Days of Our Lives

Now that we're past the crazy newborn days and have been settled in at home for a month following our Christmas travels, we're starting to develop a nice pattern to our days.  This is pretty mundane stuff, but I think that in a couple of months (and certainly by the time baby #2 comes along), I'll want to remember we did together on a daily basis during this phase. 

Starting with bedtime, because the day always belongs to the night before:

• 8:30 p.m. - Hal goes to bed.  He's gotten quite good at putting himself to sleep if I put him down when he's good and drowsy. 
• 4:00 a.m. - Sometimes Hal wakes up, sometimes he doesn't.  Eats and goes back to sleep in about 20 minutes.
• 7:00 a.m. - Hal wakes up.  I bring him in bed with me to nurse, then we cuddle or play in bed for another half an hour.  This is my favorite part of the routine, one I hope we can maintain after I go back to work. 
• 8:00 - We get dressed and walk the dog.  This is my least favorite part of the routine because it requires leaving our warm, snuggly bed and going out into the freezing cold.  When I was pregnant, I planned to spend much of my maternity leave enjoying long walks around the neighborhood with my two- and four-legged babies.  Turns out that taking a baby out into sub-freezing temperatures isn't all that fun.
• 9:00 - 10:00 - Hal usually goes down for a nap.  Lately he's been pretty good about sleeping in his crib during this time.
• 10:00 - 12:00 - Hal is up and usually very cheery.  We play on the floor, talk to Other Baby and Other Mommy (i.e. sit in front of the mirror), do tummy time, etc. 
• 12:00 p.m. - Around now, I try to put Hal down for an afternoon nap.  Sometimes it works like a charm and he goes down in his crib for two hours or more.  Sometimes he utterly refuses to sleep in the crib for more than 20 minutes, and after repeating the naptime routine two or three times, I give up, settle onto the couch with a book, and he naps on my chest for two hours or more.  In that case, I get nothing accomplished all afternoon, but it's exceedingly pleasant.
• 3:00 - If Hal napped in his crib, he's usually up by now.  We play some more, run errands out and about, go to Mommy playgroup at the coffee shop on Fridays, or prep dinner.  If the crib nap was a failure and he didn't fall asleep on me until 2:00, we continue couch surfing. 
• 5:00 - We get up and get him dressed to walk the dog again.  By this time of day it's warmer, so we take a longer and more leisurely walk or let Izzy run at the dog park.  Lately we've been walking toward the metro to meet Karl on his way home. 
• 6:00 - Karl and I hang out in the kitchen and make dinner if I didn't finish it early in the day (I love you, crock pot).  If Hal woke up from his afternoon nap early, he snoozes in his car seat in the kitchen while I cook.  Sometimes the ocean playmat keeps him entertained while Karl and I eat together, sometimes we trade off holding the baby while the other person eats.  
• 7:00 - Karl usually hangs out with his mini-me while I soak in the bath or putter on my laptop with both hands. 
• 7:45 - We start the bedtime routine with a bath.  Little man loves to soak and splash in the water.  Maybe he is my kid after all.  I nurse him, then we rock and sing a little.  If all goes well, he's down at 8:30.  Karl and I get some adult time together and go to bed around 10:30.

During Hal's nap times (assuming he's napping in his crib and not on my person), I try to accomplish at least a couple of the following:

• Showering
• Working out
• Eating with two hands
• Prepping dinner
• Household tasks that can't be accomplished with a babe in arms

We deviate from this pattern in some way virtually every day, but at least we now know what we're deviating from.   I think we've got a good thing going.