So, I get asked a lot what I do at home all day and if I get bored. Stay at home moms seem to be a rare breed these days, so I can understand the question.
Micah wakes up around 6:30-7:30 depending on how his night went. We say bye to Terry and I nurse Micah for about 30 minutes. It takes him a long time to eat at this point because he's gone longer than normal without food, due to him being able to sleep 6-7 hours in a row now.
Next I change his diaper and his clothes and we start the day.
He's happiest in the morning, and most talkative, so I spend some time talking to him and hearing his litle coos and gurgles. Once he gets bored with talking, I'll lay him in his crib or pack n play. In his crib he likes to stare at the lion on the blanket above his bed and in the pack n' play he's fascinated by the bears on his mobile. So, this gives me enough time to get dressed and get a 5 minute shower in, if I didn't get to take one the night before.
It doesn't take long, maybe an hour or so, for Micah to be ready for his next nap. So, I'll spend about 10-20 minutes getting him to sleep and then put him in the swing to finish his nap. This is his longest nap of the day so it's also my power-hour. It's when I go crazy doing all the things in the house that can't be done with a baby on my hip. I'll do the dishes, start laundry, and clean. But, mostly this is the time I dedicate to my work with Sonnier Marketing. I do about an hour's worth of work from home every day. This is also the time I use to pump breast milk for the one day a week that I'm out of the house. It takes me about 30 minutes to pump 2 0z. and by Friday of every week I need at least 12 oz. to get through the day.
When Micah wakes up it's time to eat again. Once he's done, I'll keep him happy by moving him around from his bumbo, swing, bouncy chair, blanket on the floor, crib, or highchair to give him different things to look at while I pay bills, catch up on emails, write blogs, upload photos to shutterfly, and make any phone calls I need to. When he's had enough of being on his own, I'll strap him into the carrier and I'll wear him around the house while I finish cleaning and laundry. Yes, I really do laundry just about every day. Terry and I generate about 2-3 loads a week, then there's towels, and Micah's little clothes, towels, blankets, and sheets fill up 3-4 loads.
He'll take two more cat naps throughout the next few hours. I'll rock him for about 10 minutes and then lay him down to sleep another 10-15 minutes in his bed. During that time, I'll do things like clip coupons, make grocery lists, and look for Terry-friendly recipes in my cook books or online. During this time when he's awake, we'll have tummy time (pediatricians say tummy time is a neccessity every day because babies sleep on their backs now for safety, and as a result spend less time on their stomachs which is crucial for them to strengthen their neck and arm muscles) and we'll practice sitting up and rolling over so he can get used to how it feels to be active.
Usually, by this time I'll feed him again and then Micah gets his bath. Although it's not good for babies sensitive skin to be exposed to soap and shampoo every day, he at least gets a good scrub with water. He enjoys his baths so much that I like to let him have one every day.
After his bath is his second cat nap and I'll start to get things ready for dinner by defrosting my meat and getting all the ingredients and pans out that I'll need. Micah's fussiest in the evening, so any work I can do towards dinner in the afternoon is helpful. I usually try to pump again during thins time, too.
In the late afternoons, I'll try to workout or go for a walk with Micah. If I need to run errands, I'll usually do it around 1-2 p.m. or so. And once a week, I spend about 3 hours doing some office work for my brother in law's sign business.
Around 5:30 or 6, I'll rock Micah back to sleep and hope he'll nap for about an hour so that I can start dinner. If he's nap doesn't last as long, I'll put him in his bouncy chair on the counter so he can watch me while I cook.
Terry comes home and we have dinner. Then he'll play with Micah while I do the dishes. By about 7:30 each night Micah is so exhusted that he gets really cranky. Terry takes over this naptime routine to give me a little break (this is the time I sometimes get to catch a shower). He distracts him from being sleepy by playing with him or walking around, he also changes his diaper and puts him in his pajamas. By this time Micah's gone through at least 3 outfits, maybe more, and about 5-7 diapers. Once Micah's asleep around 8:30 or 9, he'll stay that way for about an hour, then wake up to eat (or I'll wake him) one last time. He's down for the night at 10:30 and sleeps until 4:30 most of the time.
So, that's my day. I really enjoy it and love staying home with my sweet potato. I don't ever get bored, because in those rare moments where Micah sleeps longer than usual or is extra happy just sitting in his swing, I'll clean out my refrigerator, or go through my closet and find clothes to take to the consignment store, or organize the junk drawer. It's nice to be a sort of house-manager. It gives us more time to spend as a family on evenings and weekends without worrying about errands and chores as much. And that's exactly why I do it. Micah will be happier if his parents are happier, and extra time spent together doing fun things and relaxing is exactly what makes me and Terry happy.
1 comment:
Hi Sarah - Kelly told me about your blog. I just read this post about your day and found it so interesting. My days when Amanda was Micah's age were very similar to yours now. Only, I didn't get nearly as much done as you do! When Amanda slept back then, I generally just surfed the internet, watched tv, or laid down with her and napped too. I hope my husband doesn't read your blog, because I'm definitely not as good a household manager as you!
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