The Daily Routine Of Little Miss Natalia

Remember how I am preparing myself for Tali's first sleepover? My Mom has asked me to send her an email with Talia's daily routine. This is what is waiting in her inbox. The Wonderful Husband and I laughed when we looked at what our day has now become. I wouldn't have it any other way! Being that it is a significantly long account of my daily life, I'll put it after the jump. But if you're wondering why I seem a bit more loopier than before I suggest you give it a read. It may explain a lot.

Update: For those who have not gathered this already- this is 100% tongue in cheek humor. I do not believe that my Mother needs this much direction for a day.

Around 4:30-6am expect to be awakened by a hungry cranky, sleepy, crusty baby. Breast milk is ok to be left at room temperature for aprox 8-10 hours, so you may just want to have a bottle out and ready and give it to her like that… I’m not sure how she will respond to a delay. She probably will go back to sleep if it’s not too close to 6.

Around 6:30-7:30 Is the normal wake up for the day. We normally just cuddle and nurse in bed until 8… but in your case you will need a bottle (duh).

8:00ish- Morning bum change, cuddles, play time on the floor with her toys. (If she cries as soon as you put her on the floor it means she’s too tired and wants to cuddle more, if you are holding her and she punches you in the face it means she’s ready to play.)

9:00 Breakfast! Normally a yogurt cup of any flavor... (She’s had all the normal kinds) and Nutrio’s to feed herself (only give her 4 or 5 at a time or they will all be on the floor). This step serves to occupy her hands as you attempt to find her mouth with the spoon. Hopefully you’ll get most of it in her mouth. And hopefully she will keep most of it in her mouth. Also make sure she hasn’t over stuffed her mouth with her Nutrio’s. She tends to store them away in her cheeks like a chipmunk.

After Breakfast- More play time and digging whatever it is she put in her mouth out. Fluff and hair is a favorite.

9:45 Milk, and unwind cuddles (I say cuddles loosely. Normally this means being bit, punched, hair ripped out or kicked)

10:00 NAP TIME (hopefully… )

11:00… hopefully wake up time or later.  But she beats to the rhythm of her own drum. After her nap bum change and getting her dressed for the day if you didn’t have to do this after breakfast (Normally once she wakes up I give her 5-15 mins to cry before I go up, often times she’ll fall right back to sleep.. you can tell by the cry. If it’s a sleepy  groggy sounding whine-ish cry normally she’ll fall back asleep. – compared to the get-me-the-eff-out cry.)

After her nap she normally likes a top up of milk… especially if she’s had a big nap.

12:30 milk

1:00 Lunch Time!- If it’s a small jar (aged 6mnths) then ½ of it, if it’s one of the big 8mnth ones, then 1/3, Arrowroot cookie to occupy her hands or nurtios. Sometimes I’ll cook up some alphabet pasta, or cut up canned pear for her to use a finger food… if you do that, give the finger food to her first, and then adjust the baby food so she’s not gorging herself too much! (Watch with the cookies, as she likes to bite ½ of it off at once.. try to pull it out and guide her for the proper size she should have)

After lunch, more play time! (She plays a lot), and trying to find things she wants to put in her mouth but shouldn’t before she does… like fluff and hair... And if you fail digging it out of her mouth

1:45-  Milk, and unwind “cuddles”

2:00 NAP TIME. (She hates this nap time.. normally consists of her sitting in her bed throwing her suckie as far as possible… but she’s starting to get the swing of it and will actually sleep)

Whenever she wakes up (hopefully at least 45-60mins later)  Is bum time and more milk

4:00-5:30ish play time again. Sometimes she gets really clingy in the afternoon… especially if she didn’t have a big enough nap, so this time frame may consist of you getting the crap beaten out of you

5:45 MILK and Cuddles!

6:00  Dinner time -Normally a 1/3 of the 8mnth baby food, Arrowroot cookie and or Nutrios. (Nutrios while you spoon feed her if you want to avoid a massive mess, Arrowroot while you try to eat to avoid her yelling at you. Dinner time we often give her a sippy cup of water to let her try to figure it out)

7:00 Bath time! (Your mission is to convince her to stay sitting on her bum. It is, quite possibly the one mission that Tom Curise can’t even accomplish). She doesn’t like to lay down in the bath… but is used to having a container of water poured over her head to rinse her hair or to make you giggle.

7:45 Milk and Cuddles and Story book time!

8:00 BED TIME! (She also dislikes this time)

Bedtime normally means 3 hours for sure where you don’t hear from her. (Normally) Expect to hear her anywhere from 10:30-12:00ish for more milk.

And then depending on how much she misses you, she may be up at 1, 2 and 3. I normally rock and fill her full of milk if this happens to occur. Before you run to her aid, make sure she’s not just crying in her sleep. If she is going crazy bonkers, oragel is your first line of defense (Her front top teeth are coming in) If after 15-20 mins and she is still going bonkers , 1.4 ml of her baby advil. ( FYI A temperature of 38.5 c , she should be taken straight to a dr. (consistently this temp or higher).. not a onetime read and panic. Take it a few times just in case)

**She HATES, HATES, HATES her bum being changed in the middle of the night. Seriously, she hates it. Only resort to this if it she’s so wet that you can feel dampness on her pj’s or if she’s crapped herself- The new diapers really do an excellent job of keeping the moisture off of her. We haven’t had a case of diaper rash yet J**

****We try to keep 3 suckies in her bed with her at all times. This way if she wakes up in the night, she can usually find one on her own without having to yell for you.****

*the suggested “Bum Times” do not mean that’s the only time her bum is changed… I just make sure that it’s done around those times… adjust for poopy bums and extra wetness.*