On Saturday, Niko turned 16 months old and Nina turned a year older. Last year on this day and for the first time, we crib trained Niko. Basically, we got him out of our bed as he was sleeping on me, and into his crib. I made a promise to Nina that I will never ever do something like that again on an important date.
Since Monday was Labor Day, I took Friday off so I could have a 4 day weekend with my family. And, Nina took Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off from her job as a stylist for Stitch Fix.
Nina scheduled a massage for Friday for herself. And, I was going to go with her and take Niko to lunch next door at a Chinese restaurant, but I decided to stay home with Niko and allow Nina to have some freedom away from us. Plus, Niko would be able to have both naps at home rather than the car; he sleeps much better at home. She did pick up an order I placed after her massage for Chinese food, she went to Target and got Niko socks, and she did our weekly grocery shopping also. While she did all that, I got lots of baby time and I enjoyed every minute of it. I like playing with him, I like reading him books; even if he only pays attention for 1 page, I like chasing him around the house, I like talking to him, I like feeding him food, I like getting him ready for his naps, and I like being his dad.
During his 1st nap on Friday and after I paid our bills, I took a nap also and it was very nice. I told Nina that if I came downstairs during his 1st nap, I would likely be in clean-up mode and I didn’t want to do that. I actually cleaned up after he woke up and he even helped me put some trash in a garbage bag. During his 2nd nap, I went downstairs and wrote. Nina arrived home during his 2nd nap and I was glad; I missed her. I helped her unload her car and put everything away so she could eat and drink before he woke up. When Niko did eventually wake up, I told him I had a surprise waiting for him; it was momma!
On Saturday, we went to North Star Mall, an indoor old fashioned mall. Since it was far from us, we had to plan both naps in the car; well, he didn’t nap on the drive down but, he did nap on the drive home. It was very pleasant just the three of us walking around the mall. Niko held my hand for the majority of the time. We did put him in the stroller after lunch because he was tired. For lunch, we went to The Cheesecake Factory. My biggest complaint is the menu is too big; not big as in the font, but big as in many foods to choose from. I had a cheeseburger; I won’t be ordering it again. It was good, but not fantastic. I also had a side of macaroni and cheese; it was a bit too cheesy for me and I like cheese. I took the long way home so Niko could sleep and he did. He woke up about 30 minutes from home and at that point, we were really close to a park. So, I stopped and we let him run around and play for a half hour.
On Sunday and during Niko’s 1st nap, Nina and I watched a movie; Guardians of the Galaxy 2, in it’s entirety. We haven’t done that since before he was born. I will admit and say it was very pleasant watching a movie with some popcorn with my wife. When he naps, I am either cleaning the house, napping, relaxing, or writing something. And, when I am not doing any of those things, I enjoy the silence; except we have a cat who doesn’t know what quiet means! I do have several Netflix shows that I want to watch and I just don’t have the time; well, maybe I can start one of them next weekend. But, probably not because during his naps next weekend, I will be writing a high school football article and that will be what I do for next 10 plus weekends. So, here are 6 Netflix shows in no particular order I can’t watch yet and you better not spoil any of them for me:
- Bloodline – season 3
- Master of None – season 2
- The Defenders
- Iron Fist
- Wet Hot American Summer – 10 years later]
- GLOW
On Monday, it felt like a Sunday; mainly because Nina had to work and I did my Sunday routines. After I made Niko and I breakfast, we took a 35 minute walk. I let Nina take her time getting downstairs after we wake up and when she eventually makes it downstairs, she doesn’t have to baby wrangle Niko because it’s daddy and son time! My routines are changing all the sheets and pillow cases, doing laundry, vacuuming the 1st floor, putting all of Niko’s toys away, mopping the kitchen area; Niko is still throwing food, taking the trash out, cleaning the kitty litter; I do that every day, cleaning the kitchen so Nina has a clean slate when she cooks, emptying the dishwasher; we run it every night, and doing whatever else is needed around the house. All those routines were done on his 1st nap; I even had time to sit down and write. In addition to all the cleaning which takes less than an hour, I play with my son and that is the absolutely best feeling in the world.
For his 2nd nap on Monday, I took a nap also. It’s hard work being a daddy and a husband and naps are good and relaxing for me.
