Low expectations for the day
1 part happy William (this is a crucial element)
A dash of alone time
A heaping helping of naptime for Ryan (even better if he puts himself to sleep)
Ryan has been sick, although he's not been too down about it. Because he's under the weather, I decided to put us on house arrest as much as possible this week (we can't do it on school days). The thought of staying home all day with a two-year-old and a newborn is rather daunting, even for someone who is supposed to be good at that sort of thing. William likes to be on the move. Plus, we have been inside a lot due to crummy weather. If it's pretty out, we will at least shoot baskets in the back yard and play in the sandbox. That usually helps keep bad moods at bay.
I woke up this morning wondering how I would entertain both kids all day. Not to mention the fact that William was quite anti-Mommy for much of yesterday. He would tell me to go away whenever I came upon him and Mikey playing together. Really warms a mama's heart, let me tell you.
I should have realized, though, that today is a new day. Don't bring yesterday's baggage along for the ride. William woke up on the right side of the bed and has been an absolute doll. He kept wanting to climb into my lap to read and draw on his Magna Doodle. He laughed heartily when we Skyped with my mom and Michael, and that crazy CC kept ducking out of the picture and popping back in. He talked on the phone to Mikey and said "Hang out" when he was asked what we had done today. He sang "Happy Birthday" to Michael at lunch (five months late, but who's counting?). He played nicely whenever I fed Ryan. He asked to give Ryan a big hug before nap. Basically, he was a charming little fella who made the day easy as can be for his mommy.
And as for the littlest member of our family - he put himself to sleep not once but TWICE today. As in, I haven't had to rock/bounce/shush/do a dance/hop three times in order to get him to nap. I just laid him down and let him be. William didn't do that for many, many months. I have a feeling that Ryan is more likely to fall asleep on his own because we are actually giving him a chance to do so. I am not sure I ever gave it a good shot with William because I had all the time in the world to devote to him. But with Ryan, sometimes big brother needs something, and the baby has to be put down for a bit. I am also reading a sleep book that is helping me recognize the need to put Ryan down before he gets fussy and over-tired.
Now, both boys are snoozing away. I need to do some dishes and laundry (there is never a time that I don't need to do dishes and laundry!), but I wanted to write about this lovely day so I can look back on it when I'm having one of those days.
Oh, and both pics are over a month old. I know better than to have a post without pictures. I have to reward people for reading through all that!
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