Katherine is definitely in a new stage. She is up almost all day and sleeps in basically 15 minute intervals. I love that she thinks I'm the funniest person in the world. Her smile just melts my heart. I tell her nursery rhymes or read her books or sing her silly songs and she just smiles and laughs away. Her laugh is more like a fast intake of breath (think my nerdy laugh) and I just love it. It makes me laugh and that makes her smile even more. She is starting to play with toys, she loves her babies (her little dolls) and can bat at her toys in her activity gym and bouncer. I've been spending time on the floor playing toys and talking and stuff. The thing is that now that she's entered this stage I feel like it's impossible to get things done. I feel guilty every time I use the swing or bouncer as a babysitter while I do stuff so truth be told, not a whole lot is getting done though kudos to me I did finally accomplish the mountain of laundry. I don't know how people with lots of kids manage to clean and get dinner made every night, homework done, straighten etc. I constantly feel behind schedule. Maybe I'm a bit too much like Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh. It's just that I have yet to find that balance of getting the things done that I need to and still feeling like I am giving Katherine the attention she deserves. She fell asleep at 5pm so I actually got a dinner made (casserole) thank you Sarah for the onion! It's 30 minutes later and the casserole is in the oven and she is actually still asleep. So I'm writing instead of doing the dishes, washing bottles, or cleaning the front room because I am so exhausted. So maybe that's it. Maybe I just need to push through the exhaustion and get everything done anyway. Of course that'll mean I'll be grumpy and I'm sure the family would rather the Christmas box of decorations that is still in the front room, and the papers on the kitchen table stay rather than have a grumpy mom. I know with Carter it was totally a learn as you go type of thing and I'm sure somehow I'll get the hang of it. It's just the newness of this stage where she watches me leave her with a really sad look on her face and occasionally even cries when I walk out of sight to do something. It's difficult to find balance. While I grow and figure this out I'd like to know how you do it all. I'll try to use the tips you give to give me a jumpstart on finding a balance in this new stage. Advice please!
9 comments:
wow I can't believe that katherine is up so much! Corbin still sleeps a lot during the day--and all thru the night thankfully :P
Just remember that it's good for her to be left alone so that she learns to play by herself. Or do you want to be her personal entertainer forever? LOL
love ya!
I really wish I had some advice for you, Jen. But I really have never figured it out, either, even after 10 yrs. and 4 kids of being a mom. I don't know how to get all the things done, I don't know how to balance the needs of my children, husband, home, and myself. I really don't know. And I flounder and struggle every single day.
But I'll be checking back to get everyone else's great advice! :)
All I can say is prioritize. And as everyone who has ever seen my house can attest, cleaning is not my #1 priority. Some things are simply not going to get done, and you just have to let that go. I agree with Jane that giving her time to entertain herself is very important, so using those few minutes to quickly do another thing or two is good. But when my kids were her age, I literally got NOTHING done. Because they just wanted me to carry them around and I'm no good at doing things with one hand tied behind my back. It's a stage though, and there will be time to do the things you things you aren't accomplishing right now. Maybe not till she turns 18, but there's a time and season for everything. :)
Baby Carrier. There are so many to choose from you can definitely find something that suits you, whether you want her facing you, facing away or on your back. It doesn't make it a lot easier to get stuff done, but it makes it a little easier.
I agree with bonitinha. There's always something, so you must decide what you need done to keep sane. When my kids were babies my house was always a disaster, always. In your case maybe you let everything go until Friday & Saturday and then Matt can help a little with Katherine while you do other things.
No advice, just enjoy. I have to get stuff done, and luckily my kids have been good daytime sleepers (2-2hour naps). I did nothing special they are all wired like me, they like their sleep. What works for you may not work for someone else. This stage is fleeting and then it's on the next--exploration. YIPEE!
I did and still do most of my cleaning when Steve is home. So not much really. But I always do a load of laundry every day. And then everybody folds their stuff and I fold mine and the baby. Katherine will be fine alone for just a few minutes here and there to put stuff in and out the washer and dryer
Wow Jenn! She is gorgeous! That pic is just amazing, I love it! Sorry it's hard for me to keep up on the blog lately, but I'm glad to see that all is going well for you guys (besides the 15 minute sleep intervals. . .growthspurt?) I will say that life is looking much better than the last time we talked. . .My doctor, of all people, pretty much told me to get over my selfish feelings and support my husband during his joblessness. He was nice about it, but he got me out of my funk, thats for sure. But it was really nice to actually talk about what I was going thru with someone who had actually been there. Thank you. Hopefully we'll be able to come and visit sometime in the near future.
You have seen my house..therefore you know that I have no advice for you....just onions! :)
The baby carrier idea is a great one. I used a Baby Bjorn with Elijah and managed to get stuff done sometimes. :)
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