John's Days, Wrap-Up

I usually pick John up around 3:30-4pm. We go home, play trains, play in the rocks in the back yard, play dump trucks in the driveway, stop at the grocery store, go to the park, etc., until about 5:15-5:30, which is when Tony usually gets home. We usually start dinner between 5:30-6. It's amazing how long John can make dinner last while consuming so little! Then, if it's early enough, we all (or just John and Tony) take Keats for a walk. Lately, John has been riding in the wagon, like this:


Then we come home, clean up toys downstairs then upstairs, take a bath or shower, get into PJs, read two books and eat a bagel and have some water.
Then lights out, sometimes we recite a book in the dark, Tony's favorite is "The Gruffalo," mine are "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?" and "Thunderhoof." Or we rehash the day's events starting in the morning.
Then we "find his crib" and cover him with his Bee. He sleeps with his Bee, his "soft Bee" (a small green blanket), his bear, his giraffe, and his pillow.
Sometimes there is one more drink of water. Lots of "I love you's." On good nights he dismisses us. On rougher nights, we leave before he's ready, and there's a couple minutes of "Come back." He's usually asleep in five to ten minutes, or he talks to himself for up to 20 minutes, we hear him rehashing the day to himself or saying things that we've said to him during the day.
We have been very fortunate to have no nighttime waking lately. I'm thankful for that each morning!

Wednesday afternoons are our playdates with our friend/neighbor James. We like going to the area parks, sometimes to local McDonald's play-places, sometimes to the botanical garden. We sometimes have a bonus James-playdate on Friday or other weekdays if schedules allow.

Saturdays and Sundays follow the basic pattern of the weekday, with the exception of watching "Thomas the Tank Engine" after the first diaper change. He sits in the big recliner downstairs with his Bee, his soft Bee, his giraffe, his pillow, his bear, a bagel, water, and milk. He sits through a 45-minute video or DVD, and sometimes he likes to watch it again halfway through. He's very good at turning off the TV himself when it's over.
When Daddy comes downstairs we eat breakfast, then take Keats for a walk, come back and play or run errands till lunch. Then nap. Then some activity in the afternoon, such as shopping, errands, parks, etc.
Our Sunday morning tradition is to go to the grocery store for the week after the Keats walk.
I am very, very, VERY thankful we have a routine that works for us!