Just Mommy & me

I usually make great efforts to see that Katie and Benjamin go down for naps at around the same time in the afternoon because, let's face it, even though I love my babies to the moon and back, it's nice to have a little bit of quiet in the middle of the day in order to avoid insanity. ;)

Some days, like today, it just doesn't happen--and I try to go with the flow when things don't go according to plan. Benjamin went down for his nap at about 12:30, and Katie didn't seem tired so I let her stay up for a while. We had a grand time. We worked on learning the alphabet with magnetic "ABC's letters", and we built towers with blocks. And of course, she had a blast knocking them over. It was especially funny when the tower fell on Mommy. ;)

When it was naptime, Katie ran in Benjamin's room and woke him up. I think it was a (lame!) last-ditch effort on her part to avoid naptime. Needless to say, it didn't work. So, she went down for a nap just as he got up. After I finished up a couple things in the kitchen, I had some time to play with just Benjamin. We tickled and played with toys just us.

This may all seem pretty ordinary. However, most days I don't get to spend extended time with each child one-on-one. That's not to say there's no one-on-one time; it's just we are mostly all together. I was amazed at how their sweet little personalities shined through when I had opportunity to play with them individually. I guess when I'm with both of them all day it's easy to think of them as a pair of children ("the kids"), rather than two unique individuals. Katie loves to play with puzzles, blocks, dolls, and her "ABC's letters" and gets so excited when the opportunity prevents itself. Benjamin really likes to chew on things and roll around--and he sure is ticklish!

Will I change the routine so this can happen every day? Probably not. But, for the afternoon not going according to plan, it was a fun opportunity to "get to know" my children as individuals just a little better.