Rychen P. is obsessed with Mickey Mouse. Besides watching the cartoon, he has begun to ask about Mickey Mouse as a person--where he lives, if he can come visit, etc. So a couple days ago we decided to make some mail for him and send it, and wait to see if he writes back. And he did! But Rychen has yet to open the envelope. (Maybe the fact of getting mail was enough? Really, who can explain this kid...) And as luck would have it, we found a Mickey Mouse hand-puppet at the library, which you can actually check-out, so guess who is sleeping with Rychen P. these days, and following us everywhere around the house, and watching himself on TV?
Speaking of sleeping, we decided to make the push toward independence in order to get ready to move (getting his own room) and having a baby soon. So this week we had a talk, provided a daily bribe, and now Rychen P. sleeps all night long in his own bed (he still wakes up at 6:30, so I'm not quite sighing with relief). The deal is that we can cuddle for naps together, and cuddle in the big bed for 5 minutes before bedtime. During the night he cuddles with a stuffed animal. And as soon as Dad gets up in the morning, he can come into bed with me.
Call me slow but here's what we figured out, and this is the best part! In order to help nighttime sleep, Rychen gets a later bedtime, which means he needs a daily nap. We used to skip naps and go to bed early (6 or 7 pm) but now we are taking an afternoon nap and staying up til 8 or 8:30. And Oh my gosh - my kid has a totally different personality!! Who knew that a simple change of sleep schedule--same number of hours, just different distribution--would put an end to the whiny, clingy 2 year old who drove me crazy?? This week he's been pure delight! Which only adds to the situation because the happier our days are, the better we tend to sleep at night. Naps are a pain to me, but I guess it's worth it. It means more hours with Dad, a happier boy, sleeping all night, and when the baby is born we can all cuddle together in the big bed :)
So yes, next month we're moving to a real house, same neighborhood but in a flat area, big grassy yard, 3 bedrooms, big garage, down the street from a school playground/yard, for just $75 more per month. Hooray! Rychen P. will finally have his own room, so we'll work on sleeping there. I know I am just silly because most kids have their own room from the time they're teeny, but I am a little nervous to have him sleep so far from us. Whenever he wakes up with a nightmare or something, I am so glad to be so close to calm him down, whereas in a separate room he'd have to wake up fully and cry for a few minutes before I even wake up. It is so nice having our sleep rhythms lined up so I am always awake when he stirs, and I know he is safe right by me. But, alas, time to grow up a bit. I don't want two babies! So let's give this a go!
Another big thing we're into lately is riding busses. And I mean lots. It takes 3 busses just to go anywhere over the bridge. So on days we feel adventurous, we buy a day pass and head out to see where we end up. We have done grocery shopping and other quick errands, as well as spontaneous trips with no destination. It's relaxing for me and fun for him! Maybe this will be a fun thing to do with a baby in a sling, going out for some sight-seeing?
With the weather being so off and on, we have to be spontaneous. So on dark days, we either ride the bus or play at home. But on sunny days we can't keep ourselves indoors! We take long walks, go to the park, visit with friends, etc. A few times, Rychen has taken Rychen P. to play tennis while I get some exercise on the trails. I am so excited for the weather to change. With every sunny day, the outdoors calls to me, and I just love going out in the fresh air! It will be so much fun this summer to do sports in the park, picnics, and visit local farms. Hooray for nice weather!
Speaking of sleeping, we decided to make the push toward independence in order to get ready to move (getting his own room) and having a baby soon. So this week we had a talk, provided a daily bribe, and now Rychen P. sleeps all night long in his own bed (he still wakes up at 6:30, so I'm not quite sighing with relief). The deal is that we can cuddle for naps together, and cuddle in the big bed for 5 minutes before bedtime. During the night he cuddles with a stuffed animal. And as soon as Dad gets up in the morning, he can come into bed with me.
Call me slow but here's what we figured out, and this is the best part! In order to help nighttime sleep, Rychen gets a later bedtime, which means he needs a daily nap. We used to skip naps and go to bed early (6 or 7 pm) but now we are taking an afternoon nap and staying up til 8 or 8:30. And Oh my gosh - my kid has a totally different personality!! Who knew that a simple change of sleep schedule--same number of hours, just different distribution--would put an end to the whiny, clingy 2 year old who drove me crazy?? This week he's been pure delight! Which only adds to the situation because the happier our days are, the better we tend to sleep at night. Naps are a pain to me, but I guess it's worth it. It means more hours with Dad, a happier boy, sleeping all night, and when the baby is born we can all cuddle together in the big bed :)
So yes, next month we're moving to a real house, same neighborhood but in a flat area, big grassy yard, 3 bedrooms, big garage, down the street from a school playground/yard, for just $75 more per month. Hooray! Rychen P. will finally have his own room, so we'll work on sleeping there. I know I am just silly because most kids have their own room from the time they're teeny, but I am a little nervous to have him sleep so far from us. Whenever he wakes up with a nightmare or something, I am so glad to be so close to calm him down, whereas in a separate room he'd have to wake up fully and cry for a few minutes before I even wake up. It is so nice having our sleep rhythms lined up so I am always awake when he stirs, and I know he is safe right by me. But, alas, time to grow up a bit. I don't want two babies! So let's give this a go!
Another big thing we're into lately is riding busses. And I mean lots. It takes 3 busses just to go anywhere over the bridge. So on days we feel adventurous, we buy a day pass and head out to see where we end up. We have done grocery shopping and other quick errands, as well as spontaneous trips with no destination. It's relaxing for me and fun for him! Maybe this will be a fun thing to do with a baby in a sling, going out for some sight-seeing?
With the weather being so off and on, we have to be spontaneous. So on dark days, we either ride the bus or play at home. But on sunny days we can't keep ourselves indoors! We take long walks, go to the park, visit with friends, etc. A few times, Rychen has taken Rychen P. to play tennis while I get some exercise on the trails. I am so excited for the weather to change. With every sunny day, the outdoors calls to me, and I just love going out in the fresh air! It will be so much fun this summer to do sports in the park, picnics, and visit local farms. Hooray for nice weather!
So remember how Rychen P. is "Mickey Rubber Ducky boy"? He likes to give us all nick-names. Grandma Gremlich taught him to call her Grossmutti and I am Mutti. After watching The Testaments, Rychen P. was intrigued that they call their father Papanwa so it was his own idea to use that for his own Dad! So sometimes during the day he'll ask me, "Where is Papanwa?"
5 comments:
If you need some more mail from Mickey, just let me know and I can mail me some. Is the new house by Myers? Let me know if you need help.
That is so cute! I love hearing your updates. I have to say it is fun to ride the bus when you don't have to be anywhere specific, but I think I have a particular talent for getting on the wrong bus and ending up riding it all the way back to the station.
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A new house, sweet!
How are you feeling lately?
That is cool that you are moving up in the world. Good luck with the bed transition. I bet that he is ready and will adjust better than you think. Are you finding out if you are having a boy or a girl?
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