Play and other Bedtime Antics

In the last few weeks, Ivan has become a little running machine who constantly wants to play. Andy says that he especially wants to play with me in the evening during out post-bath, pre-bed time.

The level, intensity and interest in play have really become heightened in the last few weeks -- so has the level of chattering and babble (in his special Ivan language. Although on closer thought, I've noticed that all the babies I've seen so far seem to babble the same way. So maybe there is a universal baby babble language that we, the adults, are not privy too anymore. This was probably the same thought that the writer/director of that baby movie some years ago had in mind. The baby movie where a bunch of babies communicate in some way. Obviously I have no clue what its name is)

We've been playing catch and hide and seek, where he runs away from me and then comes back, but when I try to catch him to hug him (which is still an impossible feat as the boy doesn't want to stay still for a second for some cuddling, and I so desperately want to cuddle him) he runs away again. It's laugh and giggles galore.

In the last two weeks or so, he's also gotten fascinated by that alphabet rubber mat puzzle I laid in the spare bedroom. He seems to prefer oval letter -- R, S, D, O and that the insert out of them. He takes the letters out so we put them in their proper places again. He loves it. Then it's back to running.

He also loves to take his teddy bear (well, several of them) hug them and run with them, and then fling them on the floor. Upon his running return, he picks up the bear again, hugs it or puts it on teh floor and lays on top of it. This is usually my clue that it's time to put him to bed.

And putting him to bed has become more difficult. He has so much fun playing with me that he often absolutely refuses to be put in bed. I manage to do it on a 2nd or 3rd try. Sometimes, not even the bottle helps. (Baby Center did warn about this: that 16 months old get so excited running and playing with the parent and don't want to go to bed for the sake of missing out on something).

Well, all this to say that over the last two months, when I finallly thought we made so reading progress before bed time has fell apart. He'll sit still for a second and then take off.

I've managed to put in in teh crib once or twice and then I sat in front of the crib with my back to it holding the book high in front of me, so I can read him a book and he can look at the pictures. It kind of worked, but then I risk riling him up for not wanting to settle down.

So the reading project in on a hiatus for now.

So is the whole idea of giving up the bottle (he still absolutely refuses to drink milk from anything else. Actually the problem has gotten worse), or having him drink milk ahead of time and then have him go to sleep without anything. (Although on a few occasion he would finish his milk while still running around, but then I would still put him to bed with the bottle. It's a comfort thing. I tried putting water in the bottle, but he caught onto my trick. With the crying that ensued, I will not be repeating that trick for a while)