Niko survived the first week of school, and he is really enjoying it. His favorite subject is Math and for rotation (art, gym, and music), it’s gym. And, he likes his teacher, which is awesome!
Our morning, afternoon, and evening routines are going well.
Mornings, he eats, he uses the bathroom, and he gets dressed (all, in a span of about an hour). Once we get to the school around 7:35 am, he waits in the gym as his classroom is one of the portables. He likes the location as it’s colder and much less noise. Starting tomorrow, I will drop him off on my own.
Afternoons, Nina picks him up and they are usually home by 3:00 pm. Niko eats and eats and eats and eats, and has lots of different drinks. When his belly says done, he has a small treat! While this is happening, Nina is preparing next day lunch and snacks for him. When I finish work around 5:00 pm, I take over the parenting duties so Nina can have a little time to care of herself.
Evenings, we strive to get him in bed with “lights out” by 6:30 pm. He has less than 90 minutes to play, get cleaned, use the bathroom, and get some good book reading in bed. When “lights out” happens, and for the longest time, Nina would sit with him in his bed waiting for him to sleep. But for the past few months, Nina and I have been alternating days with him. He likes us and feels comfortable knowing we are with him. Almost always, though, when we leave, he wakes up and asks what’s happening, as he doesn’t realize he was sleeping. He is OK with us leaving as he just asks for a repositioning of blankets and pillows. Most nights, he wakes up once or twice for a quick pee. A few nights ago, he slept though and his morning pee was like 30 seconds long!
I sleep in the bedroom next to his, so he wakes me up, again for a repositioning of blankets and pillows. I hear him opening his door and asking Alexa for the time, and I see the bathroom lights. Yes, Nina and I have separate bedrooms as we sleep much better alone than together. I don’t mind helping Niko as I am able to get back to sleep easily, unlike Nina.
Repeat this for school days!
For weekends, we keep the same “lights out” bedtime, but everything else is freestyle!