We’re lucky; we have two parents at home, so we can double-team our little one and retain some semblance of getting enough sleep. Somehow, we still never get as much sleep as we think we will, but we’re certainly a lot better off than we’d be if one or both of us worked at a normal office.
Exie’s day usually starts around 7:30am or so. She’s very active then, and loves to talk. That’s when I usually swoop in and grab her (I get up a few hours before that to snag some computer time before I go on duty). We play for a while, and then I usually feed her (though it depends on when she last ate in the night). On most days, this is her only bottle feeding; the rest are from mommy au naturale. If I’m lucky, she takes a short (30 to 40 minute) nap sometime after she eats.
Susan, who gets her best sleep during the time when I have Exie, tends to come down sometime around 10 or 10:30, have some breakfast, and take over for a while. Throughout the day we share the work, but Susan absolutely carries a much larger percentage of the load. I help out on and off, depending on how much other stuff I’m working on at the time.
Exie usually takes her longest nap after “lunch,” whenever that may be, so we frequently walk to University Avenue and grab lunch while she’s in her nap zone. She usually take another nap later in the afternoon, and then by around 6pm, we’re starting to get ready for bed.
We try to keep our bedtime routine simple so it’s not a big production. Sometimes we give her a bath or take a family shower, then I read her two short books (provided she’s not mad about me reading to her). Note that “read” is a euphemism here ’cause some of the books don’t have any words. Then I change her into pajamas, wash her face, and hand her over to Susan. Susan feeds her (and interestingly, she eats at this time no matter how recently she’s eaten), and then puts her down with her lambie (a kinda’ funny looking thing with a lamb-head and a small, soft washcloth-sized blanket as a body – I’m told these are somewhat common, but I’ve never seen one before). Our goal is to have her in bed around 7:30, but we’re not spazzed about it being exact.
Fortunately, Exie seems pretty good about going to sleep by herself (Susan usually puts her down when she’s very sleepy, but not yet quite sleeping). She often makes a squawk later and needs to be comforted, but she usually sleeps to about when we go to sleep (around 11pm) if not a little longer.
Then things gets a little rougher ’cause she wakes up and feeds 2 or 3 more times during the night. Susan handles all of this and I try to sleep through it. I have a much better deal in this arrangement, but Susan is better at getting her to fall back asleep, Susan has milk, and Susan functions better on less sleep (I actually need less sleep, but function significantly worse when I don’t get it). And also, this allows me to take Exie in the morning while Susan grabs a few more hours.
So… that’s our life at the moment. We’re still adjusting and I’m sure it will change as Exie changes, but for now, it’s working for us.
the routine
We’re lucky; we have two parents at home, so we can double-team our little one and retain some semblance of getting enough sleep. Somehow, we still never get as much sleep as we think we will, but we’re certainly a lot better off than we’d be if one or both of us worked at a normal office.
Exie’s day usually starts around 7:30am or so. She’s very active then, and loves to talk. That’s when I usually swoop in and grab her (I get up a few hours before that to snag some computer time before I go on duty). We play for a while, and then I usually feed her (though it depends on when she last ate in the night). On most days, this is her only bottle feeding; the rest are from mommy au naturale. If I’m lucky, she takes a short (30 to 40 minute) nap sometime after she eats.
Susan, who gets her best sleep during the time when I have Exie, tends to come down sometime around 10 or 10:30, have some breakfast, and take over for a while. Throughout the day we share the work, but Susan absolutely carries a much larger percentage of the load. I help out on and off, depending on how much other stuff I’m working on at the time.
Exie usually takes her longest nap after “lunch,” whenever that may be, so we frequently walk to University Avenue and grab lunch while she’s in her nap zone. She usually take another nap later in the afternoon, and then by around 6pm, we’re starting to get ready for bed.
We try to keep our bedtime routine simple so it’s not a big production. Sometimes we give her a bath or take a family shower, then I read her two short books (provided she’s not mad about me reading to her). Note that “read” is a euphemism here ’cause some of the books don’t have any words. Then I change her into pajamas, wash her face, and hand her over to Susan. Susan feeds her (and interestingly, she eats at this time no matter how recently she’s eaten), and then puts her down with her lambie (a kinda’ funny looking thing with a lamb-head and a small, soft washcloth-sized blanket as a body – I’m told these are somewhat common, but I’ve never seen one before). Our goal is to have her in bed around 7:30, but we’re not spazzed about it being exact.
Fortunately, Exie seems pretty good about going to sleep by herself (Susan usually puts her down when she’s very sleepy, but not yet quite sleeping). She often makes a squawk later and needs to be comforted, but she usually sleeps to about when we go to sleep (around 11pm) if not a little longer.
Then things gets a little rougher ’cause she wakes up and feeds 2 or 3 more times during the night. Susan handles all of this and I try to sleep through it. I have a much better deal in this arrangement, but Susan is better at getting her to fall back asleep, Susan has milk, and Susan functions better on less sleep (I actually need less sleep, but function significantly worse when I don’t get it). And also, this allows me to take Exie in the morning while Susan grabs a few more hours.
So… that’s our life at the moment. We’re still adjusting and I’m sure it will change as Exie changes, but for now, it’s working for us.