Madeline, like most babies, thrives on routine, but it took me and Eric a while to figure this out. When she was first born, we weren't used to rearranging our lives around a mini-human's nap schedule, especially when she napped so gosh-darn much. So, we didn't.
Yet, we eventually realized that a happy Mumma and Dada equals a happy Madeline, and a happy Madeline needs her routines!
She's still a sweetheart on days where her daily schedule is disrupted, but she's also been known to breathe fire and bite the heads off of her Little People on those days too.
The kicker with babies though, is that they are continuously changing. This means that every few months our old routines stop working and we have to iron out the kinks until we fall into a new one.
This fall, for example, we had to readjust to a new house, a newly walking baby, and going back to work for the school year. A lot of Little People lost their heads during that time. Tragic.
Luckily, we've finally fallen back into a nice (boring) rhythm that Madeline thrives on.
Morning:
Madeline's day usually starts between 5:45 and 6 AM depending on whether or not Mumma shaved her legs in the shower that morning before waking her up. (Usually 5:45) Most days she is already awake when I go in to get her. I dress Madeline and get her breakfast ready while Eric hops in the shower. She eats the same breakfast every day: Dry Cheerios and apple juice. Why mess with a good thing? Once Eric is finished getting ready, I leave for work. While I'm gone, Madeline watches Sid the Science Kid and finishes her breakfast before heading out to daycare.
Day:
Obviously I'm not with Madeline during the day to see what she's up to, but they keep her on a pretty tight schedule. She eats a second breakfast, she plays with toys, she does a project, she listens to a story, she eats lunch, she takes a nap, she plays with toys, she eats a snack, she goes home. I see it all on her daily sheet when I pick her up in the afternoon.
Afternoon:I pick Madeline up on my way home from work.
When we get home, we do our morning routine in reverse. Madeline eats a snack and drinks some juice while unwinding from the day by watching cartoons. I take off my work clothes and put on my Snuggie and slippers. (I'm not joking. Don't judge.)
The next hour or so is spent playing with whatever toy she chooses. Eventually she moves on to books and I read to her for a while. When she gets bored with books, Madeline starts doing things she's not supposed to...like standing on her chair or raiding the Tupperware cabinets. I chase her around. Evening:
At 4:30 PM, I start making dinner. At 5:00, we sit down to eat.
By 5:30, Madeline begins to throw her food on the floor to signal that dinner is over.
From 5:30 to 6:00 Madeline plays some more while either Eric or I clean up the kitchen. (Usually Eric.)
At six, we try to transition into quiet games. Eric and I will read to her. We cuddle. We play with quiet toys.
At 6:30, we bring Madeline up to bed. We give her a bath every other night. (Bath time requires a whole separate set of routines. I'll spare you the details.) After she's changed and (sometimes) bathed, I rock Madeline while she drinks her bottle. If I'm lucky, she falls asleep as soon as she's finished. If not, I rock her for a few more minutes before moving her to her crib.
Usually she goes to sleep pretty quickly these days. On the nights she's wide awake, we go back up to put her socks back on (she always takes them off!) and tuck her in again every half an hour or so until she's asleep.
Then we start the whole process all over again the next morning.
The End!
On the weekends, our routine is a lot more flexible, but we stay on the same nap and feeding schedule that she uses at daycare.
It might not be the most exciting life to lead, but at least we've saved countless Little People lives in the process.
What's your routine?
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