morning routine

6:00 - Gabriel wakes up in his co-sleeper.  I pick him up and snuggle him next to me, hoping he goes to sleep again.  So far, he usually does!  He doses and nurses on and off until about 7:00/7:30.

7:30 - Gabriel *really* wakes up, and tells his mama and baba that he is AWAKE.  We both sit up a little and talk to him for a while.  He seems to like these morning conversations, and he talks and smiles right along with us.  I love these morning times.  He also loves to have both of us hold him and will lean himself out of my arms to go to baba, and vice versa.

7:40 - Gabriel decides he is ready to get OUT of the bed.  One of us does the first morning shift and the other does the second.  If it's my turn, the morning goes like this...

7:45 - Lay Gabriel on floor by the bike racks.  Spin bike wheels and let him watch them spin while I go to the bathroom, wash my face and clean my teeth.

7:50 - Change his diaper, take off pj's and put on his clothes for the day (we're still putting him in those one piece sleepers most of the time.) 

8:00 - Put Gabriel in the sling.  Go into the kitchen and make coffee and my breakfast (usually peanut butter toast.)  Gabriel loves to HELP.  He watches me pour the water in the coffee pot, loves to watch me scoop the coffee beans and 'push' the button on the grinder (mama helps), and then he holds onto the bag the bread is in, making it crinkle.  He tries to grab the peanut butter as well, so I have to do a lot of quick baby evasion.

8:15 - Put Gabriel down on the floor and stretch a little.  He thinks this is very funny and talks to me the whole time.  I often pause in this little stretching routine to have a whole conversation with him.  'ah' 'ah' ooohh''  aaaooohh'  'mmm''  ''aaagggoo'...etc. 

8:40 - Put Gabriel on playmat for tummy time; Get my coffee; turn on my laptop and do the following all at the same time:  entertain the boy, eat my breakfast, read the news. Baba usually comes out to join us right about this time. 

9:00 - Gabriel informs me that he is DONE with tummy time play and wants to do something else.  Luckily - it's baba's turn!  :-)  He loves to play 'standing boy' on her lap in the morning, so this is usually what they do first.  I, in turn, get to finish eating my breakfast.

9:15 - The wee one starts getting TIRED and fussy....naptime is upon us.

9:30 - Down for nap.  I either nap myself (if it's been a long night) or quickly get some work done.