My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

It’s Build-A-Bear time again!  The kids were THRILLED to receive gift cards from their cousins for Christmas, and since they had been planning their next stuffed creation for months, they quickly got down to business once we got to the store.  Becky picked a My Little Pony, Susie chose a Hello Kitty, Jimmy got a Camouflage bear, and Danny got a Spiderman bear.  We all had so much fun! 

For the last few months, although I put Jimmy and Danny down for a nap each afternoon like clockwork, Jimmy hasn’t slept.  In the beginning, he blamed his wakefulness on Danny’s antics.  And that was probably true – Danny creates quite a racket in his crib, and it’s no wonder Jimmy had a hard time resting.  However, recently, Danny has usually fallen asleep after an initial noisy period, so Jimmy’s sleeplessness was on him.   Usually Jimmy was very quiet and simply rolled around in his bed, looking at books and biding his time until Danny woke up a couple hours later.  However lately (and may be partly due to the fact that Jimmy stopped sucking his thumb in November and therefore has been less content to just lay there), Jimmy has gotten into the habit of calling for me mid-nap, after Danny has zonked out, and asking to go to the bathroom and play in another room.  I initially resisted, as I didn’t want to lose my own quiet time, and I still think Jimmy needs downtime.  I also philosophically believe it’s important for kids to have regular situations where they are left to their own devices with next to nothing to do…that’s the time they are most imaginative and reflective.  But Jimmy and I figured out a compromise: on days that Danny falls asleep, Jimmy can call for me and I’ll take him out of his room and let him play quietly in the spare guest room.  He won’t have anything in there that he didn’t already have in his crib – a few books and a few toys – but this way I won’t have to worry about him waking Danny up because he needs to go to the bathroom (there’s an attached bathroom to the guest room), and I still have my time to myself, since Jimmy is good about staying in the room.  So we’ll see if we continue this arrangement.  Right now, it’s working out well!

You never know what masterpiece Susie is going to create when she asks for the construction paper and tape!  She emerged shortly thereafter sporting a functioning purse, a flip phone, and even some paper money stuffed inside!

Asking Jimmy to dress his little brother may not have been efficient, but it was enjoyable – and entertaining!

Grandpa, who knew the swing set that you built would serve as a year-round source of fun for your grandkids?!