This past weekend was the first since the backyard and patio were finished.  We did a lot of work to make the rest of the yard look as nice, including the purchasing and distribution of 26 bags worth of mulch (I need a truck...).  We also got the firepit up and running.  Isaac and Dad gathered some firewood to make the firepit a bit nicer to use.  To that end we had to chop and saw a bunch of branches that we had piled up from the October snowstorm.  Isaac watched with fascination and Dad decided to teach Isaac how to use a saw.  Take a look:


Bear Grylls eat your heart out.  And yes, Nanna, Dad was super careful.

Since Isaac was born we have fastidiously managed his sleeping.  We learned the power of Babywise early on and it worked exactly as the book said it would.  To this day Isaac is, knock on wood, a very good sleeper.

The actual going to bed routine has become quite simply my favorite time of day.  And the final minutes I spend with him are really precious.  They also follow a tightly managed script.

Right now he really likes In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak.  We read that and Isaac sings along as I read "I'm in the milk and the milk is in me!"  He crows when Mickey says Cockadoodle DO!  And then the books ends.  I turn him around and see if he will give me some cuddles.  He does, every once in a while, but mostly he just smiles.  I'll take that.  Then he says "Mom, mom, mom," points to Bianca and holds up his arms.  She picks him up and he says to me "Bye, bye".  As I walk out I turn on the white noise machine and turn off the overhead light.  Just before I just the door I give him an energetic point and say "Love you."  He responds with a singsongy "Love you" and then I shut the door and Bianca gets her turn.

It is a beautiful ritual and something I will never forget.

Isaac, even though he is a small guy, has an impressive baritone voice.  Take a listen to this (it is around 0:11 seconds):


What did I tell you? Just like Barry White.