Monday, March 30, 2015

Life lately

Everything has been going great up here in the mountains and life with baby has been soooo much smoother since we have been putting Bendelle in her own crib to sleep. Why didn't we do this sooner??

I think she overall sleeps better since she has been going to her crib (in her own room!) for naps and bedtime. Of course she still wakes up several times in the night, but I can honestly say that we are all sleeping better! There were a million reasons why I put it off but at the end of the day I am exponentially happier that she sleeps in her own room. We put so much time and thought into her beautiful little nursery so it seemed like kind of a waste to only play and change diapers in there.


And since we decided to bite the bullet with the crib thing, I also decided it was time to try to stick with a little schedule. I read that babies find comfort in routines, and I think it helps keep me a little sane too :)


Overall, our days (without dad) look something like this:

Wake up anywhere between 8:30-9:30. Bendelle has been pretty good about letting me sleep in, which I am very thankful for. I put her in her swing and put on some cartoons (Sophia the 1st or Doc McStuffin, about the only two I can really tolerate) while I let the dogs outside, feed them, pump, eat breakfast, and try to clean up the kitchen and around the house a little. Depending on her mood and how ambitious I feel, I will move her to her little car walker as I try to finish things up. When she starts to get fussy I know it's because she's hungry, so I'll feed her.


Aaron gets home anywhere from 10-12, so we'll all hang out together while he eats breakfast, I drink tea or coffee, and watch a little TV before he has to go to sleep.

Bendelle goes down for her first nap anywhere between 11:30 and 12:30, depending on how tired she is. Usually she starts to rub her eyes or get a little cranky, and so usually that's my cue to take her upstairs to her room and change her, put on her sleepsack, close the blinds, put on her sound sheep, and feed her as she gets sleepy. I slip her into her crib and turn on the monitor, and usually she sleeps anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour . . . but closer to 30 minutes.


When she wakes up I put her on her playmat in the office while I watch her and go on the computer to read articles, pay bills, do shopping, etc. She is a roller and rolls around like crazy when I put her on her back, so we constantly have to monitor tummy time.

Lately we have been venturing out on walks with the pups because the weather is so beautiful, so around this time I will start to get everyone ready as quietly as possible so we don't wake up Aaron (Darcy starts to bark and attack Bennet out of pure excitement and insanity). I put Belles in her Baby K'tan carrier and we venture out for a 30-60 minute walk, depending on the weather (the pups don't do well when it is really hot). For the most part, it's very pleasant. Bendelle loves to look around at all the trees and sometimes if she didn't take a good nap, she'll even fall asleep in the carrier. Yesterday it was so beautiful because the birds were chirping, butterflies were fluttering all around us and the water was running through the creek. The dogs are generally good but lately have started to go insane every time we go near a sewer. There is a sewer drain at the end of out driveway across the street so at the beginning and end of our walks the dogs go crazy and try to kill each other while racing over to peek inside. I swear they think there is an evil little clown squirrel waiting for them inside because once they finally get there they act very cautious.

When we get back home I usually change and feed her while the pups pass out. I eat lunch and let her play in her car for a little and then we relax and play together on the couch. We spend the afternoon reading and doing some more tummy time until it is time for her second nap between 3-3:30. Again, I do the ritual and put her sleepsack on and feed her and she'll sleep from 30-60 minutes. Every once in a while she'll sleep for 90 minutes, which is great. During this time I usually talk on the phone with my mom, sister, dad or mother in law, bake or I'll blog. 


When she wakes up we will spend a little more time outside with the pups, either in the backyard or on the balcony. Then I'll put her in her high chair and try to feed her some rice cereal. After that she's a mess so I'll take her to her room and clean her up. If it's bath day (we have to do it every other day because her skin gets too dry for baths everyday), I'll put her on a blanket in her room while I get her bath ready, then change her and she bathes for about 10-25 minutes. I dry her off, put on some lotion, and put on her pjs. Bath time is always my favorite :)


Then I put her in her bouncer, give her a toy and stick her in the bathroom with me while I take a bath or shower. We head downstairs and I prep dinner and get Aaron's lunch ready for work. I eat while she hangs out in her car and by 7:15 we are busting through the bedroom door to wake up Aaron. I make him coffee and Bendelle and I hang out with him while he gets ready for work. By 8:15 he is out the door, and I clean up a little and make some tea while she sits in her swing or bouncer.

I call my mom or sister and put them on speakerphone so Bendelle can hear their voice. Then Aaron calls and I let Belles listen to him talk as well. By the time we get off the phone it is time for bed. I give her a good feeding (biggest meal of the day) and put her to sleep between 9-9:30.

She usually wakes up every three hours or so, so I go upstairs to feed her throughout the night. But we have a routine down and usually right after I feed her she falls right to sleep. And then by 9:30 the next morning we do it all over again.  :)



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