During the first month at home, here’s what a typical day with our family of three looks like…
7 am: Wake up (for good).
I usually don’t go back to sleep after P decides he’s hungry between 6-8 am. He eats every 2-4 hours or so throughout the night (it’s occasionally more frequent during the day) so if it’s before 6 am I usually try to go back to sleep again, but if it’s after that I just get up.
Kyle showers while I change and breast feed and then brings the pack ‘n play downstairs (he sleeps in the pack ‘n play in our room for now).
8 am: Pass P off to Kyle while I shower (he has to stay upright for a while after eating or he’ll spit up).
8:30 am: Shower, get dressed, grab coffee, and make breakfast for Kyle.
9 am: Kyle eats and starts working while I take P back over. [Even though Kyle works from home, he blocks off time to work and take calls and such]
9:30 am: At some point around this time the cycle repeats – diaper change, breast feed, hold upright, put down to sleep (the infant quad-fecta).
10:30 am: Eat breakfast. Home-made bread with heaps (and heaps!) of Earth Balance and eggs are the typical. Otherwise I’m all about the granola (which I combine with nut butter and almond milk – makes a really thick crunchy nut buttery mixture).
Sometimes I eat breakfast while nursing or holding him, even though I’ve made it an hour or so before. Because I’m slow to shower and get ready, cooking or eating often gets interrupted because P gets hungry again (and I’d rather make myself pause for food than him).
11 am: Take a million photos. Get stuff done on the computer (blogging, responding to emails, uploading photos from the camera & iPhone, etc.) while he sleeps.
His naps vary in length, but since he’s often held upright for 30 minutes or so after eating, it’s not long that he’s out. My internet time is minimal; and before I know it, he wakes up again (hungry and with a dirty diaper).
11:30 am: The cycle repeats. Change P’s diaper. Breastfeed. Hold and rock him. Put him down for a nap.
Kyle’s often out of the apartment for business meetings in the early morning, too, so it’s just me and P. Doing our thing – cycle after cycle.
12:30 pm: Make and eat lunch for me and Kyle.
I make simple things for us, like:
- sweet potato with almond butter & cinnamon
- veggie burger with daiya, ketchup & mustard, carrots and sweet potato
- quinoa quiche
- regular potato with daiya, Earth Balance, and corn
The above are my smaller snack like meals. I still eat frequently like I’m pregnant. My appetite is pretty solid thanks to breastfeeding. And now that I don’t have a huge belly I can actually honor it and grub away. It’s awesome.
I make Kyle more normal sized (read: large) meals because he doesn’t really snack as much between meals. Pasta is a mainstay.
1 pm: Diaper, nurse, rock, nap. [Is typing this out becoming monotonous? Often times it feels like there are only 5 seconds between one cycle of this and the next…which isn’t too far off. It’s no wonder I can hardly find time to eat!]
The funny thing is that P is completely unable to multi-task, so if he’s sleeping the rest of his body is on pause. Once he wakes up it takes him a while (a LONG while actually) to poop, pee, fart, etc. so we have to wait before changing his diaper (or it’ll need to be changed twice – or more). After that, he is ready to nurse. Heaven forbid he goes to the bathroom while nursing! Kyle and I find it hilarious. He will literally pull off of my boob to fart. And then go back to sucking. [Sorry if this is TMI]
FYI, these photos aren’t all from the same day, but is actually fairly representative of the number of outfit changes he goes through. It’s unreal. His various bodily fluids ruin so many onesies.
On weekends, these early afternoon hours are prime visitor times. P has had a fairly steady stream of family and friends come visit, which we love. He adores being held by anyone and everyone. He pretty much falls asleep in your arms.
2 pm: Start some kind of grain in the rice cooker. Begin a load of laundry. Eat a snack.
Dear Uncle Eddie’s vegan cookies, Why can’t I quit you!?! [Rhetorical question – I have zero interest in quitting these beauties]
3 pm: Kyle takes a break from work and we go on a family walk.
We usually wait until right after P eats so our walks can be as long as possible, but he’s such a good baby that he falls asleep in the stroller right away. All the noise and movement in the world doesn’t seem to wake him. Too bad that’s not the case at night.
Family outings have included errands to places like the grocery store, post office, drug store, Staples, and such (thrilling!). We’ve also squeezed in a hair cut for Kyle (I cut his hair) and a trip to Old Navy (for non hideous breast feeding easy access clothes).
[This is our first family walk we ever went on. P was 5 days old.]
4:30 pm: Diaper, nurse, rock, nap. At some point during this cycle Kyle takes a break from work to help with P so I can get dinner going.
5:30 pm: Finish up dinner and eat (yes, this early).
It’s weird eating dinner at this time, but I go to sleep REALLY early so it’s actually a more normal time given my bedtime. Sometimes I miss the days of watching mindless shows from 8 to 10, but Kyle and I still get to hang out so it’s all good. I love that his working from home gives him flexibility in his schedule. We listen to music and hang out with P.
This is actually his fussiest time for some reason so he needs a lot of attention. He’s often gassy and we try to soothe him as he works through his GI issues. Poor guy. I hope he didn’t inherit my IBS. 🙁
7 pm: Face time, call, & email family and friends to catch up on life.
7:30 pm: Give P a bath (not an every day thing) after the next cycle of diaper change & feeding. He actually seems to like bath time.
Big yawn!
8 pm: Bring pack n play back upstairs to the bedroom in anticipation of night time.
After P eats next I pass him off to Kyle while I sleep.
9 pm: I get some shut eye while Kyle works from the bedroom and takes care of P.
Kyle does all the diaper changes between 9 and midnight and only wakes me if/when P gets hungry between those hours.
Often I get a solid 3 hours of sleep, which is key in me being functional. Plus we’re all in the bedroom together so I don’t feel like I’m away from them.
12:30 am: Kyle passes P off to me to nurse and then goes to bed.
1-6 am: Elise and PAC man time. :) He’s occasionally overly alert, but for the most part he’s a very very good baby (I hope I didn’t totally jinx myself by writing that). Every 2ish hours he wakes up and I change him, nurse him, and rock him until he’s asleep again. I do this all in the nursery so Kyle is able to sleep through it. It’s a pretty good system because I’m well adequately rested thanks to the solid block of sleep I get going into the night and Kyle is well sufficiently rested due to the six hours he gets afterwards.
There are certain nights that P doesn’t want to go back to sleep as quickly as I’d like, and I have to try the transfer from my arms to the pack n play a few times before he goes to sleep. But it’s still awesome because his alert eyes staring up at me are so adorable I can’t begrudge him for keeping me awake.
His typical night time wake up hours are 11-12, 2:30-3:30, and 5-6. But it definitely varies.
Sometimes I’ll bring him into the bed with me when he’s awake and it’s early in the morning and I know Kyle’s about to get up anyway. It’s fun snuggling with all three of us.
7 am: The day repeats!
I’m curious to see how this routine changes as P grows up (and when I head back to work).
It sounds like everything has fallen right into place 🙂 I remember before you mentioned you were thinking of cloth diapering, if you have started, what do you think of it?
Those first few weeks are the hardest. Joey does these etching when I feed him, stops poops or farts and then goes back to his business. It’s so funny. It’s funny how they sleep so much at first through the noise and activity. You’ll love it when he stays awake on your walks and starts taking everything in. When you go back to work are you taking him to a daycare, sitter, or getting a nanny? We’ve been so lucky to find a home daycare with great credentials that loves our little boy.
I love this! This whole post made me so happy. Looks like you have a great routine down 🙂
Ahhh I’m LOVING all the photos of him – so precious! I appreciated this post so much. It was fun to read and get an idea of what my life will be like in the next couple months. 😉 I loved when you talked about P not being able to multitask – too funny!
WHAT AN ADORABLE LITTLE BUNDLE P IS!!! (swoon). You seem to have adapted to your routine well. going back to work … don’t think about that yet. Wonderful post.
He is TOO CUTE! And 5:30 pm is a pretty normal dinner time for me… I go to bed around 9 – 9:30 since I like to wake up really early.
He is seriously adorable. Like, you’re-making-my-ovaries-hurt adorable. I love that you and Kyle are already such a good team. When do you go back to work?
so sweet n cute! congrats, honey. i’m sure your routine will change again next month when i have a little more time to see you guys? xoxox
havent started yet (theyre still way too big on him)…but ill give a status update once i do.
havent gotten that far yet…there are lots of variables in our life that im not sharing on the blog (yet) that prevent me from planning that far ahead. hopefully we can have family play a big role in child care though.
to be determined…
yes! you gotta come meet him 🙂
Love this post and the pics! You guys are doing an amazing job!
Can I ask you some food questions? I know you are Sooooooooo very busy.
Is the homemade bread then one you posted with the peanut flour and oat flour?
Does the quinoa recipe with two ramkins serve one or two?
What brand granola is that?
Is the cookie gluten free? If so, I’ll be getting some soon!
what brand daiya and nutritional yeast do you recommend?
Thanks so much. Love seeing your beautiful family. Just enjoy this time and don’t think about going back to work at all yet!
Hi, this is your cousin Katrina. I am really enjoying your blog and look forward to the next installment. You and Kyle look so happy and that sweet, sweet baby is just darling. I’m not just saying that because we’re related. LOL I’m also very much interested in trying some of your recipes. I’m seriously trying to lose weight with excercise and better food choices and retrain my brain not to crave the sugar. Too many years of over indulging my sweet tooth have caught up with me.
I find stuff like this interesting.
Are you planning on going back to work full-time?
I am exhausted just reading that. I do believe I will have a melt down when we have a baby and I don’t get my precious sleep. But maybe the baby-cuteness will make it easier.
Elise & Kyle: your baby P is an absolute gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy for you two. 🙂
Congratulations again on your bundle of joy!!! He is so beautiful! I am loving the pictures you post! Keep them coming!!!
Ahhhh–he is so darn cute, Elise! What a sweetie pie little guy you have 🙂
Courtney
Your family is adorable! I’ve been wondering for a while, and maybe I missed it, but what is Kyle’s new business? You are so fortunate to have him home while you adjust!!
I cannot get over how cute he is! So glad you guys have found a routine thats working well for the three of you.
THE CUTENESS! I can hardly stand it 🙂 Congrats again, mama.
Oh P is just SO scrummy, argh wish I could have a cuddle! Sounds like you have a good little family-system in place….. oh reading this takes me right back to those days – you are so lucky that Kyle is able to fit in family-time around his work (when Misty was tiny Viper was working in another state which was awful – plus I don’t have any of my family in this country, so it was ROUGH).
You are looking simply fabulous 🙂 What is is with that 5:30pm fussy time? Misty was the same!
Whew, I am tired just reading this! It looks like you’ve found a routine that works for the whole fam though. I literally laughed out loud when I read that P pulls off the boob to fart. Ha!
I haven’t commented on your baby posts since P arrived (but I’ve read every word), so I just wanted to say congrats! He is such a cute little man!!
Oh he is BEAUTIFUL!! I’m glad that everyone is doing well and that y’all have a nice tag-team routine going!
I just love all the sweet photos 🙂 reading your daily routine was so enjoyable for me. It reminds me of the days I wound up “stuck” on the couch nursing for a whole afternoon with no remote and a baby going through a growth spurt. I watched some horrible TV by accident. Once you get into cloth diapering, you’ll find that they contain the liquid poo so much better! There will be diaper laundry for sure, but not nearly as many outfit changes.
He (and his giraffes!) are so cute! He seems like such a well behaved baby, and I really admire how much you and Kyle have a really strong partnership in all of this!
Food pics= awesome
Baby pics=awesomer
🙂
You’re baby boy is so precious! Congratulations!
*Your…duh
Sounds like a great routine for month one! And he is just too adorable. Great photos 🙂
He’s really cute Elise! Sounds like you’ve got a good schedule down.
same here. i read every post of yours. i rarely comment bc im usually reading on my iphone these days – im getting really good at one handed stuff. 🙂
how funny!?! crazy boys. does misty have insane hiccups too? P has them all the time. he was the same in utero too – ha. cant seem to get the swallowing thing down 😛
dont i know it!!!
robots that clean solar panels – http://www.greenbotics.com
eventually yes
hope you saw my reply on the other post re the bread and granola recipes.
the quinoa recipe tells you the yield in the post.
daiya is the brand of vegan cheese – i like all their flavors.
for nutritional yeast i buy whole foods or braggs brand.
hi katrina!!! it was so sweet of you to send a card. im glad you found the blog 🙂
i hope you find the recipes on the site helpful. and congrats on the shift to a healthier lifestyle!
Yip, hiccups and spit-ups…. seriously Misty found it SO hard to keep feeds down – and it was so tragic when he spit up a feed as my milk supply was SO crap I wanted him to keep down every little bit of breast milk! Apparently boys are generally a little worse when it comes to spit up/reflux.
yes, thank you. As for the quinoa recipe, I see it makes two ramkin’s full…but wasn’t sure if the one ramkin was one serving or if two ramkins was one serving.
got it. same with spit up although hes getting better. i was so bummed out at first too – but i care less now since i know hes growing tons and getting enough of my milk. i am very lucky that my supply is plentiful though.
I don’t want to bug you with what is low fodmap and what isn’t. But I want to let you know that almonds, I think, are now not allowed on the low fodmap diet…along with cashews. Would love your thoughts as I am so sad to lose my almond butter. Peanut butter is known to have mold.
a serving is whatever you want it to be beth. however much you eat in one sitting is a serving 🙂
He is SO cute and I think he looks so much like you! Do you hear that a lot?
What a gentleman to pull off before he toots 😉 G liked to poop right after he would latch on…I think he became relaxed or something and then just let it rip. I have memories of Matt changing his diapers WHILE he was nursing, so we could keep him asleep after. LOL.
yup! everyone says he looks like me – i like it 🙂
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Dear Elise,
I want you to know how happy I am for you, and that I really appreciate these baby schedule plus meal blogs right now!
My husband and I (as of this past Valentine’s Day– our wedding) are now expecting our first little one (we chart cycles, but still didn’t think it would happen on the first try– HA! Got pregnant the same week as the wedding).
First tri was really rough due to some ridiculousness from my old Gyno (who’s not in charge of prenatal care and scared me when everything was fine) but I’m finally starting to feel better!
Anyway, I share your blog with my hubby, and we are so excited about reading it! We feel as though we are getting insight into our future. 😉 My husband will be switching jobs right after our little one is born (we think it’s a boy). I have food issues — so many similarities!
Sorry to talk your ear off- Happy Day Before Mother’s Day, and I wanted you to know that when I’m feeling worried, I re-read your posts… Hence the comment on this one instead of your most recent.
Your super family ROCKS MY SOCKS! Your blog comforts me.
Hugs,
Love
hi love! i am so thrilled for you! its going to be a crazy awesome time, for sure, but even through all the job stuff, food stuff, and anything else youre apprehensive about, you are going to have a new little one that will be the most wondrous thing youve ever laid eyes on. its insane. its awesome. and in the moments when its hard, youll get through it together somehow 🙂
glad you find these posts helpful!! enjoy pregnancy!