Routine

Over the past month and a half I feel like we've finally been able to get into a (semi) predictable routine in the Stingerie household. We've been able to implement an eat, play, sleep routine based on Baby Wise and The Baby Whisperer.

Obviously there are variations to each day depending on external things we have going on (i.e. Tuesdays I do my long runs, Thursdays I have Bible study, lunches or coffees with friends, etc), but the feeding times are typically the same (unless she is having a growth spurt) and I will feed Madi where ever we are when she gets hungry (even if it doesn't match the "schedule" - i.e. I don't use the clock rather than her hunger cues).

So here's a typical schedule of Mommy and Madi's day -

• 7:00 am - Wake the Mads! Sometimes she's laying in bed already awake and other times we have to wake her. Both ways she's usually pretty happy and smiley, which is a fabulous way to start the day! Daddy will usually stay home until we wake Madi so that he can enjoy the smiles! She sometimes wakes up and fusses before 7:00, but it's unusual. 

• After feeding Madi I will either play with her or pump depending on how much she's eaten. If I have to pump she plays in her chair with toy bar with me talking to her until I'm done. We stay in our pajamas and continue playing until Madi starts getting sleepy. Usually this is around 8:00-8:30 am. 

• Then it's nap time! For the Duck that is. :-) This is Mommy's chance to eat breakfast, get dressed, work on my Bible study, and sometimes other household chores. She usually takes a good nap in the morning which I do not take for granted!

• 9:30 (+/- 30 min) - Madi wakes up and is ready to eat again! After she's done I change her into her clothes for the day. Sometimes we'll go run errands afterwards or play at home again. I have been trying to work on getting Madi to grab objects, hold her head up by doing tummy time, and sing/dance together.  (And I'm open to any suggestions of other good ideas of things to do with your baby!)

• Madi will usually take a short nap, especially if we've been out and about in her pram. Otherwise I will put her down for a nap (sans paci unless she gets really fussy). Sometimes she will just lay there calmly. I get a sandwich made and maybe a few things around the house, but nothing that takes too much concentration since it's typically a short nap. :-)

• 12:30 (+/- 30 min) - Lunchtime for Madi. Same story with this wake time as above - sometimes errands, definitely some playtime, and she pretty much stays awake until her next feed. I will sometimes carry her around the house in the sling or let her play on her play mat by herself. Everyone that's watched Madi has said she's a very calm baby who's content just hanging out. It's true and definitely not a characteristic that she got from Mommy!

• 3:00 (+/- 30 min) - Madi's afternoon snack time! After playing for a while we will try to figure out what's for dinner. I might start prepping something if possible or wait until she goes down for a nap, but since that's a toss up if she'll actually take one or not, we usually end up with her sitting in her chair in the kitchen while I talk to her about what I'm doing and show her the different objects around the kitchen.

• 5:00 (+/- 30 min) - Daddy comes home! He will play with Madi while I finished getting dinner ready. Then he will usually take over making dinner while I feed Madi (5:30-6:00 ish) and then we'll switch back and I will finish if there's any prep left so that he can get in the most Madi time possible. If she's acting tired, then we might try to put her down for a little bit while we eat dinner. Otherwise she usually does fine sitting in her swing or chair or laying on a pillow next to us on the sofa while we eat. 

• I'll try to take dinner clean up so that Daddy can play with Madi more. She will start to get tired, but not want to go down so a lot of evenings she'll take a short nap in Daddy's arms. It's precious and I love that she gets to spend sometime with him and is too irresistible for him to put down! ;-)

• 8:30 (+/- 30 min) - The Duck has her late night dinner and we start our bedtime routine. We do a bath every night, even if it's just a quick one (we only wash her a couple times a week). She loves the water and it calms her down no matter how upset she's been or if she's had a long day.  

• Afterwards we put on our pajamas, read a bedtime story, and then Mommy and Daddy sing praise and worship songs to Madi bug for 10-15 min. We lay her down to bed sleepy, but awake, and she's really good about putting herself to sleep with little to no crying/whining. 

• 11:00 pm - We go in and quietly wake you a little bit. An efficient diaper change, late night snack, and back to bed and you're usually back asleep pretty quick!