what a wonderful 3 (well, almost) weeks i've had. miller is an angel and i am making sure to soak up every sweet moment with her.
but i'll start with some catching up ;)
here is my photo set from the first week or so. ---> CLICK HERE.
annnnd here is my post from that same day ---> AHEM.
but, of course, there's been a lot of time since then, right?
everyone asks "so how is it with 4?!" and honestly, right now, not that much different. the difference will be in a few months when she's not sleeping so much. haha
my day has been adjusted mainly for feedings. i wake up a bit earlier to feed miller and then i get aidan and sawyer up. i get them dressed, food started, and hair done -- then i go wake reese up. i feed her, A and S get shoes and socks on, we all pack up and head to school.
getting in and out for school is the hard part lol as MANY of you know from facebook (and the longest status comment thread ive ever had for something so mundane lol) i had to get another double stroller. i drive a tahoe. captain seats in the middle and then 3rd row. so miller and reese are in the middle. and i send aidan and sawyer to the back. but its only a tahoe... so i have ZERO trunk space, then. (before i had 4, i took out 1/2 of the 3rd row so i could put a ton of stuff back there - including my MONSTER kolcraft duo - but not anymore).
so i got a super light and very thin double (peg perego) that fits in the back nicely. ::confetti:: we went to buybuybaby about 100x trying double strollers. and seeing if theyd fit. and for now, this is great -- all i need it to do is put reese and miller into a stroller to take aidan and sawyer to school. the halls are so busy, the last thing i want to do is chase reese around!! :) later, i want to sell one or both of the doubles and then put it towards a BOB double jogger. but i'll wait until M is out of the bucket, for that. annnnnd a suburban haha
ANYWAY. since i dont have the gym right now (boo. hiss. -- they dont take babies under 12 weeks so i freeze my account for those 3 months), after we do drop off, we just... go home... sometimes we run errands, but really, there's only so often i can go to target (thats a lie)! luckily, the past 3 weeks have kept me busy with a dr appt here and there, lunch with friends, and the amazing amount of laundry that shows up every day...
::sorry i am babbling. im watching "brideday friday" on TLC and sort of distracted::
oh, hey, remember that time we moved sawyer and aidan into the same room? yeah. good times //sarcasm
well that has ended. i thought theyd get bored. i thought theyd realize that "OMG I HAVE THE REST OF THE DAY TO PLAY, FIGHT, MAKE UP, PLAY MORE!!" but they didnt realize that. and, in the end, weren't getting enough sleep.
we then tried reese and sawyer. um. bwhahahahaha.
so, since we never actually made up miller's room completely (sawyer's old room), we moved her back. so now sawyer has a newly painted room, new curtains, and is alone again. its been so nice. and quiet.
we will do reese and miller when we move miller out of the PNP in our room. because miller wont be getting out of bed, twirling around the room, singing, and living with her head in the clouds making reese crazy.... like sawyer did. so im hoping that M and R works... then we'll move out of this house. haha 2012 is year of the "get the house ready and upgrade from a 4br to a 5br spring 2013!"
hmmm other things... OH! sleep! the last weeks of pregnancy were worse, to be honest. i was waking up so cranky and uncomfortable. peeing non stop. ugh. but at least i get a few hours here and there! some random nights i get super lucky and have a really large span of time - like 5-6 hours. BUT that is not the norm. the "norm" is about 4 hrs -- but starting at 8pm. so when we go to bed at 9 and are asleep by 1030 or so (hey, we like pillow talk!! lol) thats not a lot of sleep before the first wake up.
thats no one's fault but my own, though ;) like, right now, for instance, i should be sleeping!
during the day, miller is awake a lot in the mornings, but then crashes in the afternoon. then she cluster feeds all evening.
as for breastfeeding, this has been the easiest kid so far. i know a lot of you have talked about anxiety while BFing and know that thats how it was with reese. but this time is so... relaxed. i even NIP at chickfila today haha she's a good eater and while i still have those "OMFG I HAVE TO DIG MY NAILS INTO SOMETHING AND NOT SAY 100 CURSE WORDS" seconds at first letdown/latch -- then its fine! hahaha that pain has been getting better though - and ive been told that 3 weeks is average, so we'll see.
im trying to think of anything else thats changed -- but really, its just one more sweet, amazing person in our family to love.
aidan and sawyer are simply over the moon in love with miller. they watch her. hug her. kiss her. they have to say goodnight to her. and goodbye when they are at school. but none of that really surprised me. they are so good to each other and reese, that i knew itd be okay.
reese, on the other hand, is hilarious. she's not *jealous*, really, but she just doesnt particularly care about miller. she doesnt want to hold her or anything (and if you know reese, she does that grunt and shoulder shift of "like hell, dude. no room here") but then she will always come running with a blanket for her. and will rub her head. :) so i think she just has to wait for miller to be something other than a crying and sleeping thing that seems to be hanging around. lol luckily, reese gets a lot of time with me during the day - so that helps :)
in the end, im just REALLY trying to soak it all in. i dont know what the future holds for us for more kids or not -- and i want to spend every moment i can loving on this newborn stage. i am the first one to have admitted before that i am more of a "toddler mom", but this time is so different... sigh... now i want to go snuggle her lol
maybe ill add to this later - or another post -- or ask me something that you want to know? just comment!!
[yes, i need to update the header to this blog. and my TYLWL blog. ill get to it ;)]
Showing posts with label schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schedule. Show all posts
Friday, February 24, 2012
Sunday, May 15, 2011
when we have company.
i thought id add a little tidbit of "fun" from a few of the past weekends. i wrote a whole post on discipline back late last summer - and for the most part, it holds 99% true now. but, kids change. and kids also change in different situations.
that brings us to aidan. when company is here. ::twitch::
my fabulous friend pam came into town a few wkends ago. i was so excited to show off my adorable, well-behaved children. bc, for the most part, thats what they are. all 3 are great at the store, they walk nicely in parking lots, i could take them all to a sit down restaurant by myself and be totally fine (ok, unless one has to use the bathroom - then its gets a bit tricky). but these are not the things i had to deal with when pam was here... ohhhh no.
i had to deal with attitude. aidan wanted to show pam who rules the roost. or, let me rephrase - who aidan THINKS rules the roost. most of the wkend, she looked like this:
now. let me give examples. she straight up would talk back, ignore me, do exactly the opposite of what i asked, try to go out to the backyard after i said no (which was solved quickly thanks to a nice top flip lock), and even tried to kick me. wtf. but the funny part of that was that our friend catherine was here too and just laughed at her and said "nope. not impressed." bc she knows what aidan was trying to do.
disclaimer: and i want to say -- its not with any company, yeah yeah her age def makes for a kid who wants to show off. we had a friend come over the other day and over and over, aidan would try to get him to watch her "tricks". like "hey! hey! watch me! i can do a somersault!!" or "look!! i put a hat on the dog!!" which is fine -- bc that is 4.5, but thats not the same as out of towners who they dont know or dont see often.
but at night time, when id lay with her in bed, she was my sweet angel again. we'd talk about how she acted was ridic and blah blah blah, then we'd hug and kiss goodnight and that'd be over. by sunday, i cried to my mom telling her how aidan had never acted like the devil incarnate that she had acted like those few days.
then, within mins of dropping off pam at the airport, sound asleep in the car, aidan was back to this:
ahhhh a nice week with my sweet 4.5 year old back. cuddling, crafts, running errands, and being friends.
til we had more company ::twitch:: EJ's fam came into town for reese's bday party (yay! so much fun btw!) and it started all over. but, i had luckily taken a few things from the wkend before, to heart. and learned a few ideas.
1. i had to take her from the situation completely for her to even realize i existed again. id carry her to the other room, talk to her there, and then she'd realize "oh. mom's talking." as opposed to before when she'd look at me and go back to "impressing" guests. this helped focus and relax her.
2. keep the schedule the same. wake up, nap, bed routine --- everything the same. dont skip baths and expect bed just as easy. dont think you cant read a book or lay in her bed for a few mins bc you have guests. just keep it the same.
3. know that its going to end soon lol i was much more "fine. whatevs." the 2nd wkend bc, well, i knew itd be over and aidan would be back to my little sweet girl.
i only write this post to say "we've all been there!!" we've all been embarrassed by the actions of our kids - that kid thats screaming at dinner in the middle of a crowded restaurant, the mom that is chasing her kid in the parking lot, the kid at playgroup that comes up and hit his mom out of no where - the rest of us aren't (usually) judging you... i usually want to laugh and tell a worse story or at least give you a high 5 and say "kids are great, huh?" because, well, they are -- most of the time.
please don't forget to VOTE for our blog here :) http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/baby-journals
also, vote for my other blog, This Year's Love Will Last, while youre there!!
that brings us to aidan. when company is here. ::twitch::
my fabulous friend pam came into town a few wkends ago. i was so excited to show off my adorable, well-behaved children. bc, for the most part, thats what they are. all 3 are great at the store, they walk nicely in parking lots, i could take them all to a sit down restaurant by myself and be totally fine (ok, unless one has to use the bathroom - then its gets a bit tricky). but these are not the things i had to deal with when pam was here... ohhhh no.
i had to deal with attitude. aidan wanted to show pam who rules the roost. or, let me rephrase - who aidan THINKS rules the roost. most of the wkend, she looked like this:
now. let me give examples. she straight up would talk back, ignore me, do exactly the opposite of what i asked, try to go out to the backyard after i said no (which was solved quickly thanks to a nice top flip lock), and even tried to kick me. wtf. but the funny part of that was that our friend catherine was here too and just laughed at her and said "nope. not impressed." bc she knows what aidan was trying to do.
disclaimer: and i want to say -- its not with any company, yeah yeah her age def makes for a kid who wants to show off. we had a friend come over the other day and over and over, aidan would try to get him to watch her "tricks". like "hey! hey! watch me! i can do a somersault!!" or "look!! i put a hat on the dog!!" which is fine -- bc that is 4.5, but thats not the same as out of towners who they dont know or dont see often.
but at night time, when id lay with her in bed, she was my sweet angel again. we'd talk about how she acted was ridic and blah blah blah, then we'd hug and kiss goodnight and that'd be over. by sunday, i cried to my mom telling her how aidan had never acted like the devil incarnate that she had acted like those few days.
then, within mins of dropping off pam at the airport, sound asleep in the car, aidan was back to this:
ahhhh a nice week with my sweet 4.5 year old back. cuddling, crafts, running errands, and being friends.
til we had more company ::twitch:: EJ's fam came into town for reese's bday party (yay! so much fun btw!) and it started all over. but, i had luckily taken a few things from the wkend before, to heart. and learned a few ideas.
1. i had to take her from the situation completely for her to even realize i existed again. id carry her to the other room, talk to her there, and then she'd realize "oh. mom's talking." as opposed to before when she'd look at me and go back to "impressing" guests. this helped focus and relax her.
2. keep the schedule the same. wake up, nap, bed routine --- everything the same. dont skip baths and expect bed just as easy. dont think you cant read a book or lay in her bed for a few mins bc you have guests. just keep it the same.
3. know that its going to end soon lol i was much more "fine. whatevs." the 2nd wkend bc, well, i knew itd be over and aidan would be back to my little sweet girl.
i only write this post to say "we've all been there!!" we've all been embarrassed by the actions of our kids - that kid thats screaming at dinner in the middle of a crowded restaurant, the mom that is chasing her kid in the parking lot, the kid at playgroup that comes up and hit his mom out of no where - the rest of us aren't (usually) judging you... i usually want to laugh and tell a worse story or at least give you a high 5 and say "kids are great, huh?" because, well, they are -- most of the time.
please don't forget to VOTE for our blog here :) http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/baby-journals
also, vote for my other blog, This Year's Love Will Last, while youre there!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
why call it SAHM?
hmmm? when i am never *at home*?
ok, so thats a lie. im at home for at least 3 hrs in the afternoon while they are all sleeping (yes you read that right - dont be too jeals.)
anyway.
i wake up, get ready. that takes all of 5 mins bc i basically wear gym clothes every morning.
then i go get the girls. i get aidan, grab some clothes for her. then do the same for sawyer. then we all go to reese's room and get dressed. this is a great idea of mine. except for the fact that then that means 3 children's PJs are now on the floor of her room. which is annoying. bc i forget about it and then have a mound of PJs more to wash when i only think that i have the basket thats in the main area. blah.
we go down, eat breakfast, do hair ::twitch:: and then get shoes on and out the door. all the while this is happening, i am making lunches for school (MTR). now, i know very well i should do this the night before. but i dont. so suck it.
then we get in the car and go. we always are on the go.
Mon - A at school, S and R at the gym with me. then we usually head to lunch with my parents.
Tues - A and S at school, R and i go to the gym or run errands. today, i ran R over to hang with my parents while A skipped school and went to the dentist (which is another post in itself). OR on tuesdays, i try to plan my newborn shoots while reese is napping. that works out. sometimes.
Wed - no school - all go to the gym. we can be "lazier" on wednesdays lol sometimes then lunch out at CFA or with my parents if we didnt go monday.
Thurs - A and S at school. R and i at the gym.
Fri - no school - we either go to the gym or have playdates on fridays.
then we come home and take naps. and i edit. or putz. or do the laundry that is left in reese's room lol OR i do the dishes. or something.
but thats the only part of the day we "stay at home". when they are up, EJ is almost home from work (or home on late nap days) and so im done! haha
maybe its just us - we have to leave. we cant sit in the house all morning. when i get A and S up for the day, they immediately ask "where we going today?" bc they neeeed to do something.
anyway. thats my post for the day LOL
go to my side bar and VOTE FOR THIS BLOG for "circle of mom's" top 25 :) someone nom'd me and i want to win. lol
http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/baby-journals
ok, so thats a lie. im at home for at least 3 hrs in the afternoon while they are all sleeping (yes you read that right - dont be too jeals.)
anyway.
i wake up, get ready. that takes all of 5 mins bc i basically wear gym clothes every morning.
then i go get the girls. i get aidan, grab some clothes for her. then do the same for sawyer. then we all go to reese's room and get dressed. this is a great idea of mine. except for the fact that then that means 3 children's PJs are now on the floor of her room. which is annoying. bc i forget about it and then have a mound of PJs more to wash when i only think that i have the basket thats in the main area. blah.
we go down, eat breakfast, do hair ::twitch:: and then get shoes on and out the door. all the while this is happening, i am making lunches for school (MTR). now, i know very well i should do this the night before. but i dont. so suck it.
then we get in the car and go. we always are on the go.
Mon - A at school, S and R at the gym with me. then we usually head to lunch with my parents.
Tues - A and S at school, R and i go to the gym or run errands. today, i ran R over to hang with my parents while A skipped school and went to the dentist (which is another post in itself). OR on tuesdays, i try to plan my newborn shoots while reese is napping. that works out. sometimes.
Wed - no school - all go to the gym. we can be "lazier" on wednesdays lol sometimes then lunch out at CFA or with my parents if we didnt go monday.
Thurs - A and S at school. R and i at the gym.
Fri - no school - we either go to the gym or have playdates on fridays.
then we come home and take naps. and i edit. or putz. or do the laundry that is left in reese's room lol OR i do the dishes. or something.
but thats the only part of the day we "stay at home". when they are up, EJ is almost home from work (or home on late nap days) and so im done! haha
maybe its just us - we have to leave. we cant sit in the house all morning. when i get A and S up for the day, they immediately ask "where we going today?" bc they neeeed to do something.
anyway. thats my post for the day LOL
go to my side bar and VOTE FOR THIS BLOG for "circle of mom's" top 25 :) someone nom'd me and i want to win. lol
http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/baby-journals
Friday, August 27, 2010
things i'm no good at.
i can babble on here and make it look as if "omg! life is so easy! look at me!" but, sigh, i think its time to admit some things.
1. i cant cook. well, i should rephrase that. i don't cook. and here's why - first of all, recipes wig me out. like, here is my internal monolog.
ahem.
okkkkkk 1 tsp of salt. wait let me make sure it said 1 tsp. yes. okay oh wait - did it say 1 tsp? phew okay... moving on. 2 cups milk. wait how much did it say? 1 cup? no. 2 cups. okay do i mix it now? yes. wait. no. wait. let me read it again.
see how tense that is? gaaah. and i think it breaks my mom's heart a bit. lol she looks up recipes out of boredom, changes them up for fun, cooks something NEW all the time! etc etc... but when she talks about them to me, well, i sort of zone. ;)
also, aidan likes everything cheese. sawyer can't eat dairy. so if i am already going to make 2 meals then i might as well just do that from the beginning. sigh. i think i need to do a julie/julia intervention :) or maybe some sort of challenge? i dunno - you all help me decide.
2. i have a bad mouth. lol especially in the car. i have GOT to be careful/more aware of this, but it really is so hard. i can keep the eff word down to a minimum, but, uh - asshole? stupid ass? shit? sigh. thats what sawyer's language is so, well, colorful. damnit.
3. im a procrastinator. eh... maybe i'll write this entry tomorrow?
kidding. okay. here's the thing. i have STELLAR intentions. truly. i make a list, check it twice, and then... only get to half. well, thats not totally true. i get to it all - eventually. like, i end up spending an ENTIRE day doing everything that i want to do.
but let me say, this procrastination is not all the time. and its nothing that has to do with the house, my photography, the kids or EJ, etc. its just... the other things i think. instead of lazy, lets say i'm "busy" :)
4. i suck at getting ready early in the day. its not my fault. im partly a 50's hausfrau (minus the cooking of course) and like to look CLEAN when EJ comes home. ;) so my poor kids see momma in PJs without makeup all day (if we arent going anywhere).
5. i cant sit. i cant just hang out and watch tv. well, rarely. this summer was totally annoying when i couldnt get up and go to the gym. i need to get energy out lol
and it gives us a schedule as well. i toted the poor girls to the store almost every morning so we could get out of the house. sitting around and hanging out is done in the afternoons after nap. the mornings just... draaaag without a planned event.
ok. im sure there's more. but thats all i can think of now. my procrastination entry has forced me to go pay bills online and get some photo CDs and mailers done :)
1. i cant cook. well, i should rephrase that. i don't cook. and here's why - first of all, recipes wig me out. like, here is my internal monolog.
ahem.
okkkkkk 1 tsp of salt.
see how tense that is? gaaah. and i think it breaks my mom's heart a bit. lol she looks up recipes out of boredom, changes them up for fun, cooks something NEW all the time! etc etc... but when she talks about them to me, well, i sort of zone. ;)
also, aidan likes everything cheese. sawyer can't eat dairy. so if i am already going to make 2 meals then i might as well just do that from the beginning. sigh. i think i need to do a julie/julia intervention :) or maybe some sort of challenge? i dunno - you all help me decide.
2. i have a bad mouth. lol especially in the car. i have GOT to be careful/more aware of this, but it really is so hard. i can keep the eff word down to a minimum, but, uh - asshole? stupid ass? shit? sigh. thats what sawyer's language is so, well, colorful. damnit.
3. im a procrastinator. eh... maybe i'll write this entry tomorrow?
kidding. okay. here's the thing. i have STELLAR intentions. truly. i make a list, check it twice, and then... only get to half. well, thats not totally true. i get to it all - eventually. like, i end up spending an ENTIRE day doing everything that i want to do.
but let me say, this procrastination is not all the time. and its nothing that has to do with the house, my photography, the kids or EJ, etc. its just... the other things i think. instead of lazy, lets say i'm "busy" :)
4. i suck at getting ready early in the day. its not my fault. im partly a 50's hausfrau (minus the cooking of course) and like to look CLEAN when EJ comes home. ;) so my poor kids see momma in PJs without makeup all day (if we arent going anywhere).
5. i cant sit. i cant just hang out and watch tv. well, rarely. this summer was totally annoying when i couldnt get up and go to the gym. i need to get energy out lol
and it gives us a schedule as well. i toted the poor girls to the store almost every morning so we could get out of the house. sitting around and hanging out is done in the afternoons after nap. the mornings just... draaaag without a planned event.
ok. im sure there's more. but thats all i can think of now. my procrastination entry has forced me to go pay bills online and get some photo CDs and mailers done :)
Friday, July 16, 2010
2under2. twice.
aidan and sawyer are 19.5 months apart.
sawyer and reese are 21.5 months apart.
perfect, in my opinion. and i would not have it any other way :)
some days are crazy. some days i want to curl up and sleep. some days are filled with 100% fun. some days are lazy. some days are busy with errand after errand. but EVERY day is filled with sisterly love.
its amazing to watch, really. aidan and sawyer are the best of friends.
they love reese. if you were at my house and said goodbye to A and S and didnt say goodbye to reese - they would remind you.
they kiss and hug each other for no reason. or just walk up to reese and tickle her. i love having close in age sisters (well right now at least. talk to me when they are 13, almost 15, and 16.5 haha)
anyway, there a few things that i've learned in the past few years that helped me transition into life with 2 under 2. twice.
1. chinese fire drill. well, thats what it sort of seems like getting kids in and out of the car. now i put reese in, aidan gets in and does her chest clip, i get sawyer in, then i reach and finish aidan's buckle. phew. but getting OUT is a different story. i grab reese's bucket and unhook aidan. then they both come with me to sawyer's side. aidan has been taught to "hold the car". always. i started doing this so long ago and now it is 2nd nature).
2. one thing that i always tried to remember when having a toddler and a newborn is: if both kids are sad - grab the toddler first. your newborn wont remember that it took you 5 seconds to hug your toddler. but your toddler WILL remember that you picked the new baby first.
3. when feeding the baby, have a box or bag or something new and fun for your toddler. something that you bring out only when you are feeding the baby so your toddler has something fun to do! new markers, paper, fun stickers, etc... it will distract them from the fact that you have to take a few mins to tend to someone else (when, i mean, theyve never had that before lol).
4. give your oldest jobs for the baby. my kids love to help pick out clothes, get diapers and even FEED reese :)
and its worth it to let them try to do all of those things - bc then they feel so wanted. when i was BFing reese, i gave aidan the job to tickle her feet so reese would stay awake! lol something simple, but she felt a "part" of it all.
5. prepare. and prepare early enough so your older kid has no idea things are related to the new baby. if youre gonna switch rooms, switch beds, take away the bottle or paci (thats for another post though lol) then do it long before your due date.
6. dont give too much freedom too early. i know a lot of people think "oh yay! i'll let my 18 month old stand in the cart!!" ok, well great, now what are you going to do when you dont want to wear your newborn and you want to put the bucket in there? or "woohoo! my 16 mo old can walk next to me at the store!" ok, cool - so how exactly are you going to chase him when he decides to walk the other way when you have a newborn sitting right there?
but then again, im of the vein "if it ain't broken - dont fix it". i keep my kids in carts until they straight up can step out themselves. lol my kids stay in cribs until they want to have a bed. ::shrug::
7. when walking into a store or somewhere, every kid has to be touching me or part of the group while walking. right now, i carry sawyer AND the bucket and aidan holds on to reese's seat. but if i wanted sawyer to walk then she'd be holding my hand while i held the bucket and aidan held that. i get twitchy when i see toddlers just putzing along without hold on to anyone.
8. make sure you make time for yourself. shower every day. get ready and GO OUT! 2u2 will make your head spin if you sit at home every day. put on some makeup - even if youre not in the mood to. go get a mani/pedi during naptime when your dh is home. SOMETHING for yourself.
im lucky bc i get to do things pretty much whenever i want to. of course i dont always want to ;) but if a friend asked me out for drinks one night - then likliness would be high that i could/would go. at least for a little bit. if i didnt have relaxation time - i would go nuts. even when friends come over, its such a fun nice release :)
9. schedule your day. essentially, 2u2 is no different than 1 (routine wise) if you have a rough schedule. youre just adding one more body. 1 more kid to feed. 1 more to change and get dressed. 1 more kid to bathe and put to bed. its a lot easier to take in if you look at it that way. our routine is crucial to our day. it can be as lax as "craft or store in the mornings" but something IS more or less "planned". we aren't just putzing around (most of the time) all willy nilly ;)
10. have fun. just relax. if you need to do housework - do it as a game. fold laundry together and talk about colors. have a ball mopping the floor and giggling. whatever it takes - have fun :)
sawyer and reese are 21.5 months apart.
perfect, in my opinion. and i would not have it any other way :)
some days are crazy. some days i want to curl up and sleep. some days are filled with 100% fun. some days are lazy. some days are busy with errand after errand. but EVERY day is filled with sisterly love.
its amazing to watch, really. aidan and sawyer are the best of friends.
they love reese. if you were at my house and said goodbye to A and S and didnt say goodbye to reese - they would remind you.
they kiss and hug each other for no reason. or just walk up to reese and tickle her. i love having close in age sisters (well right now at least. talk to me when they are 13, almost 15, and 16.5 haha)
anyway, there a few things that i've learned in the past few years that helped me transition into life with 2 under 2. twice.
1. chinese fire drill. well, thats what it sort of seems like getting kids in and out of the car. now i put reese in, aidan gets in and does her chest clip, i get sawyer in, then i reach and finish aidan's buckle. phew. but getting OUT is a different story. i grab reese's bucket and unhook aidan. then they both come with me to sawyer's side. aidan has been taught to "hold the car". always. i started doing this so long ago and now it is 2nd nature).
2. one thing that i always tried to remember when having a toddler and a newborn is: if both kids are sad - grab the toddler first. your newborn wont remember that it took you 5 seconds to hug your toddler. but your toddler WILL remember that you picked the new baby first.
3. when feeding the baby, have a box or bag or something new and fun for your toddler. something that you bring out only when you are feeding the baby so your toddler has something fun to do! new markers, paper, fun stickers, etc... it will distract them from the fact that you have to take a few mins to tend to someone else (when, i mean, theyve never had that before lol).
4. give your oldest jobs for the baby. my kids love to help pick out clothes, get diapers and even FEED reese :)
and its worth it to let them try to do all of those things - bc then they feel so wanted. when i was BFing reese, i gave aidan the job to tickle her feet so reese would stay awake! lol something simple, but she felt a "part" of it all.
5. prepare. and prepare early enough so your older kid has no idea things are related to the new baby. if youre gonna switch rooms, switch beds, take away the bottle or paci (thats for another post though lol) then do it long before your due date.
6. dont give too much freedom too early. i know a lot of people think "oh yay! i'll let my 18 month old stand in the cart!!" ok, well great, now what are you going to do when you dont want to wear your newborn and you want to put the bucket in there? or "woohoo! my 16 mo old can walk next to me at the store!" ok, cool - so how exactly are you going to chase him when he decides to walk the other way when you have a newborn sitting right there?
but then again, im of the vein "if it ain't broken - dont fix it". i keep my kids in carts until they straight up can step out themselves. lol my kids stay in cribs until they want to have a bed. ::shrug::
7. when walking into a store or somewhere, every kid has to be touching me or part of the group while walking. right now, i carry sawyer AND the bucket and aidan holds on to reese's seat. but if i wanted sawyer to walk then she'd be holding my hand while i held the bucket and aidan held that. i get twitchy when i see toddlers just putzing along without hold on to anyone.
8. make sure you make time for yourself. shower every day. get ready and GO OUT! 2u2 will make your head spin if you sit at home every day. put on some makeup - even if youre not in the mood to. go get a mani/pedi during naptime when your dh is home. SOMETHING for yourself.
im lucky bc i get to do things pretty much whenever i want to. of course i dont always want to ;) but if a friend asked me out for drinks one night - then likliness would be high that i could/would go. at least for a little bit. if i didnt have relaxation time - i would go nuts. even when friends come over, its such a fun nice release :)
9. schedule your day. essentially, 2u2 is no different than 1 (routine wise) if you have a rough schedule. youre just adding one more body. 1 more kid to feed. 1 more to change and get dressed. 1 more kid to bathe and put to bed. its a lot easier to take in if you look at it that way. our routine is crucial to our day. it can be as lax as "craft or store in the mornings" but something IS more or less "planned". we aren't just putzing around (most of the time) all willy nilly ;)
10. have fun. just relax. if you need to do housework - do it as a game. fold laundry together and talk about colors. have a ball mopping the floor and giggling. whatever it takes - have fun :)
Friday, June 11, 2010
what we do all day.
stay at home moms ask on message boards all the time - "hey! what do you SAHMs do all day? do you have a schedule?"
why yes. we do. so here goes it.
[keep in mind this is obviously aidan and sawyer's stuff. reese's schedule is simple. sleep. wake up to eat. look around for a while. go back to sleep. lather, rinse, repeat]
A and S wake up anytime between about 830-930am usually.
i get them, change them, put clothes on them, brush teeth and we head downstairs.
they are rarely "sitters" for breakfast. we usually grab breakfast and take it into my bathroom where they picnic on blankets and eat while i take a shower or get ready. sometimes aidan does her "makeup" with me lol (and copycat sawyer is getting into that now too, of course).
other times, i get ready before they even wake up.
then we plan the day. i try to get out of the house in the mornings 90% of the time. some days, we just play in the gameroom instead.
when i can go to the gym again (and the schedule for a while) will be/has been - go to gym at about 9am. class at 930. be home by 11ish. if we dont go to the gym, we walk around the store. and basically the same timeline applies. we used to go for walks, but its SO HOT out now by this time that its not worth it. they love it though
i asked aidan a couple days ago if she wanted to go for a walk. she thought for a moment and said "momma, we gonna need a BIG STROLLER!!" lol she is right.
then lunch and getting ready for naps.
i will start off by saying how lucky i am. i have great sleepers *knock on wood* sawyer will nap for around 3 hrs without a fight. aidan used to. but now she has "rest time" in her room for a little bit. usually until she says "ok, i come down now" and i go get her. her room is a haven for little girls and she rarely ever argues about rest time. she has her dollhouse, littlest pet shop sets, blocks, and [judge away] her tv mounted on the wall (only set up for dvds. no cable or tv or anything). where i time her movie for a little bit and she relaxes. she NEEDS this time. without it, i pretty much hear nothing but tears over anything by 4pm. its miserable. she gets too over-stimulated or something. her room usually looks as if toys r us puked in there by the time she is done playing (or she pulls out blankets lol), but thats okay.
anyway, this is when i pick up the house from the first 1/2 of the day and throw in laundry. and do things like im doing now - nothing. blogging. message boarding. facebooking. editing pics. etc.
when they wake up we have a snack. and do anything from this list -
gameroom playtime
pool time or sprinkler time outside
coloring/painting (lol)
etc... but we RARELY leave after naptime. there's no point. lol EJ gets home soon enough and then the evening schedule begins.
we eat dinner. now that its summer, we eat outside sometimes.
sawyer wants a "lick! lick!" outside after dinner. fine by me ;) they'll have a popsicle or something and then we're back inside for baths. bc, um, sawyer usually looks like this:
EJ does bathtime. always has. now, i usually have to feed reese during this time so it works out nicely. sometimes they might take a shower.
then we chase them. as they go crazy running through the downstairs naked.
go upstairs and brush teeth.
and then some gameroom play and bedtime.
i give sawyer a bottle (99% water) and drop her in bed with her paci and blankies.
i turn on aidan's movie, time it for a few mins, give her her scoozie dogs (all 3 of them plus "baby scooze") and something to drink.
and thats that. they get into bed by 730pm at the latest. then its time with EJ and reese downstairs :) reese sometimes cluster feeds at night, but lately she's been going down between 9 and 10, up at about 2am, and then up at 6ish. but then back down until i feed her in the morning again :)
so thats that. a rough schedule of our day. the trials and tribulations of things such as the store with 3, how they are situated in my car, and other things like bad moods... will be discussed later. haha
why yes. we do. so here goes it.
[keep in mind this is obviously aidan and sawyer's stuff. reese's schedule is simple. sleep. wake up to eat. look around for a while. go back to sleep. lather, rinse, repeat]
A and S wake up anytime between about 830-930am usually.
i get them, change them, put clothes on them, brush teeth and we head downstairs.
they are rarely "sitters" for breakfast. we usually grab breakfast and take it into my bathroom where they picnic on blankets and eat while i take a shower or get ready. sometimes aidan does her "makeup" with me lol (and copycat sawyer is getting into that now too, of course).
other times, i get ready before they even wake up.
then we plan the day. i try to get out of the house in the mornings 90% of the time. some days, we just play in the gameroom instead.
when i can go to the gym again (and the schedule for a while) will be/has been - go to gym at about 9am. class at 930. be home by 11ish. if we dont go to the gym, we walk around the store. and basically the same timeline applies. we used to go for walks, but its SO HOT out now by this time that its not worth it. they love it though
i asked aidan a couple days ago if she wanted to go for a walk. she thought for a moment and said "momma, we gonna need a BIG STROLLER!!" lol she is right.
then lunch and getting ready for naps.
i will start off by saying how lucky i am. i have great sleepers *knock on wood* sawyer will nap for around 3 hrs without a fight. aidan used to. but now she has "rest time" in her room for a little bit. usually until she says "ok, i come down now" and i go get her. her room is a haven for little girls and she rarely ever argues about rest time. she has her dollhouse, littlest pet shop sets, blocks, and [judge away] her tv mounted on the wall (only set up for dvds. no cable or tv or anything). where i time her movie for a little bit and she relaxes. she NEEDS this time. without it, i pretty much hear nothing but tears over anything by 4pm. its miserable. she gets too over-stimulated or something. her room usually looks as if toys r us puked in there by the time she is done playing (or she pulls out blankets lol), but thats okay.
anyway, this is when i pick up the house from the first 1/2 of the day and throw in laundry. and do things like im doing now - nothing. blogging. message boarding. facebooking. editing pics. etc.
when they wake up we have a snack. and do anything from this list -
gameroom playtime
pool time or sprinkler time outside
coloring/painting (lol)
etc... but we RARELY leave after naptime. there's no point. lol EJ gets home soon enough and then the evening schedule begins.
we eat dinner. now that its summer, we eat outside sometimes.
sawyer wants a "lick! lick!" outside after dinner. fine by me ;) they'll have a popsicle or something and then we're back inside for baths. bc, um, sawyer usually looks like this:
EJ does bathtime. always has. now, i usually have to feed reese during this time so it works out nicely. sometimes they might take a shower.
then we chase them. as they go crazy running through the downstairs naked.
go upstairs and brush teeth.
and then some gameroom play and bedtime.
i give sawyer a bottle (99% water) and drop her in bed with her paci and blankies.
i turn on aidan's movie, time it for a few mins, give her her scoozie dogs (all 3 of them plus "baby scooze") and something to drink.
and thats that. they get into bed by 730pm at the latest. then its time with EJ and reese downstairs :) reese sometimes cluster feeds at night, but lately she's been going down between 9 and 10, up at about 2am, and then up at 6ish. but then back down until i feed her in the morning again :)
so thats that. a rough schedule of our day. the trials and tribulations of things such as the store with 3, how they are situated in my car, and other things like bad moods... will be discussed later. haha
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