It's been a while since I've done a "day in the life of" blog post. Now that the boys are one, I thought it would be neat to share what our (hectic) day looks like. This is an example of a day that I am home with the boys alone.
6:00-7:00am - The boys usually wake up within this window (though last night we put them to bed at 7 and they slept through until 7:40am!!!). I go into their room to greet them, and then take turns nursing them while the other one plays with toys in the room. Oh, and the dog joins me to greet the boys first thing every morning.
7:00 - Cheerios and free play. The first thing that RJ does when we leave the room is he goes to the kitchen and points at the cheerios cupboard and whines. Every. Single. Morning. Haha, he is relentless when he wants something. They each get a little cup of cheerios and we go into the living room (where they eat a few and shake most of the rest to the floor for the dog). I set out a few toys, put on some music and they play while I get organized for the morning. I put on the kettle (for tea, then for coffee), empty the dishwasher, make breakfast, try to make some snacks for the day, and currently boil water (we're on a boil water advisory so all our drinking water has to be boiled).
7:30/8:00 - We eat breakfast together. Breakfast normally is a bowl of oatmeal, a shared piece of toast, and some bananna. On days when we have more time we do pancakes, french toast or eggs.
8:00 - Playtime, get dressed, change diapers, and wake up dad (by jumping on him in bed, of course)
8:30/9:00 - By 9:00 the boys are down for their first nap, and usually sleep at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half. This nap usually isn't a problem and they like to cuddle back in bed (so would I). This is my time to get myself organized for the day, so I shower, clean up breakfast, start any laundry for the day and pack up our bag for the day.
10:30 - Once the boys are up, they get a bottle of milk (about 200mLs). We are working to transition them to sippy cups, but they still love their bottles. We change diapers and then usually try to head out to do something before lunch (baby group, StrongStart, groceries, or play at the park). If we don't go out here it makes the day a little long.
12:00 - We aim to come home for lunch by this time and the boys have lunch, play around a little, and then go down for 2nd nap. Lunch typically is sandwich, or crackers with hummus, cheese, veggies, and apple or orange.
1:00/1:30 - Naptime. I usually take a little break here and try to close my eyes for a few minutes at least, but this is also the best time if I need to do any work (emails, phone calls) or prepare dinner.
3:00 - Boys are up and have another bottle of milk (200mls). There are not usually too many activities for one-year olds in the afternoon, so this is where we try to be creative. It's quite a long stretch between now and naptime, so I try to break it up. If it's not pouring rain, we usually go out for a good walk during this time. If it is, we sometimes have someone over, or I have baby help to play with the boys while I do other household chores. Or we go for a drive and go shopping. Their dad usually comes home during this time and joins in the fun.
5:00 - Home for dinner. The boys still eat dinner really early so we don't eat all together, which is something I am looking forward to. They eat much better when we are eating too, but there is just no way I am organized or hungry for our dinner by 5pm. Dinner is usually leftovers from whatever we ate the night before if the boys can eat it. They're a bit more picky right now, but they still like baby mush (jar food), pasta, sometimes squash and sweet potato. Finding ways to serve them meat is the challenge. I hope they soon start to feed themselves too...
5:30/6:00 - After dinner they have their final playtime. These last few hours are the "crazy hours" where they are active, needy, whiny, and just need to burn off energy! A few times we have gone to the park, but since it's fall now, it's usually too dark/wet. All the toys get played with and thrown around until finally it's time to get ready for bed.
6:00/6:30 - Bedtime routine - We only bath them every second night (though they LOVE their bath). Bedtime routine is bath, diaper, PJs, bottle (180mLs formula), story, sleepsac, soother, and bed. They usually go down no problem! Depending on how their last nap went, they usually are asleep by 6:30/7:00. And we are exhausted!!!
But it's not over yet.... I like to do a quick tidy once we put them down so at least the toys are put away. Then we finally eat our dinner. Then it's time to do final dishes cleanup, sweep and mop the floors (they get so dirty every single day from these boys now), prepare food for the next day (usually just planning and pulling out meat), finish drying/folding laundry (it never gets put away on time) and get ready to start all over again in the morning. That usually takes me till 8:30/9:00 when I finally put on the kettle for a cup of tea to enjoy, check my email, and cuddle up to watch some TV. I try to be in bed by 10pm, just in case there are night wakings or an early start.
And that's about it.
As you can see, it is so busy just managing the day-to-day that I still find it tricky to fit in any "extra" chores/jobs/activities. That is something I really want to focus on especially as we come to the new year. I find that all day I am planning and preparing for what is next, but I'd like to be able to just breathe a little bit more and live in the moment. Now that I have started work, there is a whole new dynamic (that I'll write about on a different day). But I do enjoy it all. I love doing all the tasks that keep my family running. I'm still learning how to adjust to this as my "new normal" but I think we're doing a pretty good job at managing so far.
Thoughts? Any suggestions or stories to share about how your day looks?
Showing posts with label naps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label naps. Show all posts
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Twins 5 Month Sleep Training
I mentioned a while back that we have hired a sleep consultant to help us out over the next little while. I know it is still early for sleep training, but most moms I have spoken to have babies who either sleep the night (without feeds), or only nurse once by this point. Our boys were still getting up 3 times a night to eat! I think it was just the pattern they were used to, and not that they were necessarily hungry. However, the sleep deprivation reached a new low and I was ready to move on.
I heard of this consultant from a few other twin moms in the area, who found great success with her. The support is great, because it is ongoing for as long as you need, and we only paid $200! I think that is totally worth it to help twins (and us) achieve a healthy sleep life.
The first thing she did was have us fill out a questionnaire about their current sleep/eat/play patterns, as well as a bunch of questions about their health and personalities. Then she drafted up an awesome sleep plan for us. It was encouraging because it was pretty close to what we were doing, but provided something to work towards. We decided we would try to start implementing the changes with the hope of having the plan in place by the time they reach 4 months adjusted age (which is tomorrow!).
So, for those who are interested, here is the plan we currently have (and some notes on how it is going).
7am - Wake up time for the boys. If they are not awake we go in and turn on the lights and wake them up. If they are up early, we try to leave them in their cribs till this time (usually they wake up talking and not necessarily crying). I then stagger feed them for the morning and have playtime till the nap.
9am - Nap #1. This is supposed to be at least an hour nap. We are having troubles transitioning the boys past the first sleep cycle of 45 minutes, so they often wake up after 40 minutes and we leave them fussing till the hour is up (we put in soothers, pat their backs, rub their tummies). Once they are up, we feed again and then play.
12pm - Nap #2. This nap should last between 1-2 hours, though we aim for the two hour mark so that they can last longer through the afternoon. Usually one of them wakes up early from this one too. We can often get RJ back to sleep with his soother and a blanket, but MJ is having issues falling asleep after waking up, so sometimes we pull him out and bring him to the bed in our room and help him resettle. We aren't supposed to be doing this, as they are supposed to learn to sleep through each others' cries/fussing, and we aren't supposed to take them out early, but we also want RJ to learn to sleep himself, and so it is a toss up. We are currently working with the consultant on how to handle this. Once they are up, we feed again, and then have playtime.
3-4pm - Nap #3. Depending on the afternoon, this is when we schedule the 3rd nap. It is only supposed to be 30-60 minutes, but often the other naps are shorter, and I feel like the boys can't quite make it to bedtime if this nap is not long enough. So we have resorted to going for a walk or a drive. Once they are in motion, they sleep much better and longer. Or, sometimes they go down at 3 or 3:30 and if they only sleep for half an hour, we will take them for a walk after so that they can continue to rest till close to 5pm. This may not be the right thing to do, but by this time I am tired and just need a break! All the things I read say that if they are not sleeping well, put them to bed early, but we just can't do bedtime earlier than 6:30/7:00. It is tough enough as it is. Anyways, more on that later. Once they are up, we do a top-up feed and then play until bedtime. We try to start the bedtime routine around 7 and have them tucked in between 7:30/8:00 (unless they have had a bad nap day and we bump it earlier). It's just hard with DH getting home from work, trying to get dinner in order and cleaned up, and then get them ready for bed while they are becoming fussy. This is, by far, one of the most draining times of the day. Fortunately, our boys go down to bed very well so far! I hope this doesn't change as they get older...
11:30pm/12:00am - Night feed #1. We are supposed to wake them up but we usually wait till the first one wakes up, feed them, then wake the second one up.
3:30am/4:00 - Night feed #2. Same thing... feed one, then the other. They are supposed to go right back down, but we've been having troubles settling RJ after this feed. He is usually up for an hour at least. This is a frustrating time so we are working on what to do with him here.
7am - Start all over again.
It really is a manageable schedule, if it works. Both the babies have periods where they won't settle and if one if up, they throw the whole schedule off. It's a work in progress. Since we started doing scheduled naps, most days have been so much easier. I have had time to eat lunch, to sip tea, and actually get things done! Now, if we get the nights in order so I can sleep, I will be even happier! The hard part is getting up to pump so that hubby can do the night feed. I'm not sure how to get around that one. If I go to bed at 9, and don't pump before getting up for the 3:30 feed, I am way too engorged and choke the babies and make them scream, lol. So I usually pump before bed at 9, then get up again around 1, then get up for the feed at 3:30, and then try to sleep another hour or two after the feed before they are up. That is still a broken up sleep night and I am pretty exhausted still. But there is hope!
As you may have guessed if you've read my blog much, I am a schedule kind of girl! I would have loved to be more flexible, feeding on demand, etc. with babies... but with twins, that is pretty much impossible. So it actually helps me be less anxious knowing that there is a schedule in place and having a framework to work from and towards. We aren't doing any cry-it-out yet (not till 6 months, at least), but really just working to implement healthy sleep habits for the boys. All in all, it is going very well and I hope the next few months bring much more success!
I heard of this consultant from a few other twin moms in the area, who found great success with her. The support is great, because it is ongoing for as long as you need, and we only paid $200! I think that is totally worth it to help twins (and us) achieve a healthy sleep life.
The first thing she did was have us fill out a questionnaire about their current sleep/eat/play patterns, as well as a bunch of questions about their health and personalities. Then she drafted up an awesome sleep plan for us. It was encouraging because it was pretty close to what we were doing, but provided something to work towards. We decided we would try to start implementing the changes with the hope of having the plan in place by the time they reach 4 months adjusted age (which is tomorrow!).
So, for those who are interested, here is the plan we currently have (and some notes on how it is going).
7am - Wake up time for the boys. If they are not awake we go in and turn on the lights and wake them up. If they are up early, we try to leave them in their cribs till this time (usually they wake up talking and not necessarily crying). I then stagger feed them for the morning and have playtime till the nap.
9am - Nap #1. This is supposed to be at least an hour nap. We are having troubles transitioning the boys past the first sleep cycle of 45 minutes, so they often wake up after 40 minutes and we leave them fussing till the hour is up (we put in soothers, pat their backs, rub their tummies). Once they are up, we feed again and then play.
12pm - Nap #2. This nap should last between 1-2 hours, though we aim for the two hour mark so that they can last longer through the afternoon. Usually one of them wakes up early from this one too. We can often get RJ back to sleep with his soother and a blanket, but MJ is having issues falling asleep after waking up, so sometimes we pull him out and bring him to the bed in our room and help him resettle. We aren't supposed to be doing this, as they are supposed to learn to sleep through each others' cries/fussing, and we aren't supposed to take them out early, but we also want RJ to learn to sleep himself, and so it is a toss up. We are currently working with the consultant on how to handle this. Once they are up, we feed again, and then have playtime.
3-4pm - Nap #3. Depending on the afternoon, this is when we schedule the 3rd nap. It is only supposed to be 30-60 minutes, but often the other naps are shorter, and I feel like the boys can't quite make it to bedtime if this nap is not long enough. So we have resorted to going for a walk or a drive. Once they are in motion, they sleep much better and longer. Or, sometimes they go down at 3 or 3:30 and if they only sleep for half an hour, we will take them for a walk after so that they can continue to rest till close to 5pm. This may not be the right thing to do, but by this time I am tired and just need a break! All the things I read say that if they are not sleeping well, put them to bed early, but we just can't do bedtime earlier than 6:30/7:00. It is tough enough as it is. Anyways, more on that later. Once they are up, we do a top-up feed and then play until bedtime. We try to start the bedtime routine around 7 and have them tucked in between 7:30/8:00 (unless they have had a bad nap day and we bump it earlier). It's just hard with DH getting home from work, trying to get dinner in order and cleaned up, and then get them ready for bed while they are becoming fussy. This is, by far, one of the most draining times of the day. Fortunately, our boys go down to bed very well so far! I hope this doesn't change as they get older...
11:30pm/12:00am - Night feed #1. We are supposed to wake them up but we usually wait till the first one wakes up, feed them, then wake the second one up.
3:30am/4:00 - Night feed #2. Same thing... feed one, then the other. They are supposed to go right back down, but we've been having troubles settling RJ after this feed. He is usually up for an hour at least. This is a frustrating time so we are working on what to do with him here.
7am - Start all over again.
It really is a manageable schedule, if it works. Both the babies have periods where they won't settle and if one if up, they throw the whole schedule off. It's a work in progress. Since we started doing scheduled naps, most days have been so much easier. I have had time to eat lunch, to sip tea, and actually get things done! Now, if we get the nights in order so I can sleep, I will be even happier! The hard part is getting up to pump so that hubby can do the night feed. I'm not sure how to get around that one. If I go to bed at 9, and don't pump before getting up for the 3:30 feed, I am way too engorged and choke the babies and make them scream, lol. So I usually pump before bed at 9, then get up again around 1, then get up for the feed at 3:30, and then try to sleep another hour or two after the feed before they are up. That is still a broken up sleep night and I am pretty exhausted still. But there is hope!
As you may have guessed if you've read my blog much, I am a schedule kind of girl! I would have loved to be more flexible, feeding on demand, etc. with babies... but with twins, that is pretty much impossible. So it actually helps me be less anxious knowing that there is a schedule in place and having a framework to work from and towards. We aren't doing any cry-it-out yet (not till 6 months, at least), but really just working to implement healthy sleep habits for the boys. All in all, it is going very well and I hope the next few months bring much more success!
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