Niko is very used to doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over.
For naps, he knows that about 30 minutes prior, he gets momma milk and gets to cuddle and read books with her. But, as soon as I open the baby gate on the stairs, he runs and he is ready. My job is to let him pee, put on his nap uniform, and sing him lots of songs. Once he is relaxed, I tell him to give me a kiss and he does, then he gives me a big hug, and lastly, he gives me one final kiss as he is standing in the crib; as soon as I am done with that final kiss he plops down on the mattress and puts his little head on a pillow. I make sure he has his his kitten near him and tuck him in in his little soft baby blanket. No crying! No screaming! And, then I watch him sing to himself, bob his little head up and down, kick his feet up and down, and eventually he will close those blue eyes and sleep for an undetermined amount of time. Very rarely, he won’t nap.
For nighttime and starting last Tuesday night, we have stopped the momma milk so I have been bathing him, letting him pee; always happens as soon as he is in the bath tub, getting him dressed in his pajamas, reading books to him, giving him food and drink, brushing his teeth, and eventually getting him in the crib for nighttime. He does ask for momma milk or should I say he screams, but I ignore it and try to distract him with something else. He also his very aware of the surroundings in his room and knows about the baby camera; so, when it moves when we are doing our thing, he automatically knows it’s mom watching us. I tell him to wave or smile for mom and of course, he does! The camera has audio so she can listen to us sing and talk. Niko is a very good singer!
When I am finished with Niko, it is time to take care of me and the rest of the house. That always involves cleaning the kitchen and taking the trash out, and if needed preparing my meals for the next day.
I will keep on doing this for a few more weeks and then I will let Nina do it; then we can switch of doing it.
So far, he is doing great with me in the evenings and I have really been enjoying our time. Nina, on the other hand, misses him and I totally understand; dude, she is the momma!
Another positive about me doing all the nighttime stuff is Nina is able to finish her work downstairs and when she comes up, she can relax and knit; she is making Niko a sweater.
