Surely, things will change BIG TIME once our baby arrives, and things will change again whenever we buy a house and move once more. So when those times come, when the chaos abounds, I want to look back on this time in our lives and remember the ebb and flow of our schedule, the fun times, the confusion, the quiet conversations, the meals around the table...
Charlotte usually wakes us up, anywhere from 6:20 to 8:20, but 7am is pretty typical of late. Joel usually gets her changed and they play while I make breakfast. We eat a leisurely meal together and then play some more. This morning Charlotte was a mess before breakfast, then a mess again while we were reading devotions. Not a great start to the day. I was frazzled so Joel took her outside while I got a shower.
Most mornings are nice and cool here, so we usually try to go for a walk and/or to the playground before lunch. We have a really great biking/walking/ running trail nearby, so sometimes Joel takes a long bike ride while C and I walk, then we meet at the playground. Charlotte LOVES slides and swings and climbing elements, so this is probably the best part of her day. We also try to stop and visit with any friendly dogs we meet ;)
After lunch Charlotte takes a pretty long nap. I often lay down, or play online, or do laundry, or clean up the kitchen, or look at house sale listings with Joel. After her nap, Charlotte is really ready to play again! She splashes in her little pool, or we run errands, or we meet our realtor to view more homes. If I'm feeling adventurous, we go to another park, or take a walk.
Our girl has settled into the home we are renting pretty well at this point. It's kid-friendly enough that she can mostly roam freely and explore the main rooms of the house. She has figured out how to close doors, but can't open them yet, so we just keep doors closed if there's a space we don't want her to find. Her favorite activity of late is what I would call "hoarding"... She grabs every.single.item. She can and makes a giant pile on her floor. Mostly the pile includes books, stuffed animals, diapers, wipes containers, blankets, and dirty clothes. After her collection is complete, she stands up, then plops down on top of the pile to read one of her "Bitta Bitta"s. It's totally hysterical to watch!
Joel's flexible schedule for August means he is always home in time to play with Charlotte while I get dinner ready. We eat together as a family (which has been so awesome lately!) and hang out until Charlotte gets ready for bed. We had been putting her down between 7 and 7:30 and recently had about five nights of bedtime struggles, but last night decided to have her stay up until about 8:00. That seemed to do the trick- she fell asleep immediately and slept soundly until 6:45 this morning. Success!
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