TMI Tuesday: I Want My Playroom Back!

When we first started this round of renovations we tried to hold off on disturbing our son’s playroom for as long as possible. As work progressed that was no longer a possibility and our son was not happy about it. Obviously, as the doors were being worked on, even the door in the playroom, we were able to keep things relatively normal but as the flooring got underway the toy boxes began to vanish and the bookshelves disappeared.

It was tough for a few days as our regular routine was completely out the window as the carpet came up and the subfloor shown throughout the first floor. Thankfully we do have a playroom upstairs but it simply isn’t the same and our son let us know about it. While he was at “camp” during the day, when my wife brought him home he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the chaos that permeated the house. And with everything in disarray we had to further throw him off by making sure that he had his shoes on and carrying him from one spot to the next more than we usually do.

Even meal times we a bit of a challenge as he would stop every once in a while, point to the floor, and let us know that something just wasn’t right. Toward the end, the babbles were more along the lines of “when the heck is this going to be done already?” But, somehow, we managed to make it through the tantrums and the screaming and now our son is getting reacquainted with his playroom… the same as it was before but also a little different.

So far our son really enjoys the new door at the end of his playroom as it is much clearer and brings a lot more light into the room. The carpet is something that he seems to like as the different colors and softer feel are rather interesting at times. The hardwood floors are, by far, the biggest adjustment but he does seem to enjoy running around from room to room with seemingly more confidence than when he was running from one surface to another and back again. But, most of this doesn’t matter as all of his toys and, more importantly, books are back in the room and he can, once again, spend better quality time with mommy and daddy now that the work is done. That being said, the next round of renovations should be interesting.

TMI Tuesday: Hey, This Isn’t Camp!

Given the length of time that our son had been away from daycare, my wife and I decided to send him to camp this summer. This chaos that ensued during the spring took him away from the classroom and his friends so we thought it only right that he enjoy a few weeks this summer with others and, more importantly, outside of the house. Of course, it also helps that my wife gets a little respite as she has been caring for him and taking him to various places and get-togethers constantly these last few months and that is a lot to ask of her. There are also a few things that need to be scheduled and having the flexibility during the day is more of a necessity rather than a luxury.

The first few days that we restarted the routine our son seemed a little thrown off but went with it as he is always looking for an excuse to go for a ride in the car. Although he did give me quite the interesting look the first couple of days when I said that he was "going to camp" (see picture above). As he has readjusted to the routine, he is less enthused about possibly going somewhere new and now simply looks forward to “going to camp” every morning. Of course, he does give me a look as if to say, “You’re not fooling me daddy. I know that this isn’t camp. It’s the same school I was going to before.”

And part of this routine is that he is really tired when he gets home at the end of the day. Don’t get me wrong, he still insists on staying up so that he can see daddy but, if he had the choice, he would probably go to bed at around 6:30. But this seems to be getting better as well. The longer that we have had him going, the more that he has adapted to the schedule and he is getting a lot better at staying up at the end of the day.

I guess the important thing to note is that, like countless instances before, we can’t simply fool our son. He knows where he is going, he knows the routine, and he knows the daily schedule. Sometimes he doesn’t like it (especially if he didn’t sleep well the night before) but he, for the most part, accepts it. And, for mommy and daddy, while there are difficult moments, it has allowed us to get a lot more done around the house and has given us, my wife in particular, the flexibility to make some appointments during the day.