Wednesday, November 9, 2011

our typical day...

when i think back over the past 6 months it seems like mine and cullen's routine changes about every 2 months.
right now our typical day goes as follows...
7:00-7:30 cullen wakes up and he always has a smile on his sweet face, we usually chat for a few minutes and cuddle then it's diaper changing time.
7:30-8:00 i get cullen set up on the bed with all his toys and he watches mickey mouse clubhouse while i pump and check emails.
cullen in bed watching mickey, playing toys 
[yes, he is #1]
(i turned around and he was sitting against the pillow with a toy on his head, ha!)
8:00-8:30 cullen goes into his highchair once we are downstairs and i get all the dishes soaking in the sink and prepare his breakfast. cullen has baby food mixed with cereal for breakfast. between C smiling at daddy and trying to follow gus around, eating now takes around 20 minutes. 
where the toys are stored
8:30-9:00 if billy is home he'll play toys with cullen. i wash dishes from breakfast and bottles from the night before. we have a dishwasher, i just choose to hand wash all of cullen's dishes and bottles. after dishes diaper is checked and changed if needed.
this is cullen's side of the living room...
 can you tell who rules this house
9:00-10:00/10:30 we play toys, read books, sing songs, watch cartoons, sometimes i'll do a little cleaning while cullen plays alone or i'll fold a load of laundry.  cullen is pretty good about sitting alone and playing toys for a few minutes. he is so interested in his toys these days and it's fun to watch him play :) or watch his face light up with a huge smile when mickey walks over the hill on MMclubhouse.
every other day we also use part of this time for bath time. C still enjoys bath time.
notice melvin the monster hooked on his arm, ha!
10:15/10:30 diaper check, then i nurse cullen and he goes down for a nap and sleeps for an hour or so.
11:30 diaper checked and then it's play time, we hang out in the living room pretty much the entire day. if i have something to clean or clothes to put away cullen is always right next to me.  he plays toys in his pack-n-play really well while we are upstairs and sometimes we use the moby wrap.  the past few days during cleaning time we listen to christmas music! also, if we are in the basement to do laundry i have a place for cullen to hang out down there as well.
we keep some of our book collection in the living room
12:30 nursing time again and then cullen usually goes down for a nap around 1:00.
sleeping baby perfection
1:00-2:00 cullen sleeps (i typically sit next to him the entire time he sleeps, i'll go on my laptop or watch tv)
2:00-4:00 playtime, again. thankfully cullen really LOVES toys! he likes his jumper and playmat still as well so those are incorporated in our play time as well. i nurse him within that time as well. 
4:00-4:30 cat nap for C.
i love taking pictures and editing them during nap time.
4:30-6:00 we play, again! ha! i nurse C in there for the last time of the day usually around 5.
6:00 cullen eats his baby food dinner.
yay, cullen likes peas
6:30 we watch wheel of fortune, while playing on the floor!
7:00-8:00 cullen has a nap.  his last nap of the day is anywhere from 30-60 minutes, once he is awake he has a 4 ounce bottle. billy usually works late so once cullen wakes back up he has daddy time. daddy B does pj's and then they have play time until 9:30 or so then C has another 5 ounce bottle and him and i are off to bed by 10:00.  i know most babies go to bed for the night at 7 but that's not what works for our family.  billy needs his daddy time with cullen. it's important and they have a love for each other that's just amazing.  i love watching them play.
all smiles for daddy
cullen has been waking up around 2:00/3 to eat and then again around 5:00/6 in the morning.  so, only twice a night. i, on the other hand, still wake up ALL the time.  it has to be a mom thing. i wake up, usually with some type of anxiety, heart pounding then i check cullen and he is fine and i'm right back to sleep.  so, nice for cullen to only wake 2-3 times a night, i still wake up 5-6 times. ha! at least our baby is safe and i have peace of mind. i might wake up in the morning feeling like i didn't sleep at all but it's worth it for his sweet face!! 
that face and smile mean the entire world to me

now all that being said, should i be doing something more during the day,  i mean what do you do with a 6 month old immobile baby besides play toys, read books, sing songs, watch cartoons, listen to music, nurse, pump, feed? ;) typing this out and reading it makes me feel like we don't do all that much during the day BUT our days go so quick and we smile and giggle together all day long.  i love our days.  
we also have random days when it's warm enough out to go for walks and we also run errands a few times a week.  leaving the house always takes at least 1-3 hours, depending on where we have to go. those days go extra quick! also, i pump at least 2-3 times during the day on top of nursing. i'm sure i missed typing out diaper changes too ;)
cullen loves these sensory balls and doesn't he look like a mini billy! 
l.o.v.e.
funny how looking at these pictures i realize i can retire a few items, the bumbo and the swing!!  soon enough it will be the playmat.  cullen loves sitting up, he sometimes whines on his back and freaks out on his tummy. haha!  we're just taking it day by day.  we know when he is ready he'll be on his tummy to push up with his arms and get around and eventually crawl. for now he really dislikes tummy time.  
big boy, he was watching gussy
go figure i type this and then we have a time change and cullen's sleep schedule is thrown off.  he skips his afternoon nap and his evening nap.  we have not yet figured out this new routine. ha! also, cullen is THEEEE lightest sleeper, ever! he wakes to me typing, billy coughing, gus walking on the wood floors....oh well :)

p.s. someone has TWO CHOMPERS!!!
i think he thought he was going to get to bite me, that's how i got the good pic ;)
 he chews everything and has for a while and then bam he has two teeth. time can slow down right.about.now!!
dental care for your baby is important so make sure that you visit a pediatric dentist who has undergone dental hygienist training.

*you can still enter for a chance to win 25 free shutterfly cards!*

21 comments:

Mrs Guenther said...

He's adorable.

Lori said...

I love reading about your routine!! You have such a great schedule!! And yes there is only so much you can do to entertain a baby at this age, I often times feel the same about if we should be doing more! I just started something new after I feed her dinner! We go into the living room and we turn on some music and DANCE! Its probably a horrible sight but we have so much fun!! Savannah has started dancing on her own! By that I mean she will rock back and forth! HAHA! I try to make a workout come out of it! Most of the time she is just starting at me laughing, I am sure I look quite silly! LOVE being a MOMMY!! You are doing such an AMAZING job with Cullen!!

Expat Girl said...

I used to always feel like I wasnt doing enough with Madison but as long as they are happy and loved I know that hours of playing are exactly what they need. Believe me, I longggg for the schedule you guys have, those days where I can fold laundry and Madison isnt following me unfolding it haha. Cullen is adorable and I am glad you guys have managed to get him in a schedule where he gets Daddy time!

Megan Ashley said...

He is sooooooooooo adorable! Sounds like a busy little boy :) Love his little teethers!!!

Cole said...

Cullen is sooooo cute!!! You say he looks like a mini-Billy...but I think he looks like you!

Miss Amy said...

Look at those TEETH! So cute!!!

Baby Momma said...

Are you bored or do you love it?? I'm going to be a 1st time Mommy and have NO idea what to expect! I feel like my lifestyle is not very "baby friendly" right now...but I'm sure all will change when the baby gets here

Virginia said...

It's fun reading about another SAH mommy's routine...so similar to ours except we have stopped all of the middle of the night feedings, but Britton is older than Cullen and that time will come soon:) Our boy goes to bed later than most babies his age (10:30), but that's what works for us, too. Luckily, he sleeps in till almost 9:00!! Did we register together?!? I laughed b/c we have the exact same activity/tummy mat , bouncer, floor mat, boppy cover. etc. We don't have the same high chair, but I have the Graco Pack-n-Play equivalent with the same pattern. Brilliant minds think alike;)

ajs {of MN} said...

i think that you are above and beyond a wonderful mom! being able to be home and spend every single day with cullen is awesome. i know b/c i am lucky and get to do that same thing! being able to spend time with baby only strengthens the bond and trusting relationship b/w you two. all of your activities are perfect! i love that A & C have a lot of the same baby gear. have you looked into early childhood programs thru your district for afternoon playgroups. A loves seeing other babies- 1 hour once a week is perfect! i find it SO hard to balance work and being that stay at home mom all at the same time! how are you doing with working from home, etc? p.s. we So watch wheel of fortune every night too! hahaha

Melissa said...

He's such a cutie!

Thank you for saying that he goes to be late. Landon goes around 10:00 most of the time too. He will nap between 8 and 10 after his bath and a nursing session, but usually only for like an hour or so. It works for us and I'm fine with it :)

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

That's one very filled day!!! I don't know how you have so much energy!

Anonymous said...

Love reading this post. Encourages me that I need to do my own. Although the past 2 days Korbyn has been really cranky so his schedule has been really off. So I'll wait until it normalizes again. Soon I hope!

Kristen (www.bradleyfamilytimes.blogspot.com)

I had to do anonymous because it wouldn't let me post through google...

The Uszenski's said...

My kids ages 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 both go to bed between 8:45 and 9. My husband works 12 hour days and on the days that he works, he doesn't get home until 7:30 ish. If they went to bed early, they wouldn't have daddy time. I can't put them to bed much later, especially with my oldest in school. It works for us! Good luck!

undomestic mama said...

Don't worry. My boys turned 10 months old today and your routine sounds very similar to ours, except. We pretty much just play with them, read to them, and all the other normal stuff like feeding, bathing, changing, napping. I think it'll mix up a little when he's a little older and mobile. I can't believe he has teeth already! Mine have been working on them for months but still don't have any.

Ashley said...

he does look like Billy. At first I thought the pic of your living room was his play room! lol. A part of our living room looks the same though :) Has C taken all those books and dvds off the tv stand?? My daughter would have that thing destroyed! Actually, I am pretty sure she would have that whole room destroyed! Little table and stuff on shelf- all gone! I think your time will come though...unless C is just very chill and doesnt do those kind of things. My nephews never got into stuff like Anika does. Maybe girls are more nosey! lol. Oh, and Anika doesnt go to bed until 9 ish and we are up at 6 and out the door at 7:30 AM. Dad doesnt get home until 7 pm...and thats if he gets to come home at all. Most weeks he doesnt :( So, i think its fine to keep them up to see dad if they are not begging to go to bed :)

Ashley said...

and, maybe try some acivities out where he can be around other kids. we go to library time every Friday AM and A LOVES IT! I keep an eye on the community programs going on. Even if I am at work, her sitter or my mom will take her. However, when we are around other kids, she completely ignores me, so that doesnt always feel good!

Meagan said...

Love this post!

Perfectly Imperfect said...

he does look like a mini billy! so cute!!

i remembered so much of how our days used to be by looking at this. enjoy this time mama :) i think you're definitely doing enough!

Sierra said...

He's so cute and it sounds like you have a fun filled day! You're a mamma and you are a good one too! :) Love how your TV room is decorated with C's pics - just adorable!

LWLH said...

He is such a cutie...he is like a little ball of baby love :)

Dana said...

sounds like you have an awesome schedule down! If you are both loving your routine then I wouldn't change it (well for now lol)! I do pretty much what you do with my 2 babes as far as interaction and fun stuff. The only differences for me is that the babes keep entertained with each other and do play time on the floor quite a bit and I also have an older son who entertains and plays also. You are an awesome mama and C is just the cutest!

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