Hellobee

Our weekends have changed a lot since Max was born. Whereas they used to be fairly low-key (i.e. Netflix marathons, DIY projects), they’re now a lot more kid-friendly and action packed. Each one is different, especially when grandparents are in town. Here’s a look at what we did this past Memorial Day weekend when Pops and Bebe were visiting.

FRIDAY

Max’s daycare was closed for a teacher in-service day so Mr. Ice Cream and I decided to take the day off.

5:30 AM – Max wakes up. Mr. Ice Cream gets up with him. I sleep in til 7:30 (wahoo!).

7:00 AM – After a light breakfast of scrambled eggs and cantaloupe, Mr. Ice Cream takes Max to Pops and Bebe’s hotel to have breakfast #2 and “eat waffles.” Eating waffles is currently one of Max’s favorite things to talk about. Lately Max has been having an elevator aversion so he makes everyone walk up the stairs in the hotel. We all hope this phase will pass soon.

7:30 AM – I wake up. Make 2 fried eggs, a bagel and a bowl of cereal. It’s a luxury to eat a high carb breakfast without a toddler insisting he wants the same. We are trying to keep Max on an eggs and fruit breakfast and limit the bagels and cereal he eats. If it were up to him he would eat nothing but bread, fruit bars and graham crackers all day. I lounge around for a little with the morning news, basking in the quietness of the house. Then I throw in a load of laundry and fold the remaining clean clothes that have been sitting in the dryer for 2 days.

1:00-3:00 PM – After lunch, Max takes a nap. Ever since we switched to a toddler bed (~6 weeks ago) it takes Max a lot longer to fall asleep. Some days we start the naptime routine close to an hour before he actually falls asleep. We have debated putting the crib back up because he was such a great crib sleeper, but at this point we are just toughing it out.

3:30 PM – We all go to Stony Point Mall so Max can run around in the Water Play Park. It’s a cute spot with a Splash Pad and play area that has plenty of outdoor seating for adults. After a little, Mr. Ice Cream and I leave to go see a movie at CineBistro while Max stays with Pops and Bebe. They hang out for a while longer, then grab Chipotle for dinner.

7:00 PM – Mr. Ice Cream and I get home. Max is bathed and in his PJs relaxing on the couch with Pops and Bebe. We let Max wind down with a show before bedtime. He switches between watching Cars and this terrible Netflix show that he calls “Schoolbus.” This night they are watching Cars since Bebe brought Max Cars PJs and a big lighting McQueen pillow. We let Max stay up until 8:00 because he looks so cute snuggled up with Pops and Bebe.

9:00 PM – Mr. Ice Cream and I watch the latest episode of Silicon Valley, then head up to bed to read for a bit.

10:30 PM – Sleep

SATURDAY

6:00 AM – Max wakes up and starts calling for us. Mr. Ice Cream gets up, makes him breakfast (scrambled eggs and strawberries) and feeds him. Pops comes by at 8:00 AM to pick up Max.

8:30 AM – Mr. Ice Cream and I head to IKEA. The drive is a little more than an hour and a half, but we don’t mind because it’s a nice time to spend together. It was so quiet without Max talking in the back or listening to an endless playlist of Wheels on the Bus. Normally when we plan an IKEA trip we are fully prepared — we’ve browsed the catalogue, taken measurements and made a precise list of the exact items we want. We inevitably always end up with a lot of extra items that we didn’t know we needed (IKEA does that to you). This time our main goal was to pick up the big boy bed that Pops and Bebe bought for Max. Considering this trip was a little more impromptu, we ended up with a LOT more stuff! Most of it was for Max’s new big boy room but we also grabbed a few updates for the house (i.e. new curtains….yay!). Somehow it was 3:00 PM by the time we checked out, packed up the car and headed home.

10:00 AM – Pops and Bebe take Max to the mall where he can ride the train. They meet up with Bebe’s sister, Aunt Laurie, who happens to be in town visiting friends the same weekend. They all go over to Barnes and Noble for a “Pete the Cat” story time. A few weeks ago Mr. Ice Cream and I took Max to see the Pete the Cat author, Eric Litwin, which was a blast. We assumed the Barnes and Noble story time would be equally as fun, but it ended up being a bust. Luckily, Max didn’t mind and still had a good time. That’s one of the great things about toddlers, they don’t always realize when something isn’t fun.

1:00 – 3:30 PM – Max takes a nap.

5:30 PM – After Mr. Ice Cream and I get back, we all head over to our neighbor Christina’s house for a party. Christina has an adorable puppy that Max took a special interest in. He has always been very cautious around animals, so we were thrilled that he was petting and playing with Meeka. We hang out for a while until Max started to show visible signs of grump. At that point we take our cue and head home.

7:00 PM – Typically Mr. Ice Cream and I trade off giving Max a bath and putting him to bed, but occasionally we do it together. It’s not a practical nightly routine, but every once in a while it is nice to both cozy up with Max to read him a bedtime story (or three). I’m making an effort to enjoy these moments when it’s just the three of us, because in a few short months there will be 4.

10:30 PM – Sleep

SUNDAY

6:30 AM – Mr. Ice Cream and I managed to wake up before Max (this has only happened a handful of times). We went downstairs and made breakfast together, something that we almost never get to do anymore.

7:00 AM – Max wakes up and we all eat together.

10:30-11:15 AM – Romp-n-Roll Toddler Tunes class. We don’t go to Romp-n-Roll regularly anymore, but it is still a great activity for dreary days and Max loves it. This time Pops and Bebe took Max and Mr. Ice Cream and I stayed home and went for a run.

3:30 PM – After Max’s afternoon nap, Pops and Bebe take him to the Children’s Museum. Mr. Ice Cream and I clean up the house, fold laundry then head out to meet them. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that while at the Children’s Museum, Pops constructed an impressive system of connected cog of wheels.

5:30 PM – Dinner at Chuy’s. Max had his first taste of nachos, but his favorite part was watching the woman make the tortillas. She even gave him a little piece of dough so he could try making his own. In true toddler fashion, he immediately tried eating the lump of raw dough.

8:30 PM – Once Max was down for the night, Mr. Ice Cream and I relaxed on the couch with ice cream and watched Married at First Sight. Don’t judge, we know one of the couples!

11:00 PM – Sleep

MONDAY

5:00 AM – Max wakes up and Mr. Ice Cream gets him. I wake up too and make a half-hearted effort to get him, but as soon as Mr. Ice Cream tells me to “go back to sleep,” I don’t argue.

9:00 AM – Pops and Bebe get to our house. We pack a cooler of food and head to Maymont Park for a picnic. We didn’t make it around to see the bears but Max had just as much fun chasing a gaggle of geese up the hill. Not shown in the picture are 4 out of breath adults.

12:30-2:30 PM – Max takes a nap. Mr. Ice Cream and his dad play baseball on the Xbox and Bebe and I go for a walk. After a very rainy week, it was nice getting out of the house and getting some steps.

3:30 PM – Max has been taking swim lessons for the last few weeks but this was our first trip to our neighborhood pool. We slathered on sunscreen, grabbed a toy, packed towels and headed to the pool. It was packed but I think Max enjoyed seeing all the bigger kids running around. He loved being in the water and did not want to leave.

5:30 PM – Mr. Ice Cream and I squeeze in one more date night. Pops and Bebe take Max out to dinner then to Sweet Frog for a special frozen yogurt treat.

7:30 PM – Mr. Ice Cream and I get home. As we lounge around with Pops, Bebe and Max, it reminds me that weekends like this give me the space to realize just how lucky we are. Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!