto, I’ve noticed a change in Kyle and Charlize. It’s almost as though they grew a few months physically and emotionally in a matter of a week!
Kyle no longer comes to wake me up in the middle of the night needing to pee. Instead, he comes to wake me up for a “hugandakiss” 🙂 It IS a really sweet gesture, and one I would never want to discourage. After all, regardless of how sleep-deprived and zombie-like I may be at that moment, holding that little bundle in my arms as I walk him back to his bed is really heart-warming.
Of course, his vocabulary has also improved to the point that he catches himself if he’s saying something “wrong” and adjusts it, even with proper contractions! Sometimes those sentences are hysterical. Case in point?
Last Sunday morning as I sat at the breakfast table with him (me sipping my coffee, he eating his blueberry eggo), he starts a conversation that goes like this:
Kyle: “Yesterday I can’t… couldn’t sleep.”
Me: “Oh no? Why not, sweetie?”
Kyle: “My eyes weren’t tired.”
*melts* 🙂
As for Charlize, well, she’s becoming a big girl now and does NOT want to go to sleep! And don’t you dare close my door when you put me in my crib or you’ll hear about it! 🙂 The only way to appease her is to now fully include her in the nighttime routine we have with Kyle. So, after supper, it’s bath, brush teeth, PJs, and then playing in either Kyle’s or Charlize’s room. We’ll do this for about 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how tired she gets as seen through her rubbing her eyes or crying for no reason). Then, group play is halted and Kyle plays on his own while I take Charlize to her room and give her a warm bottle of milk. If she falls asleep, I’ll put her to bed. If not, we’ll go back to Kyle’s room and “finish up” our play after which I’ll read a book (or three). Then, they both sit on my lap and I’ll rock them while singing our bedtime songs.
Kyle is very aware of “his” current song list (Leaving on a Jet Plane, Blue Moon, Talking to My Angels) versus the ones we (and I do mean we as in Kyle and I) sing for Charlize (Rock-a-bye Baby, I Love You, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) 🙂 Sometimes we’ll throw in a few other songs (depends on how early it is) which range from the Spider-Man theme song, the Star Trek: Next Generation Theme song (to which he waves his arms as though conducting – yes, he sings it, too!), to a slew of other songs – some silly, some other themes.
Then, we’ll say “Good Night” to the various items/ photos in the room (Angel painting, Airbus painting, a Blue Moon stuffie, Mater & Lightning McQueen), and give him a hug and kiss as he jumps into bed.
Afterwards, I’ll wrap Charlize in a blanket and hum softly to her (usually “Winnie The Pooh” or “Twinkle Twinkle” – her two favorite songs) as I walk her to her room. I’ll lie her in her crib, say good-night, pull on a musical stuffie for some short “tinkling” sounds, and leave. I make sure the other doors on the second floor are closed (bathroom, James’ room, our room) to avoid light spillage and keep the floor dark, and go downstairs. She’ll hum to herself for a bit and eventually fall asleep.
Of course, this week she has started yelling “Ba Ba!” whenever she wakes up in the morning! It’s quite funny/ cute 🙂
So, with the weather being a little bizarre (13 in the mornings, going to 20+ in the afternoons) the feeling of Autumn is definitely in the air. We’re adjusting well to our schedule and right now looking very forward to our vacation starting next weekend.
Although we had initially wanted to drive to New Brunswick, the thought of 12 hours in a car with screaming kids has changed our minds for us 🙂 So, instead, we’ll be flying to Moncton and renting a car to get us to the chalet we rented at Bas Caraquet. Kyle (& Charlize) will be going on his first plane ride!! 🙂
