137 days into Motherhood: Splitting Time with Two

One thing I worried about when Vivian came was finding one on one time for both kids. Henry seemed to monopolize all my time and then thinking about adding another one, geesh. Well it has actually gone smoother than I thought. I find myself naturally carving out time to spend with each of them individually.

With Henry we have been playing lots of games. I have been impressed with his lengthened attention span these days. He can sit and play Sorry with me and finish. He also is getting a lot better at not winning. We have also enjoyed reading more together. He has always loved picture books but recently we have started reading chapter books. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a huge hit. It has been a great exercise for him, as we read we discuss what is happening. We also start each time by reviewing what we read last time. To celebrate finishing the story we went and each picked out some candies to try and watched the movie together. He fell in love with the movie and talked about in nonstop for days. Oompa Loompa Doompa Di Da! Vivian still naps for the majority of the day so I find I have plenty of time to hang out with my favorite little guy.

Vivian sleeps most of the day but when she is awake--seriously, only for like 1-2 hours at a time--she is pretty content these days. She likes hanging out in her bouncer and being around us in the living room. When Henry is playing or watching tv, I sometimes quietly slip into my room with her and we lay on my bed. She likes being in there. I don't know if its the bright window or its just a little quieter but it seems so soothe her. Now that she is interacting more I love that spending time with her isn't just about feeding her. Vivian likes to be picked up and lifted above me as I lay down. I lift her up and bring her down for a kiss on the cheek. We call this coming down for a kiss landing. She flies around always with the same non-reactive face. Content for her equals happy. Another thing she likes it to have us move her arms and legs around like dancing. My time for playing with her is usually interrupted by Henry who loves joining the party.

I'm already mentally planning how our time will change once Henry is in Pre-K. I will spend hours with Vivian in the morning and then be ready to chat and listen to Henry after he comes home from school. I really want to make sure I am there for him in the afternoon. Obviously I wrote this post before Pre-K started but it all still holds true. I have found that I can continue to give them each one on one time or make our time all together meaningful. It helps that Henry is super interested in Vivian and is not jealous or resentful in any way.