We have now had a new baby in the house for three weeks - wow, it doesn't seem like that long already - and big brother Max is adapting. I am certain it is quite an adjustment since he has had the undivided attention of two adults since he was brought home from the hospital at one month old.
My spousal unit purchased for him a doll, like a cabbage patch baby, so that he would have his own baby to feed and change. So far he has only been interested in dragging it around by the head which is a good thing since it means he isn't dragging the LIVE baby by the head.
He does like to hold the baby on his lap and other than that seems to ignore it unless he is trying to hit it. I am trying to convince myself this is not specifically directed at our new addition because he likes to hit everything - he pretends he is swatting flies.
Yesterday he went to playgroup. He plays so hard when he is there that he fell asleep on the way home which is a large miracle because he NEVER falls asleep while we drive, we know this because we have driven thousand of miles during the night when he should be asleep and he screams instead. When i got home with him I took him out of his carseat and carried him into the house, he slept the whole time. It was so darn cute we had to take pictures of it which I will post as soon as I can get onto the internet from home (which is a post for another time).
Bedtime these last few weeks has been quite the challenge for us. I don't know if it is related to the new baby in the house or to the heat or a combination of both, but we have been struggling a bit with bedtime. Mister Max seems to think that if he throws everything out of his crib (sheet included) then he "CAN'T" go to bed and we HAVE to come up and put everything together again. It is a bit of a struggle for us because
#1 I have watched the nanny and seen parents who struggle with bedtimes and how they let the kids just dictate what they will do and completely control bedtime. In spite of my television obsession I don't want to be ON the nanny.
#2 I don't want to spend all night trying to put him to bed because let's face it, I have tv to watch.
#3 My Spousal Unit and I have differences on opinion on how many times it is OK to go and respond to him when he KNOWS he should be in bed. I say he is being manipulative, my spouse says not.
#4 He is not an easy character to settle down once he gets too upset, so if we leave him too long calling for us he can get worked up and then forget missing one tv show, I miss at LEAST two.
#5 It is hot in his room
#6 Having the window open is a bit defeatist because he can hear everything and it is daylight until after midnight and then again by 5am
#7 He thinks it is funny to throw his stuff out of his crib. I am seriously going to invent a crib sheet that is like a pillow case so he can't get it off. He knows exactly what he is doing and when we go into his bedroom to "remake" the bed he sits down and hangs his head - as if looking cute will exempt him from being bratty.
On a similar note, but different... my brother has a son one month younger than Max and is talking about putting him in a bed. I say, why? I am going to keep my boy in a crib as LONG as possible. It is already hard enough to keep him in bed, I can just imagine if he were not in a crib, he would be throwing his sheets over the staircase!
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