Since the start of the school year, I have been taking Caleb to the library once a week. I took him a few times back in the spring, and when Brian went back to work, we started up again. Its purpose is two-fold: 1) It gets us both out of the house, fairly easily, I might add, since it is only around the corner, and 2) It gets Caleb familiar with the library at a young age, and since I'll be homeschooling him, this is so important.
We are limited to this corner, at this present time, because these are the only books he can't destroy. When I first started bringing him, he didn't even want me to put him down, but now he enjoys rummaging through the book bins. He even gets brave and steps away from me and peeks around the corner. (For him, this is huge, because anywhere else in public he won't tolerate being put down at all.)
He doesn't really open any of the books. He just likes pulling them out of the bins and putting them back again. A few of his books that he has at home are there, and he clings to one in particular, which is his favorite bedtime book.
He has somehow managed to fall backwards- twice now- into the baskets. The first time he hit his head against the wall, and the second time, just this morning, I quickly grabbed onto his jacket and saved his poor head.
Sometimes I read aloud to him; other times I just let him be. (Honestly, he doesn't even look at the book if I read out loud because he's doing his own thing.) But it's our little thing. Sometimes I go through the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru for an iced coffee before we go and so it is a nice little outing. We don't stay at the library for longer than a half hour, and we always make it home in time for Caleb's lunch.
Brian and I both love to read, so we are hoping to instill this in Caleb at a young age. Every nap time and bedtime routine is packed with fifteen minutes worth of reading, and it is fun to see him love books more and more.
(This book he's looking at is one he has at home. Definitely his favorite, and the only one at the library he even opens!)
