Hello Everyone,
Felt much better by mid week so was up for a busy weekend. Jerry got home Friday night and we met at an acquantaince's work going away party. Saturday we had a toddler for the day. Friends of ours has an adorable toddler and they haven't had proper couple time in months. The toddler sleeps with Mom and Dad is stuck downstairs. Needless to say, after a while friction and lack of communication starts to wear on a delicate situation.
So, Jerry and I told them we were kidnapping their child for the night.
He was very well behaved and we basically took him on our errands. He likes running around our house (since it's one big continuous circle), wanted to play with Whiskers, Mike hid, Blackie the fish is fascinating and shredded paper is super cool to dump all over the place. He wasn't tired around bedtime (9ish) so we had quiet time until 11. At that point, we put him in the stroller and he was out in 2 blocks. Into the spare room he went until 3:30 when he woke up with sore teeth. After 1/2 hour of crying (pain rather than parents), he calmed down and I was able to get some medication into him. Main problem is Mom breastfeeds and that just wasn't an option. Finally at 6am we put him back in the stroller and he was asleep after a walk around the block. When we returned him shortly after noon, the house was a mess and we were exhausted. But he had fun and he is an interesting little person. Definitely made us think though whether we want to have kids or not. It was a lot of work and responsibility.
We met up with his parents at a flea market and I picked up a fabulous antique folding rocking chair. It's small - Karen sized, no arms and has a wicker seat and back. $40 - which I thought was a great find.
The house has been somewhat put back together. Jerry's back in Edmonton this week. It's his birthday on Wednesday and we're going to celebrate on the weekend. A party with Morrocan food. I've got a good cook book and there's a persian grocery store nearby that I can pick up some extra items. I'm rather excited. Morrocan food is ideal for sharing and is well suited for a party.
As we were tidying, I discovered Whiskers ate the telephone electrical cord. So we need a new phone. I'm going to call Telus tonight to see if I can cancel my phone but add TV. For the few times I use my phone, I think I'll go to a voip pay-as-you-go. I'll price out the options.
A busy week ahead of me - meal planning, cleaning the house and studying. Have a great day!
3 comments:
Wow, sounds like you had your hands full with that child. I'm sure he was interesting but the idea of a 9pm bedtime for a 2yr old is a horrifying thought to me. Children his age need at least 11-13hrs of sleep. Our boys go to bed at 7 (recently moved up from 6:30) and I'm desperate for those quiet hours in the evenings. I'm surprised, too, that he's still co-sleeping - it sounds like his parents need to start focusing more on each other and less on his every comfort. Maybe I sound like a mean-mommy, but I think it's important to maintain yourself as well as others and that, then, everyone benefits.
Don't let an experience babysitting steer you away from childrearing. It's much different with your own child - yes still lots of responsibility and work, but you get used to it and there are benefits that only you, as the parent, get to reap.
I'm glad you're feeling better and that Jerry is home. Happy Birthday Jerry!
They have an interesting household. She's a stay at home mom so I think his bedtime coincides with her wake-up schedule. In our case, he didn't wake up until 10ish. I did find it odd since when I was growing up I remember a 7pm bed time.
The co-sleeping is strange too, and I know the Dad would like other arrangements. I've read several things that said you shouldn't do it at all, since it can affect a child's sense of independence (as well as strain a marriage). But for a convenience sake with breast feeding, I can understand a little. Most of the parents we hang around with are huge supporters and most for 2 years or more.
It all depends, I think, on where your priorities lie. Ours has and will always be that our number one priority is our happiness as a couple. I think happy, loving parents who put their relationship among their top priorities is one of the best things you can give a child - an example, a safe sense of stability, and the knowledge that they aren't the center of the world.
I can understand co-sleeping, especially while breastfeeding as often as a newborn needs to, but once a child is 6-10mo they're more able to regulate their schedule and will likely only wake up a few times a night to feed (and that can be trained out). By 1yr they should be sleeping through the night, for the most part. I don't know about how it would affect a child's independence, but it seems kinda co-dependent on the mother's part and that *will* affect a child's psyche.
I've heard of children going to bed late and sleeping late when one parent stays home, but I just can't do that. I'm an early-riser, for one, and I can't express how much I value the quiet hours in the evening after the boys are in bed.
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