Thursday, November 19, 2009

The new normal

I think of myself as a very habitual person. I get up around the same time every day (yes, I do miss the pre-baby weekend snooze fests), have a consistent morning and evening routine and generally know what is going to happen at any given point during the day. And I like it that way. Consistency is my friend. So you can imagine that I had some trepidation about how a baby was going to change everything. Good news! Yes, my life changed but it quickly settled into a new routine that has changed slightly as Cameron has grown.
  • Sleeping through the night. While sometimes it feels like just yesterday I was up 2-3 times a night to feed Cameron it's actually been a good stretch of time that she has been sleeping 11-12 hours a night. Pure bliss. The only problem? I'm completely used to it and I jealously guard my sleep. Does Cameron have a cold? Crap! Now she might wake up which means either DH or I are up. Teething? Looks like it's time for some Tylenol. Yes, I am not afraid to provide OTC drugs if that means I get to sleep uninterrupted.
  • Errands are short and sweet. No longer can I run out for hours on end to do errands or get a manicure on the weekend. Now it is a matter of fitting tasks in between naps for external errands and during naps for home maintenance. I have found myself ordering clothes online because I don't have time to browse through the mall looking for that perfect outfit. I guess I'll have to leverage the Internet for my Christmas purchases too.
  • I shop for Cameron, not me. Even last weekend when I went out because I needed a new work outfit for the 3 days of meetings I have this week I ended up buying a couple of things for Cameron, not me. It's just so much easier to find stuff for her! And infant girl clothing is so cute, isn't it?

  • Evenings are family time. I have about 30 minutes to myself when I arrive home from work assuming Cameron takes a third nap and DH is still working. Usually I spend the time doing lots of different things but sometimes I completely veg out. Once 5:30 rolls around, however, it is all about Cameron until she goes to bed at 7 PM. Then DH and I have dinner and watch something on TV. If we are adventurous we might watch a movie. Yes, we really are that exciting!

At almost 8 months in, things are good and pretty easy. So, what do I have to look forward to as Cameron starts becoming more mobile and she gets older? How have you adjusted the the new normal?

3 comments:

LauraC said...

We had that easiness in our nighttime routine from 6 months to 3 years. Plus I'm adamant about giving the kids something for pain if it helps them sleep not for myself but bc they need the sleep and why do they need to be miserable?

Anyway it all ended with potty training. We had to take the doorknob covers off so they could use the bathroom if necessary. So we never quite know when both boys will be down. If someone says they need to poop RIGHT NOW and they are training, you don't say no! Most of the time it's no big deal, someone comes out of their room and pees and goes back in.

But sometimes, someone is taking a long time pooping and the other comes out to check on them then I have to go up and tell them to go back to bed. They get three chances to listen (1 2 3 Magic) and then I lock them in the room.

Or the night before they sneaked into each other's room without me knowing! I heard something crazy and found them in bed together.

And this is why we waited to potty train.

AiringMyLaundry said...

I also shop for my kids and not for me.

Their clothes are so much cuter than mine anyway.

confused homemaker said...

It's an interesting experience growing with your kids as a parent. I find now we have new things: after-school events, snack days, tears over someone saying mean things, lots more laughter though than tears (I love hearing the kids laughs), then there's laughter through tears (my favorite emotion). Each phase brings something new & right now I have kid's in phases from 6.5 yr to 8 months, so it's really interesting to be a part of.