This is what life looked like for T at age two. Here is the document which I foolishly believed would help me have some control over her day!
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First and foremost we are so grateful to have you watching
T for us. This is a big adjustment
for all of us and having you with T is helping immensely. I have put together an itinerary that should
help you know how our day usually goes.
I hope it helps! T really
seems to thrive on her routine – and she has come to expect it – so hopefully
this will keep things as stable as possible for her.
Waking Up
T
usually wakes up between 7:30 and 8:30.
If she wakes up before 7:30 she will probably need some tender loving
care. If she wakes up crying then she
needs to be held or rocked, or may even want to lay in my bed (if she isn’t
there already!). She wakes up very
slowly…she is not usually raring to go right away – she likes some quiet time
and snuggling. We have also been
watching the Disney channel in my bed for about half an hour after she wakes up
– with her binky in, just snuggling.
Then I
change her diaper, leave her binky and carry her downstairs.
Breakfast
T likes
to eat breakfast on the couch, with a blanket on, watching Mickey Mouse. Generally, I give
her either a waffle or a Pop Tart (broken into four pieces), on a plate. She also gets a sippy cup of milk. On the side table I have a bowl of cereal
(usually Cheerios or Lucky Charms) – when she asks for them I give the bowl to
her, but I like her to start with the waffle or Pop Tart. When she seems to have lost interest in the
waffle or Pop Tart, I start feeding her prunes.
She usually eats them well – pretty quickly too! She will let you know when she is done (she
usually throws any toys that she has on the floor one at a time – to make sure
she has all of them with her!!); then she climbs down herself.
Playtime after Breakfast
During this
time T usually likes to play on her own.
She goes around and takes out what she wants; she also watches some TV
too. This was usually the time when I
would shower so she is used to entertaining herself for a while. I think it is good for her to amuse herself –
she gets to explore and be creative!
Keep her breakfast accessible to her so she can snack on it throughout
the morning. Keep encouraging her to
drink milk too!
Around 9:30
or later it is time to brush T’s teeth.
She stands on the stool while I brush her teeth (I usually sing “Brush
brush brush your teeth every day and night brush them really good so you can
have great teeth” – to the “Row, row, row your boat” tune). Then I have T walk upstairs to get
dressed. I will try to have an outfit
laid out for you – if not feel free to dig around in her dresser and
closet! Then I change her diaper and get
her dressed, and then we walk downstairs – she climbs down backwards (go ahead
of her and guide her bottom).
Playtime
I generally
take T’s lead throughout the course of the day as far as playing goes. I do try to make sure she engages in various
types of play – creative, active, constructive, etc. Climbing, squatting, walking, and running are
all important for her to do. If you
think she has been sedentary for too long then ask her to play something else –
she likes to do Mickey shapes or the other sorting toys – we throw the pieces
and then she goes around and picks them up and brings them back to the toy. She knows where her toys are and I am sure
she will express to you what she wants to do!!
At about
12:45 or 12:50 (depending on how many toys are out), T helps pick up her
toys. It is good for her to walk around
and pick up her toys – plus it is teaching her to be responsible for her
things!
Lunch
T eats
her lunch at the table in her seat. If
you think she would eat better sometimes if front of the TV on the couch – go
for it! I try to give her some sort of
carbohydrate, yogurt, and fruit.
Crackers, pretzels, graham crackers, yogurt, raisins, etc. If she has drank most of her cup of milk then
I give her juice or water. Feel free to
try anything you want. I will try to
keep the cabinets and fridge stocked! I
have attempted sandwiches with no luck, but our goal is to keep offering her
all sorts of food. Lunch usually lasts
about half an hour – she will let you know when she is done!
Reading
At 1:00
T and I sit down to read for a while.
We rock downstairs and she picks which books she wants to read. She usually lets me know when she wants to go
upstairs, but if she doesn’t we go up around 1:15. T walks up the stairs with me holding
under her armpits, or she crawls/climbs (I just support her bottom).
Naptime
When we go
upstairs I turn on the heater and the humidifier. Then I change T’s diaper and she has her
binky. I take her shoes off and we talk
quietly. Then I turn on the noise
machine and the monitor. We rock in the
rocker with a blanket on and I ask her what she wants me to sing. Generally she falls asleep within five or ten
minutes. This may not work for you (as
it does not work for Hubby). Hubby puts
her in the crib and lets her put herself to sleep. I am sure this will be the hardest part of
T’s day so you will have to determine what will work for her.
Something
else that sometimes works is rocking her for about fifteen minutes, and then if
that is not working put her in her crib and go downstairs. Leave her for about fifteen minutes and then
go up and try again. She does not like a
lot of eye contact while she is going to sleep. At this time I usually hold her close, but
do not engage in conversation!
If she
wakes up before I get home and is happy let her play in her crib for a few
minutes (again she wakes up slowly). If not
you may need to rock and snuggle for a few minutes and then head downstairs
(leave the binky upstairs!). She gets
her vitamin at this time too (it is in the medicine cabinet – middle – fill it
up to the 1). She stands on her stool
while I give it to her (with a tissue under her chin!).
C - the dog
You can
keep C locked in his room or you can let him be out. He generally stays in his room, even with the
gate open. T likes to play with him,
so if the gate is up make sure it is secured.
You won’t need to let him out at all – I never do during the day.
I
will call when I am leaving the school, so if T is napping around then
please let C out about 12 – 15 minutes after I call.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow that seems like a million years ago. Her day is so different and it seems like her day has lost structure since then. I am proud of how T Bear and I spent our days together. It feels like I don't have as much organization now as I did then (maybe having two changes that!). Let me say that this helicopter mommy does not like handing over her precious children to anyone, but I know I literally could not have gone back to work without my mother and mother-in-law. That first day back at work was the worst day of my life, and I am certainly not looking forward to doing it again.
High: Having this document to remind me of how amazing our days were together!
Low: Reliving the pain and angst I (and T) felt when I returned to work.
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