jeffrey and i decided that with this baby coming we would take some advice that we've heard from some friends and family. we've heard them suggest that to help the kids adjust to a new kid in the house we should set aside some specific one on one time with the kids. we decided that we would rotate - mom and elliot, mom and sam, dad and elliot, dad and sam, etc. we decided to keep it simple. we let the kids pick something they would like to do (for free), like to go the park, go on a walk, go to the library, etc. then we get to get a snack together (which so far has been their favorite part.)
last week elliot and i went to the library together. it was so fun to be with him without having any distractions. i could just follow him wherever he wanted to go, look at whatever books or movies he wanted to look at, and best of all just listen to him talk, and talk, and talk. he loves to talk, especially when he doesn't have to compete with anyone else. then we went to the store to get a snack. i needed to grab a couple other things, so i grabbed a cart. elliot asked if he could ride in the cart that had a little tikes car attached on the front. he LOVED being in that car alone and pretended to be driving the whole time. he picked his treat (sour gummy bears) and then we headed home. he loved his "date". i loved it too. it really was nice to have that specific time that was just for me and elliot.
last night it was time for my date with sam. he wanted to go on a walk to the store to get a snack. luckily the weather was cool so i could handle it. it was so cute - he skipped and ran the whole way, taking little breaks for me to catch up. he just talked and talked too. once again it was so nice for him to not have to compete with anyone. he could just enjoy his time with me. we got to the store and he picked his snack. he wanted to go straight home to share with elliot and dad, but i convinced him to sit with me for a little bit on a bench and eat part of his treat, drink my soda with me, and talk a little. he had choosen chocolate coins and thought he was on top of the world. it's so cute to see them get so excited about the little things. we then walked home holding hands part of the way, or he was skipping or running. we were only gone for about 30 or 40 minutes, but he was beaming.
so far i'm loving this idea. i think it will be a huge help when this baby comes. the boys really felt special. it really helps having it be a time that is specifically set apart because then i don't let myself think about the things i need to do or the phone calls i need to make. i turn my phone off too so that i don't get distracted. we actually did this with elliot for a little while when sam was born and it helped then too.
jeffrey and i are starting our weekly date nights too. we feel just as special as the boys when we take the time out for each other to go on a simple date.
i highly suggest these date nights to everyone. i wrote them down on the calendar, so that they were official and so that i wouldn't accidentally schedule something else. we have explained to the boys that sometimes things happen and we might have to reschedule, but they will always get their turn. for example we've picked thursday nights to be the boys' date night and friday to be our date night, but this week i had something thurs to we pushed sam's date night to friday and our date night to sat.
anyway, if any of you try it out or are already doing something similar, let me know how it goes.
his first time looking at his mommy.
calder was born on september 10th and 6:28am. only 3 hrs of labor and no epidural. yep, i did it natural . . . but not by choice. he came so fast they didn't have time. he did really well and is a healthy little boy. i'm so happy to finally have him here.
i'm so in love.
a little burrito.
see how gorgeous he is!
i love seeing jeffrey hold him.
the biggest brother holding calder for the first time.
and the other big brother taking his turn.
i have a lot of other pictures i plan to post, but right now i gotta go feed calder. life is good.
