Hey there,
Since I have had B I find myself with no time but lots of time all at the same time! Does that even make sense? No probably not. I think a new parent will get it though. What I mean is having a baby, as we all know, takes up the bulk of your time however, I still have time when she is sleeping, playing on her own or when someone watches her for a bit. In those moments I have such a long list of things I want to do that I just don't fit them in all at once. I have learned that during the day B doesn't sleep for very long so I don't attempt to do tasks that I like to take my time on, such as my blog. Instead, during nap time, I eat, shower, call the hubby and chat, organize the house a bit, cook or just watch a bit of TV. There are times I nap with her too but I am one of those people who can not nap. I wake up feeling more tired than when I went to sleep and usually have a headache. I sleep, not nap. At night when I put her down is when I have longer periods of time to do the things I like to spend time on. Mostly, that is spending time with Indiana. He usually gets home around 7:30, we eat dinner, shower, watch some TV and then usually hit the hay. On days he gets home a bit earlier we game for a bit after we eat. Some days B really puts me through the ringer so I take a nice long bath when she goes to bed. My blog is always on my mind but the idea of not taking time to spend with hubby or soak my tired bones in warm, lavender scented water makes me think twice. But, it is the weekend, B is asleep, I have gamed a bit with hubby and then my fingers started to get that familiar itch to write.
You want to know what one of my most important piece of advice is to new parents? Don't let your baby nap in your arms and get used to it. Yes it feels so good. Yes your baby looks so peaceful when they sleep and yes you could just stare into that beautiful sleeping face all day. However, if you do that, you end up exhausted, malnourished, poorly groomed, and in general a hot mess. From the get go when little one sleeps put him/her down. Trust me this is good for the long run. In the beginning it is great because they sleep longer stretches so you have plenty of time to grab a shower and get some food in your belly. As the months roll on, the day time naps get shorter and the nigh time sleep gets longer. Use that to your advantage. By then you are a pro at whipping up fast meals and showering like the flash so the day time naps get easier. Then, like I said, at night you have more time for yourself and relationship. If you start off always holding baby while they sleep, they will get used to it. Then, all the sudden, when you put them down because you need to pee or grab a bite they wake up and cry and you find yourself imprisoned while your sweet baby sleeps. Even if you want to stare at that beautiful creation do so when they are laying down out of your arms! TRUST ME!!!!!! B is 6 and a half months old now and so many friends of mine can not believe she goes to bed in her crib every night just fine and will nap anywhere during the day. It is because we didn't hold her 24/7. Here is another tip for better sleep. MAKE NOISE!! You will be shocked to discover what newborns can sleep through. We vacuumed around her while she napped. During the day she always napped in the living room with the TV on, guests over, at the mall in her stroller, in the car with music on, and so on. What we didn't do was tip toe around my house because the baby is sleeping. We didn't chain ourselves to nap time regimes such as strict timings, always in their crib, white noise on and all that jazz. We have a bed time regime but not a nap time one. Even our bed time schedule is flexible because LIFE IS FLEXIBLE! In general I feed B some solids around 5, bath at 6, feeding between 6-7 and bed by 7-7:30. However there have been days she has had a big day and didn't nap much and was pretty much falling asleep by 5 or days she napped late and only goes to bed closer to 8. There have been times we have gone to parties and brought her with the bassinet and put her to bed in a quiet room. Don't make having a baby be the end of your life. That is just a bad way to approach this new adventure. Instead let having a baby be a whole new journey. Let it be the continuation of your life, not the start of a whole new one. You had a child, you didn't die. Becoming a parent doesn't mean you give up on yourself or your relationship.
So put your baby down when he/she falls asleep, go get yourself a hot cup of coffee, sit down, and read a book.
This felt good. :)
Night Night
xoxo
Since I have had B I find myself with no time but lots of time all at the same time! Does that even make sense? No probably not. I think a new parent will get it though. What I mean is having a baby, as we all know, takes up the bulk of your time however, I still have time when she is sleeping, playing on her own or when someone watches her for a bit. In those moments I have such a long list of things I want to do that I just don't fit them in all at once. I have learned that during the day B doesn't sleep for very long so I don't attempt to do tasks that I like to take my time on, such as my blog. Instead, during nap time, I eat, shower, call the hubby and chat, organize the house a bit, cook or just watch a bit of TV. There are times I nap with her too but I am one of those people who can not nap. I wake up feeling more tired than when I went to sleep and usually have a headache. I sleep, not nap. At night when I put her down is when I have longer periods of time to do the things I like to spend time on. Mostly, that is spending time with Indiana. He usually gets home around 7:30, we eat dinner, shower, watch some TV and then usually hit the hay. On days he gets home a bit earlier we game for a bit after we eat. Some days B really puts me through the ringer so I take a nice long bath when she goes to bed. My blog is always on my mind but the idea of not taking time to spend with hubby or soak my tired bones in warm, lavender scented water makes me think twice. But, it is the weekend, B is asleep, I have gamed a bit with hubby and then my fingers started to get that familiar itch to write.
You want to know what one of my most important piece of advice is to new parents? Don't let your baby nap in your arms and get used to it. Yes it feels so good. Yes your baby looks so peaceful when they sleep and yes you could just stare into that beautiful sleeping face all day. However, if you do that, you end up exhausted, malnourished, poorly groomed, and in general a hot mess. From the get go when little one sleeps put him/her down. Trust me this is good for the long run. In the beginning it is great because they sleep longer stretches so you have plenty of time to grab a shower and get some food in your belly. As the months roll on, the day time naps get shorter and the nigh time sleep gets longer. Use that to your advantage. By then you are a pro at whipping up fast meals and showering like the flash so the day time naps get easier. Then, like I said, at night you have more time for yourself and relationship. If you start off always holding baby while they sleep, they will get used to it. Then, all the sudden, when you put them down because you need to pee or grab a bite they wake up and cry and you find yourself imprisoned while your sweet baby sleeps. Even if you want to stare at that beautiful creation do so when they are laying down out of your arms! TRUST ME!!!!!! B is 6 and a half months old now and so many friends of mine can not believe she goes to bed in her crib every night just fine and will nap anywhere during the day. It is because we didn't hold her 24/7. Here is another tip for better sleep. MAKE NOISE!! You will be shocked to discover what newborns can sleep through. We vacuumed around her while she napped. During the day she always napped in the living room with the TV on, guests over, at the mall in her stroller, in the car with music on, and so on. What we didn't do was tip toe around my house because the baby is sleeping. We didn't chain ourselves to nap time regimes such as strict timings, always in their crib, white noise on and all that jazz. We have a bed time regime but not a nap time one. Even our bed time schedule is flexible because LIFE IS FLEXIBLE! In general I feed B some solids around 5, bath at 6, feeding between 6-7 and bed by 7-7:30. However there have been days she has had a big day and didn't nap much and was pretty much falling asleep by 5 or days she napped late and only goes to bed closer to 8. There have been times we have gone to parties and brought her with the bassinet and put her to bed in a quiet room. Don't make having a baby be the end of your life. That is just a bad way to approach this new adventure. Instead let having a baby be a whole new journey. Let it be the continuation of your life, not the start of a whole new one. You had a child, you didn't die. Becoming a parent doesn't mean you give up on yourself or your relationship.
So put your baby down when he/she falls asleep, go get yourself a hot cup of coffee, sit down, and read a book.
This felt good. :)
Night Night
xoxo
