Homebody

My husband would rather stay home than do just about anything else, and I think Canaan is the first of our three boys to show signs of being the same way. He is usually a very sweet easy going baby, but I have a very small window of opportunity to be outside of the house without him crying and needing to be held. I know he is only four months old, and I might be expecting too much of him; but the older boys love to get out and go somewhere, anywhere, so it is hard to balance everyone's wants/needs. Canaan just already likes his bed, likes his routine, likes an air conditioned house.

Around four months my babies fall into a two nap routine (usually around 10 and 3), and Canaan is working his way to that routine nicely. But when Silas was a baby, if we needed to go somewhere he would usually take the early nap while we were out and about, and then take his afternoon nap a little earlier and for longer. Canaan, however, does not like to nap in the car or in his car seat or in the stroller or in a sling. Only in his bed. But then after his nap is lunch and time for the big boys to take a nap, so I am trying to make him adapt to mornings on the go. This has been my week...

Monday: Went to the park around 9:30, Canaan starts getting fussy around 10:15 so we leave. I need a few things at the grocery, and I hope that he will fall asleep while we are strolling around the store. No. He does fall asleep in the car, but wakes up at the grocery store, cries the whole time we were in the store, the whole way home, the whole time I am trying to get groceries and three kids in the house, and then falls right to sleep as soon as his head hits his crib mattress. Whew.

Tuesday: Went to the library around 9:30, Canaan starts to get fussy around 10:30 so we leave. Falls asleep in the car until we come to a stoplight. Screams most of the way home, but then thankfully falls asleep again when we are on our street and transitions to his bed well.

Today: Went to the rec center around 8:30, leave with him crying around 9:45. Falls asleep on the way to pick up our van from the repair shop. Of course, he wakes up as soon as the car stops. Seems content enough for us to pick up a snack on the way home. Not happy with that decision, he screams the entire way home completely ruining the first Chik-fil-A I have had in several weeks.

While writing this, I have just realized that this probably really is my husband's fault. He spent the summer at home with Canaan while I got out of the house with the big boys, and quickly made the baby a little homebody just like him. Finding someone to blame is nice, but I still will have to work on a balance to everyone's daily entertainment and sleep needs.