Quiet Time

Fans, we would be remiss if we did not report on the biggest happening of the weekend before its close. We know: what could be bigger than Santa?! Fans. Our Hero has dropped his afternoon nap. !!!!! It was time. Of late, he wasn't napping so much as making the mischief of a bored three-and-a-half year old boy, and waking up his sister in the process. Also, though he would go into his room at 7:30pm for bed, he was up in there, sometimes past 9pm. It wasn't good for him, and it wasn't good for Birdie. And so, we took a deep breath and introduced Joe to quiet time, outside of his room, and pushed his bedtime up to 7pm.

We first attempted quiet time a bit ago, but in his room. However, Clara, though a good sleeper, is a lighter sleeper, and the moment she would wake, it was all over but the shoutin'--and the gigglin', and the partyin'. (The good news is, they're buddies, and it makes our hearts flip flop--it really does.) And so, quiet time, on the outside, was introduced. So far, the way it's gone down is Joe monkeys around upstairs with his new Dado blocks from Aunt Kate and Uncle Scott, and puzzles. After about an hour--which is a super long time!--he gets, understandably fidgety. Then, we try and fold him into whatever we're doing.

Today, we were taking down the scuzzy, dilapidated drapes that have hung in the dining room since we moved in, and which have hung less than a foot away from the table at which two children have learned to eat solid foods. The silvery gray ones we have seen in many a dining photo op, you may be thinking, Dear Readers? Yes, you've got it--except that the drapes were crisp, snowy white when first hung. Really dazzling against the cranberry walls. . .You will all have to wait for the reveal because after Ted fixed the curtain rod that was hung incorrectly from the get-go, he decided to paint the windows, which had suffered much abuse at the paws of Raleigh. Fans, we're gettin' all respectable 'round here at Raleigh House!

So Joe pitched in by going to the Target with Julie for the drapery panels, toting the mini-vac to Ted as needed, and merrily shoving the step stool hither and yon in the dining room with the two corner cabinets filled with the wedding china and wine glasses, until Julie's nerves were just about shot and he said he just. Had. To. Stop.

Julie will say that it had been a long time since she'd kicked it with Joe by himself, outside of story time and was reminded that the kid is one cool little dude. We covered off on tons of things on the way to and from Target, and in and out of Target. On the way out, he remarked that maybe Mommy would get Frosty soon. Here, he was casting back a day or two, when we were talking about a buddy of his at school who will soon have a brother arriving.* We discussed the fact that Joe has a sister, and so does Daddy, and--MINDBLOWING (still as we've covered this before)--it's AUNT KATE--!!!!! It was at this time that we relayed that Julie did not have a sister, or a brother, and when Joe said something along the lines of we should get one for Mommy, and she should be called Frosty. So today, when we ran into Ms. Melissa of KinderCare with her son and daughter at Target, and were discussing that her son and daughter were brother and sister, it was all very top of mind, apparently, that Mommy does not have a sister (or a brother). But, it must be said--and it was--a pretty fab son. (And, though no actual Frosty, some pretty great Frostys-of-her-heart.)

*Apparently, to be named Mickey like In the Night Kitchen which makes this little bro instantly awesome.