Sleepytime

Sidenote: as I'm writing, Austin Powers is on ABC Family. Seriously... is that really a family movie? Hilarious, yes, family, not so much... in the past 7 minutes, I've counted about 37 different movie elements that I'd prefer not to talk to my son about until he turns... well... 37. But I digress...

Truthfully, even though everything I said in the previous post is entirely true, it was a quality evening with the little man. We played, we took a drive, we did some grocery shopping, we ate, we played some more, he ate some more. It's real easy for me to not do a whole lot as far as parenting goes, as Robyn almost always "has" to do the meals and bedtime stuff due to my employment status and other assorted responsibilities that keep me away from home more than I like. So, it's good to get a few hours alone with him. It shows him that Mommy doesn't have to do everything for him all the time. and it shows me that I'm capable of taking care of my kid. Lately, I've doubted that, as I've been gone more than usual, so tonight was good.

I now fully comprehend why Robyn has memorized all of Tobe's favorite books- ya just never know when he'll demand one be read to him. Tonight, while driving home from Kroger, he repeatedly asked me to read him a book. I was confused, as reading and driving is only one safety step up from drinking and driving. He didn't accept "later" as an answer, and he started to pitch a fit. So, I picked up "Elmo's Ducky Day" from the Mommy Bag in the passenger's seat, and did my best to read and drive. Apparently, I did a satisfactory job, as the kid was pleased.

But all this has been done before, and none of it was a big concern. Bedtime is the big concern. Tobe only wants Mama at bedtime. Nobody else will do...

We went to his room, got him a fresh diaper, put on his jammies, turned out the lights, shut the door, turned on the fan, got his bedtime pal ("Pinstripes" the stuffed bengal tiger), prayed, and put him in his bed. He was crying as I put him in his crib, but he settled down relatively quickly. I laid on the floor next to his crib... he reached out, grabbed my hand, pulled it into the crib, and spread my hand out flat on the mattress. Then he rested his head on my hand and fell asleep. It was good stuff.