The Play Room - AKA Maker of Free Time for Mom

Melanie has been getting to experience independence pretty regularly recently. No, she's not a latch-key kid yet, but I have been letting her hang out in the play room without me for brief periods of time. I tell myself this is to get her ready for when the baby gets here and I can't give her my undivided attention, but if I'm honest with myself it's also to provide a distraction so I can get something done or just have a few minutes to myself during the day. I take Melanie downstairs and turn on the light for her in the playroom, make sure all the other doors in the basement are closed, and then return upstairs to unload the dishwasher, read the paper or even knit for a little bit without Melanie becoming intrigued by my task and trying to "help" me. I leave the gate open at the top of the stairs, and when she feels she needs my attention, or she begins to suspect that I may be having fun without her, she comes back upstairs.

This arrangement has been working well so far, mostly because she doesn't stay down there alone for more than 15 minutes at a time, but it seems to be helping me keep my sanity. And since we don't have furniture in the basement yet and recently I seem to have the agility of a beached whale when it comes to getting up off the floor (the only place to sit right now) Melanie will continue to have these short bursts of independent play time throughout the day. Matt normally spends a while downstairs with her in the evenings so I get some "mommy" time, and I try to make a point of playing with her for a bit each time we go downstairs, but it's fun to peek in on her when she's playing by herself. It's fascinating to see her little imagination at work at such a young age!

Here are a few pictures of the playing in action

The Jumping Mattress

Don't worry - she really only jumps on this when someone is watching her because it's an exhibition thing for her - she's quite the little show off

You can't tell from the pictures, but she's getting some pretty good height on these jumps

(earlier today)
Her very own little kitchen!
She really enjoys this - my sister Laura gave it to her for Christmas

(just a few minutes ago)

While I was typing this post Matt called me in to the playroom to take a picture of something Melanie was doing and this is what I saw

Melanie had set the table for the two of them, making sure Matt had his crossword puzzle and even "filling" the pitcher and his cup with water at the sink in her kitchen - Matt said she wanted everything "just so" and arranged it how she wanted it. She prefers "cooking" for Matt - I have yet to be given a meal at Melanie's Diner. I guess little girls fall in love with their dad's earlier than I thought...
She even got out of her seat and made sure Matt folded his hands so they could pray before eating!

(Matt's been working on this with her at dinner time)

Puzzles - always a favorite!
What the playroom quite often looks like after Melanie has had 15 minutes to herself.
I think she feels she has to inventory all her toys each time she goes downstairs, so they are quite often dumped out of their containers and on the floor. I hope to get some shelves in the not-too-distant future to hopefully help deter this "need" of hers, as well as to clear up some floor space. I'm not too fond of the toy bins lining the walls - looks cluttered to me.