I'll start by saying that every day is different (obviously). Some days we run errands, stay home all day, go out for lunch, or Kurt's off of work. But I'm just going to give a general run-down of what we do.
Sidenote: I'll go ahead and share that we used the Babywise method with Evy, starting when she was about 4-5 weeks old. This was mainly to help her get her days and nights on track. Some people are fanatical about it, and we just aren't that way. But honestly, there's nothing controversial that I can find in the book. However, I can see how some parents would take it too far (and not use common sense). I am not necessarily endorsing this method for everyone, but it worked wonderfully for us. I say all this because BW focuses on creating a stable routine for the baby. With Evy being 5 months, I feel like we've settled in on what seems to work best for her, but we're always tweaking. So when we make any new changes, I'll do another post like this, how about that? :o)
The general cycle is this: Eat, awake, sleep. Nursing only takes her about 15-20 minutes now, and then we play for about and hour to an hour and a half. Then ideally she naps for an hour and a half (but it can range anywhere from 45 min-2 hours). I adjust the schedule as we go, which is great to be able to do. Of course, all times are very general and flexible!
- 5-6:00 am: Evy usually wakes up for an early morning feeding. On occasion, she might have woken up at 3 or 4:00 am, but that's rare. I feed her and then put her right back to bed in her crib, and she goes right to sleep.
- 9:00 am: Evy wakes up to start the day. Truly, she doesn't want to start her day until around this time. I feed her and this officially starts her little routine.
- 9:30-10:30ish: Evy is awake and playing. I'm usually not ready for the day at this point!
- 10:30ish-12:00: Evy naps. This is when I usually get ready for the day and do some general quick straightening around the house, or maybe put a load of laundry in and make beds. Note: We are now trying to do every nap in her crib, but if it's been a rough day or she just can't settle, we'll sometimes put her in her swing for a little extra soothing.
- 12:00 pm: Lunch time for Evy. I feed her and then we have playtime. Sometimes I'll put on a Baby Einstein or Praise Baby DVD, or she'll be in her bouncy seat or on her floor mat while I do something close by. If I need to do something on the computer, she'll come in here with me.
- 1:30ish: Naptime. Again, I try to get things done, but sometimes I take a minute and read, do a Bible study, or have lunch and watch something I have DVR'd. Note: if I need to run errands, this is when I normally do it. Right after I feed her, I load her in the car and we go. If I'm lucky, she'll fall asleep and nap off and on while we're running errands, but if she doesn't, I just try to readjust once we get home. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be chained to your house when your baby is on a schedule!
- 3:00 pm: Evy eats! We play together, or she'll do something on her own while I'm close by.
- 4:30 pm: Nap.
- 6:00 pm: Dinnertime for Evy. After she eats, Kurt will play with her (if he's home) or I'll have her nearby while I try to get dinner together. Again, with Kurt's schedule being like it is, dinner is so random at our house. We always have a cooked meal, but times vary and when he's on call, I totally do whatever is quick and sounds good to me at the time!
- We play with Evy until around 8:00-8:30 (this is her longest stretch of awake time). Sometimes we'll give her a bath, etc. I always rock and cuddle her and love on her to wind down (well, I actually do that all day long!).
- 8:30 pm: I feed Evy for the last time before bed.
- 9:00 pm: We put her in her crib and she generally goes down easily and on her own without much fussing. We do go in periodically and put her paci back in and put the covers back on her (she loves to kick and HATES being wrapped in anything) until she falls asleep. This is something I'm very proud of: she goes to sleep on her own!
- She's down for the night until she wakes up for that early morning feeding.
Again, this is SUCH a generalized schedule. Things rarely go that smoothly in the course of a day, and the times are definitely approximate. However, she is on a 3 hour feeding schedule. Pretty soon we'll try to transition to 3 1/2 or 4 hours, so that when she's on solids she can have her main meals with us. It's always a work in progress!
By the way, if I'm meeting someone for lunch, I try to adjust and feed Evy right before we go, then we try to get back on schedule in the afternoon. If not, that's okay. But we try!
Reading what our day is like might make it seem like I'm lazy all day and don't do anything while I have Evy "trained" to sleep and eat like clockwork. NOT TRUE!!!!! Of course, there are some days when I allow myself to just relax and not push to get as much done. But between blogging, designing a website for someone, painting canvas orders, keeping house, and running any errands that need to get done, I stay busy! Some people think that it would be boring to be a SAHM, but I've never found that to be the case.
I know that there are some of you who aren't able to be at home, and you'd love to be. All I can say is that God knows the desires of your heart; present your requests to Him. I know that I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to stay at home with my little girl, and I thank God for my husband, who supports me in this. I know there are other people who choose to work and that's your personal decision as well. I just felt the need to cover my bases on this one :o)
I think I'll do more posts like this, simply because I think I'll enjoy looking back someday and remembering. Also, I would've loved to have something like this to read before I had a baby, just to know kind of what's ahead. If you have any questions, I LOVE to write about anything baby related, since it's so fresh.
I hope this helps!-----
8 comments:
Thank you Ashley! Great post. I really appreciate the insight. :)
It was great to read your post. I am a firm believer that children need to be on a schedule. I teach and it makes it so much better for children to know what the day is going to look like!
Thanks for sharing a day in y'all lives! Reading this makes me long for an Ashley/Evy lunch. I'm be in MS a weekend in August and a week in September for school stuff. Maybe we can get together :)
Great post Ashley! Does Evy stay asleep while you run errands because Evie wakes up when I take her in and out of the car. Just wondering!
This was fun to read! Based on your schedule it sounds like we might should start going to lunch later ;o) Especially since we haven't been getting OUR booth lately even getting there early -- haha. Seriously, I think I'll do a post like this too -- just so I can remember what our days were like while she's little.
Loved this post. It makes me want to do one like it when I have this babe because, like you, I used Babywise with Clay. I followed it pretty closely and thought it worked well. I worry a bit now that I didn't get in as much cuddle time with him because I was so set on getting him on a schedule. Ed and I decided to not be so strict about it with Audrey and indeed, breastfeeding her added a whole other dimension to scheduling. It seemed to be way easier to just make a bottle than to have to worry about breastfeeding enough or finding a way of relieving the pressure that builds up when I would go a while. Audrey eventually got on a 2 hour schedule and it all worked out in the end.
I think it's great to know people like you on blogspot! We all need to have a blogspot luncheon or something someday so we can all meet and talk for hours. Wouldn't that be fun?!
Ashley,
I am thrilled for you that everything is going so well. You are the poster child for doing BW the correct way! It should totally be all about making your life easier and not being a slave to a schedule. You have given Evy a wonderful gift...you have taught her to fall asleep on her own. Great job girl!!! She is so precious. :)
Just found your blog- thanks for the tips. I am staying home this year to take care of our baby that is due in October. So excited, but also would like to TRY and be somewhat on a schedule!!
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