ENTERTAINING A 16 MONTH OLD

Some days, it's a wonder I get ANYTHING done. I can have plans of what I want to accomplish that day but never seem to remember that my baby probably has plans as well. So this is how a typical day goes around my house.

We get up and have breakfast, sometimes we eat it, sometimes we wear it. Or sometimes it ends up on the floor and I bring the dogs in to lick it up so I don't have to mop.





After getting Colton off to school, it's get dressed and play time. We play with toys or watch a movie. Lately, it's been the Sesame Street movies. Nicholas has his own way of watching them. Comfortably sitting in a laundry basket with his blankie listening to Elmo. (I'm a little tired of "Elmos Song" & "Rubber Duckie")




We try to rotate the toys so we play with something different every day. he LOVES music and usually wants it playing all the time. So we have learned to make our own. He has a music stand that he plays and daces to or we break out the pots and big plastic bowls with the wooden spoons and play drums. It was fun when he figured out how Grandmas toy works that he got for Christmas. Once he pulled the string and it followed, he thought that was pretty funny! (see videos at the bottom of the page!)


If the dogs have been good, we let them come in for a while. Nicholas is at perfect licking height for them. (Maybe I should just let the dogs lick him clean after he eats.) He loves running around with them and then when they get tired, they lay down. Whenever we...or the dogs lay down; to Nicholas you have "assumed the wrestling position." (It was hilarious when we were at church and another baby just younger than him laid down and Nicholas body slammed him...felt bad but couldn't help but laugh.) The dogs are really patient with him and don't seem to mind.



Then it's a little lunch and off to bed. When he gets up it's more play time. Now that Daddy will be at work during the day, Nicholas can sit and play the piano more. When he wants you to play with him, he pats the seat and scoots over to make room for me or dad and then we play a duet together.

Once the brothers come home... it's just CHAOS!!! He's so excited that he is just running around non stop. He likes to help them clean their rooms by giving them more to clean, he empties all the papers off the coffee table and pulls the vacuum plug out of the wall while Josh vacuums the house. He also help sort laundry, draggin both clean and dirty around the house and leaving us guessing which is which. Then its snack time. He loves his Nutri Grain bars, Fig Newtons, Yogurt, cheese and apples. Except he likes to eat apples whole and when he's done, it looks like a bunch of little mice have been nibbling on it.

At the end of the day, he's down right tired from all the running around, messes and playing and usually crashes 5 min. after I put him in his bed at 7:00 pm!!! For mom, that's the countdown to my own personal "Happy Hour." So though I may start the day with a list of things to do, I can't complain too much when I haven't accomplished them because what I REALLY accomplished was spending a day with him and watching him grow!