Ah balance.

For a while there, we were struggling with late nights and wacky long naps and a sometimes temperamental toddler. The last twp days we've been rocking the engaged parenting and had stellar bedtimes and naps. Now, it seems I've wiped out my poor son with TOO much to do. Goodness, where is the balance, Becky? I suppose I fear that if I stay at home, we'll simply watch tv or movies and so I get out of the house so that doesn't happen. But, as last night have proof of, my son just sometimes wants some quiet play time. At dinner, where he joined us for the popcorn on his plate but not the angel hair and shrimp, he quietly took his little Star Wars play figures and arranged them and played them with one another. He didn't ask us to join him or even really bother with our response. Of course, there are daily, "chase me" and "follow me" moments in our lives, but I need to allow for or set up time for QUinn to simply BE. This morning he and I went to the Children's Museum again and wandered the Living Section, spending a good deal of time just taking in Clifford who was making the rounds. We hung out in the Habitot room and broke down building blocks. I wonder what psychology is involved with my desire to not have him knock down play bricks, when really, maybe he needs to figure out what happens when he does something. Ah, the mind games of parenting. We were scheduled to have a playdate tonight but Quinn's runny nose has cancelled the event. Tomorrow Luke leaves for his mini-college reunion and Quinn spends the night at his GRandma's house for the first time. Asha is coming over for a sleepover so it should be a very fun night. Quinn is all about suckers right now and the association between the museum and suckers is strong. It's interesting that he should like them so much, but I suppose we haven't really exposed him to much candy. Cookies and baked goods, yes, but not the menagerie of candy that is out there. Quinn and i ate a lovely breakfast/lunch at Mickey's. We split pancakes, sausage and eggs and I had to do my best to tune out the 20 somethings who were spouting political ego's too loudly for my taste. Now Quinn is taking a long nap and snoozing sweetly in our bed. My desire to sleep in my own bed has grown since we got the new lovely duvet cover and pillows. I want to sleep in the adult bed now. Unfortunately, this means that Luke has slept the last few nights in the toddler's Star Wars bed because Quinn joins me in the big bed leaving little room for Dad. Alas, how does one find the balance? Quinn is fun to watch when he pretends that his hand is a tennis racket. We run circles around the bedroom again and again. Today, Quinn insisted in lowering himself head first over the side of our bed so that he could look at the lion that was obviously beneath our bed. Quinn likes to make tunnels with his body, essentially creating a downward facing dog shape with his small body. We are taking baths every night now as part of our go to bed routine. I am encouraging Quinn to let the animals be friends with one another rather than fighting, which is kind of a standard move for Quinn this week. He did allow me to advocate for friendship though and the hippo, alligator and shark got to swim together last night, even diving into the tub together:) We need to find inside shoes for Quinn and school.