05 April 2010

The Routine

I'd like to say that there's a sense of rhythm around here -- a routine more than a schedule to keep it all together. For the last year, our daily rhythm has been based on the EASY routine in The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer (hands down, the most helpful baby book I read). Baby Eats, has Active time, Sleeps, and then Mom gets her "You" time. Though Lily is almost a year old, that's still what we go by: get up, eat, play, nap, then do it again. Only now she plays independently and naps twice a day.

I try to keep things pretty loose in terms of what we do day to day. I'm really not a schedule kind of person anyway, so we stick to the basic framework of the day and go from there. Lately I've been keeping a to-do list for each day, to keep myself on track with freelancing assignments I've picked up and activities we have planned for the week. But it's all flexible. If I have a terrible night's sleep or Lily is particularly fussy one day, it's no big deal. Everything gets done one way or another.

Two things I always try to do are keep the TV off and spend some time outside. We find plenty to keep us busy without having to watch the tube, and a little Vitamin D is good for us. We go for a walk or I lay out a blanket and read while Lily plays.

It took a while to figure this all out. I wish I had known to be a bit more patient when Lily was first born and I couldn't seem to get it together. We struggled through many months, but we seem to have hit our stride. No doubt things will change in the next few months as Lily starts walking and gives up her morning nap, but as we close in on our first year together, things are working out pretty well.

4 comments:

Laura Leigh Dobson said...

i love your posts about living with a baby. . gives me much needed insight for the future.

btw, what brand is that planner? i like the layout of it.

kate o. said...

i love getting little "peeks" into other mom's "normal" days.

after getting into the routine of life with two "older" boys, i'm again gearing myself up for the days of many feedings, many naps, and (hopefully not many) fusses.

Bethany said...

i used to keep a horribly rigid checklist of stuff to accomplish each day. boy has that gone out the window. now i have just one thing to cross off:

~SURVIVE.

Lindsay said...

Laura, thank you. The planner is Working Class Studio from Barnes & Noble. It was $10, I think.

Kate, I love glimpses into other moms' lives, too. Even now I wonder what it'll be like to have two kids and start at the beginning again. I'll certainly have to revise this routine. :)

Bethany, they aren't kidding that being a stay-at-home mom is a tough job, huh? You're doing great with your babes.