Our Nini (Noelle) has now reached 11 weeks. This morning she had her two month physical with Annie (our physician) and she's 100% healthy and wonderful. Great news! Nothing makes me happier than hearing that baby is healthy- I would absolutely die if anything happened to her. Anyways, I talked to a friend this week who of course I haven't spoken to until before the baby was born (I'm now the worst friend ever) and she asked me point blank, "what do you do all day now?". Before I got pregnant I had ZERO friends with kids so I figured this question would come up eventually. So, to rid you of all suspense, here is what I DO all day:
Usually I try to leave the house at least three times a week with baby. This means meeting up with a moms group, practicing outings at the grocery store, taking a walk in the park etc. This does not always happen, especially if the weather doesn't allow for it. Since we have decided to have only one car, my husband wakes up early, showers, gets dressed then wakes me to get ready and takes care of the baby while I shower, get dressed, juice some fruits and veggies and make him some coffee and toast. Usually my Mom (who is staying with us for a while) will take the baby while I take him into work and then drive back to our house. In between all of this we clean and refill 6 bottles with breast milk for the baby to eat throughout the day. We use a bottle warmer when she looks like she's starting to wake up which is when she'll want to eat. By the time I get back my Mom is usually downstairs with baby making herself coffee and baby is wide awake. I usually run upstairs and tidy up our bedroom which becomes a war zone overnight easily. Then I'll start a load of diapers in the laundry.
Then I'll take baby and we'll go out somewhere or start our afternoon routine. I turn on Pandora on my favorite stations and we dance (my only source of exercise right now). Usually it's Daft Punk or Lady Gaga but I get a good dance beat going and try to work up a sweat. Then we'll do tummy time and she'll just lay on the bed with me over her and talk, talk, talk! She loves to talk and coo and make the funniest sounds. I always try to respond honestly. After that I'll usually give her a bit more milk from her bottle and we head downstairs. I put her in her rock 'n play in the kitchen and she watches me make my lunch which is usually leftovers from dinner heated up and put in a corn tortilla. After that we'll go into the living room and she'll watch me eat (fast). I throw my dishes into some soapy water, grab another bottle and head upstairs- she's surely ready for a nap by now. I give her the rest of her bottle and put her on her side on a pillow on my stretched out legs. Usually I'll give her her pacifier to help her doze off and I put her in her swing or snuggle nest. She usually sleeps for about an 1-3 hours while I start another load of laundry, fold the diapers and then nap with her. When she wakes up she's sure to be hungry so I have a bottle warmed and ready to feed her & when it's about half empty I'll change her diaper again. Sometimes she goes back to sleep, sometimes she wants to play more. By now it's around 4-5pm, I put down the baby einstein play mat which she loves, or we bounce on my yoga ball for a while but mostly she just wants to talk. Every other day I give her a bath in the sink or in the tub with me! I love to bathe with her because she loves to swim! She kicks her feet and smiles and kicks off the walls of the tub. She usually wants to take another nap after a warm bath.
By this time my husband usually gets home or I go to pick him up while my mom takes baby. When we get home he walks the dog & takes the baby so I can go downstairs to make dinner. The perks to only bottle feeding breast milk are that Daddy can take over! I make up some dinner and we eat it upstairs in bed while watching a movie. It's nice and we get to relax together with baby. She sits in our laps if she's awake and watches us eat. Then I go run errands at Target or Whole Foods (if needed) and we start her bedtime routine around 9pm. She eats a whole bottle, and falls asleep. We go to sleep immediately and her wake up times in the night are 1am, 4am and 7am. Jeremy takes the 1am, I take the 4am and he takes the 7am when he wakes up. Then the whole thing starts again! I usually do most of my grocery shopping on the weekends and sometimes my mom takes her just for the heck of it which is SOOOO nice. My day has most definitely changed- I seriously took my freedom for granted while I was pregnant haha. It's tough work but it's also really fun and she's a really easy baby. She never cries for very long- her needs are really easy- she's happy as long as she's fed and not bored. She doesn't get reflux or gas very often and she's just really happy and smily. The only problem is that she keeps growing! She's 25" long now and 12.5 lbs. - she's very long and lean which is surprising because she's got the chubbiest little cheeks and legs! Ah, listen to me, I am a damn proud mama.
So, that's my life right now. Haha! Sounds weird but I'm actually loving it. Feeling very empowered and very much like a natural mom. I do wish I had more time for skating, sewing and creativity in general but I know that'll come back as she gets bigger.
What was/is your life like with baby if you've got kids? What's a typical day look like for you?
