It’s been a few months since my last “day-in-the-life”. They’re my favorite posts to look back on so here we are with a new update: life with a toddler – 2 years old! This was Wednesday which is usually the only day a week Brady works in the office instead of from home.
One of the things we’ve been getting better at around here since that last post is our bedtime routine. We started “sleep training” back in April and Henry was falling asleep on his own without either of us nearby after about 6-8 weeks. Then his 2nd molars started coming in and we were back to the beginning. We literally had to start all over again including the throwing things out of bed only to cry phase. But I’m getting ahead of myself here so let’s back up.
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Morning
Henry woke up at 6:30 which is before his doggie wake clock (1) turns green at 6:45 am. He did drift off again but he only slept until 7. We came downstairs and I toasted some pumpkin french toast I had made the day before. I topped my french toast with maple butter from Trader Joe’s and that stuff is a dream! It’s literally only one ingredient – maple syrup- and it’s amazing, I highly recommend it!
By 7:45 am, we were playing with his toys in his playroom. We played with his magnetic tiles (2), did some coloring, sorted each of the animals into their slots in his animal shape sorter (3), and then he moved on to playing independently with his box of vehicles and stuffed animals in the living room.
While he was playing, I spent some time cleaning and organizing in the storage/bonus room. I tried to get Henry excited for a walk at 11:30 so he could have some snacks while we walked. He got in the stroller (4) willingly but was almost instantly fussy and stayed that way for half of the walk. Now that the weather has cooled down enough that I’m enjoying regular walks, it’s been hard to convince him to love stroller walks like he used to. We’ve only been doing short walks over the summer and he always gets to walk when we do those so I understand why he’s been struggling to adjust. He’s an independent one!
He doesn’t usually go down for a nap until about 12:45-1 but I guess all the fussing/stroller movement knocked him out when we were only a couple of minutes from the house. It was a miracle that he slept while I carried him to bed but I knew it would be a shorter nap since he hadn’t eaten lunch yet. He slept for 50-55 minutes and had lunch once he woke up.
Afternoon
We read books for 15 minutes and spent a while doing some more playing with his toys. One of his top favorite toys at the moment is the PicassoTiles (2) he got for his birthday. He loves building “castles” – literally any large building – and making all sorts of shapes. He always asks for castles so that he can knock them down and say “Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom, scat, scoot, fwop, fwee” – quoted from this book (5) and song. He’s also been obsessed with Play-Doh (6) lately and loves having all the colors.
Another current top favorite is the fruit and veggie sorter (7) that he also got for his birthday. He likes to say “Where green apple go?” You repeat after him and then he says “there it is” and drops it in the right bucket. It takes a while and he loves to do it over and over so it’s a great activity for him.
I wanted him to be able to color whenever he wanted, not only when I brought out his crayons so I started leaving them out and emphasized: “only on paper”. It didn’t take too long before he understood the boundaries and now he always has access to his crayons/pencils. He uses them all the time. The crayons are in a carrying container and he has a notepad he can take anywhere as well as a large piece of paper that gets taped to the wall with painters tape (replaced 2-3 times per week). I bought this large roll of paper (8) back in July and we also use it on his table for color, painting, dot art, etc.
After playing for a while, we ran over to the library for a curbside pickup and then to BJs for some desperately needed kitty litter and a few other staples. When we got home, Henry did a great job of helping me to put all of the groceries away. Henry loves to help with “chores”. He hands me all the items from the dishwasher, sorts the laundry as well as pushes it into the dryer after washing.
Brady got home a little before 6 and I started making dinner. I used a pack of frozen cauliflower rice stir fry, a pack of Asian vegetable mix, and some brown rice to make a quick vegetable fried rice for dinner.
We went for a short walk at sunset. Even though it was late, the weather had been so perfect all day and we couldn’t give up the opportunity. Henry tries to collect every stick and rock while we walk and now that fall has started, walking through “crunchy leaves” is a favorite activity as well.
Bedtime
Henry took a shower when we got home and spent most of the time playing with his bath crayons (9). I got him dressed, brushed his teeth, and then read a few of his favorite bedtime books. We read The Goodnight Train (10), Goodnight Gorilla (11), and Guess How Much I Love You (12).
We got him his own Echo Dot a few months ago so that we’d have easy access to his music. The two songs he listens to the most as he falls asleep are “What A Wonderful Love” by The Hound + The Fox and Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.
Brady and I usually take turns doing his bedtime routine with him. When we started sleep training, we laid next to him, eventually, we were able to sit by the door, and currently, we’re sitting at the top of the steps. The plan is to be able to creep down the stairs until we’re able to fully leave him as he puts himself to sleep. It’s a journey. He was asleep before 8:30 and I spent the next 1.5 hours working on projects before going to bed.
When I came up for bed I found him sleeping sideways so I snapped a picture and rearranged him before getting ready for bed myself.
There’s something to love about every age and stage but life with a toddler is my favorite. Of course, there are the struggles of figuring out boundaries as he gains more independence and awareness but I love that communication doesn’t always feel one-sided anymore. It’s fun to hear him talk, sing, and let me know all the things he’s seeing and feeling! It’s a fun time.
Henry is so vibrant, energetic, and incredibly sweet. I wish I could remember all the sweet things he says but I always get so caught up in the moment and forget to write them down. But I do know that there’s nothing else that can melt my heart like his sweet little “Luv you Mommy”. I’m so thankful for my little boy every day!
Thank you for reading Life With A Toddler. Here are links to some of the items referenced in this post!
- Training Alarm Clock
- PicassoTiles – magnetic tiles building set – still a top favorite around here.
- Melissa and Doug Animal Shape Sorter
- Jogging Stroller
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
- Play-Doh
- Fruit and Veggie Color Sorting Toy – One of the other top favorites from his birthday. He asks to do it again and again.
- Large roll of paper
- Bath Crayons – These were an awesome gift from Auntie Hanna when she visited in June.
- The Goodnight Train – This book has fun illustrations, great rhymes, and is overall awesome
- Goodnight Gorilla – So simple that Henry can “read” it but he loves this one.
- Guess How Much I Love You – Classic!
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