One of the toughest things for me as I have adjusted to life with a baby has been the scheduling. I (obvi!) can't just pick up and go like I used to be able to. Doing most things now requires time management, patience, and PLANNING. During my maternity leave it was fine for the most part because I was home all day and had more TIME to "schedule" for fun trips to the mall, ball games, target runs, etc. Now...it requires lots of THINKING ahead! The patience thing is a bit hard for me, I will admit. I don't like to waste time, so I get aggravated a lot when I feel like it's taking me too long to do something and I am not able to leave or do whatever I was planning as early as I had intended. I KNEW it was going to be this way...but you really don't realize how much longer it takes to get ready to go places with a baby until you have one:) It seems as if she always likes to squirt a little RIGHT after I change her diaper before we are set to hit the road, thus calling for another diaper change! *and I am not even a freak about changing diapers a lot* I have been spending a lot of time on finding the perfect balance of being on a "strict schedule" and being able to "go with the flow!" I think I am getting it down, but it sure takes planning!
Most nights, our bedtime routine is bath, nurse, swaddle, white noise and CRIB. But, our little girl has been such a champ at adapting when that doesn't work out! I am not one to be chained to my house, I get WAY TOO stir crazy for that...so I learned early on that I would just have to adjust and adapt. There have been many of nights where Collins will get a bottle when we are out and about at her "bedtime" feeding time and then just fall asleep in her carseat. Luckily for us she is still able to go straight to bed when we get home and get her swaddled. Like for instance, this past Saturday Mikey and I hosted a wedding shower and our WONDERFUL friends Haven and Tripp (and baby Harper) kept Collins for us. Collins got her bottle around 7:30 and Haven rocked her for a bit and then put her in her carseat and she went to sleep. Well, we didn't get there until 11 to pick her up, so when we got home at 11:30 I decided to "top her off" with two ounces just to make sure she would be okay to go thru the night since we had woken her when we got home to swaddle her, etc. It worked out beautifully.
Mikey and I talked before Collins entered the world and it was very important to us that we establish a household full of love, comfort, structure, and stability for our little one. Scheduling definitely helps to provide these things. Babies like routines and routines go hand in hand with "scheduling." However, we also knew that we did not want a new baby to rule our life, we wanted to be able to continue on with "normal" activities and in order to do that you have to go with the flow some. The best advice we were given was by my cousin and his wife (who we greatly look up to as parents), they told us to always remember that you and your spouse were a family BEFORE the baby was born, the baby is coming into YOUR family. In other words, don't let the baby rule the roost. I am not an expert, but I have witnessed this happen before to wonderful families...they let the baby control everything and everyone ends up frustrated/tired/cranky/etc.! At this time (we are only 10 weeks into this whole parenting thing!) I think Mikey and I are doing a pretty decent job at maintaining a good balance between being scheduled and not so. I think as new parents it is VERY hard to find that balance though. We did not want to be so scheduled that we couldn't ever do anything but yet we know that having some sort of schedule/routine is a MUST for babies. I feel very good about where we are with a schedule right now with our precious 10 week old:) I am also sure that means something will change soon so that the schedule will have to be adjusted, such is life with a baby! I wouldn't trade it for the world!
It also GREATLY helps right now that my mom is keeping Collins for me, she is helping tremendously in keeping the little munchkin on a schedule.
At 10 weeks, this is the little one's (and her mama's) schedule: (on most days)
7 am: I wake her up to nurse a small amount (she nurses for the last time at night at 8:30pm, she can't quite go from 8:30 pm to 8:30 am yet without eating...so this is the compromise right now. I only nurse her for a few minutes, just to hold her over until 8:30, so that she can begin her day at 8:30 am.
7:15: I then have to pump but this is my favorite 20 minutes of play time with Collins, she is SO happy:)
8:30: Lolly (my mom!) arrives and I leave for work; Collins gets a bottle (just bumped it up to 4.5 oz) 9:30-10:30: my mom goes on a walk and Collins takes her long morning nap
11:30: Collins gets a bottle, 4.5 oz *from 12-2:30 are cat naps, lots of play time, tummy time, when my mom runs errands)
2:30: Collins gets a bottle, 4.5 oz
3-5:00: afternoon nap in the crib
5:30: I am home and nurse
6-8: crazy time in our house, preparing dinner, doing household chores, playing with Collins. She will maybe sleep for 45 minutes during this time.
8:00: begin bed time routine
8:30: I nurse (this is the reason I like her day to start at 8:30 am right now, because I like her last feeding to be at 8:30 pm...I don't want to put her to bed much earlier yet because then I won't have much time with her!)
9:00: BED. *so for our family, this allows us plenty of time to play with Collins when we get home from work, but also provides Mikey and I a little alone time when she goes to bed before we need to go to sleep! So, those are my thoughts on maintaining a good schedule with a baby! And now for the fun part, some recent photos of our little dumplin':)
Enjoying the heck out of her first Sunday Funday at Becca and Grant's house! The weather was beautiful and it was Bec's birthday...outside deck sitting was a necessity!
Mikey and I talked before Collins entered the world and it was very important to us that we establish a household full of love, comfort, structure, and stability for our little one. Scheduling definitely helps to provide these things. Babies like routines and routines go hand in hand with "scheduling." However, we also knew that we did not want a new baby to rule our life, we wanted to be able to continue on with "normal" activities and in order to do that you have to go with the flow some. The best advice we were given was by my cousin and his wife (who we greatly look up to as parents), they told us to always remember that you and your spouse were a family BEFORE the baby was born, the baby is coming into YOUR family. In other words, don't let the baby rule the roost. I am not an expert, but I have witnessed this happen before to wonderful families...they let the baby control everything and everyone ends up frustrated/tired/cranky/etc.! At this time (we are only 10 weeks into this whole parenting thing!) I think Mikey and I are doing a pretty decent job at maintaining a good balance between being scheduled and not so. I think as new parents it is VERY hard to find that balance though. We did not want to be so scheduled that we couldn't ever do anything but yet we know that having some sort of schedule/routine is a MUST for babies. I feel very good about where we are with a schedule right now with our precious 10 week old:) I am also sure that means something will change soon so that the schedule will have to be adjusted, such is life with a baby! I wouldn't trade it for the world!
It also GREATLY helps right now that my mom is keeping Collins for me, she is helping tremendously in keeping the little munchkin on a schedule.
At 10 weeks, this is the little one's (and her mama's) schedule: (on most days)
7 am: I wake her up to nurse a small amount (she nurses for the last time at night at 8:30pm, she can't quite go from 8:30 pm to 8:30 am yet without eating...so this is the compromise right now. I only nurse her for a few minutes, just to hold her over until 8:30, so that she can begin her day at 8:30 am.
7:15: I then have to pump but this is my favorite 20 minutes of play time with Collins, she is SO happy:)
8:30: Lolly (my mom!) arrives and I leave for work; Collins gets a bottle (just bumped it up to 4.5 oz) 9:30-10:30: my mom goes on a walk and Collins takes her long morning nap
11:30: Collins gets a bottle, 4.5 oz *from 12-2:30 are cat naps, lots of play time, tummy time, when my mom runs errands)
2:30: Collins gets a bottle, 4.5 oz
3-5:00: afternoon nap in the crib
5:30: I am home and nurse
6-8: crazy time in our house, preparing dinner, doing household chores, playing with Collins. She will maybe sleep for 45 minutes during this time.
8:00: begin bed time routine
8:30: I nurse (this is the reason I like her day to start at 8:30 am right now, because I like her last feeding to be at 8:30 pm...I don't want to put her to bed much earlier yet because then I won't have much time with her!)
9:00: BED. *so for our family, this allows us plenty of time to play with Collins when we get home from work, but also provides Mikey and I a little alone time when she goes to bed before we need to go to sleep! So, those are my thoughts on maintaining a good schedule with a baby! And now for the fun part, some recent photos of our little dumplin':)
Enjoying the heck out of her first Sunday Funday at Becca and Grant's house! The weather was beautiful and it was Bec's birthday...outside deck sitting was a necessity!
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| Yesterday morning after her first "small" feed. So happy!!! |
1. her announcements are gorgeous! 2. awesome that you are nursing, I couldn't do it more than 4 weeks - more painful than childbirth, awful experience :( Ah, and that really sucks 3. totally agree - too many families let the babies "rule the roost". Well said friend! Glad you are enjoying your little munchkin as much as we are enjoying ours :)
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