Ahhhh, the dog days of summer. I'm sure it's a known fact that my
favorite time of year is Autumn, but these long, drawn-out summer days
of summer are a blast, too. We've been filling our days with fun splashing
in the pool (well, on the weekends. Mommy hasn't attempted anything
that ambitious on her own yet), late Saturday morning breakfasts
together, and lots and lots of cuddles.
Mommy and Bunny seem to be settling into a reasonable routine of not having a routine at all. Everything I read says, "babies MUST have a routine!" Everywhere I look, I see "routine, routine, schedule, routine." Well, I hate to disappoint all the experts, but a routine doesn't seem "best" for us. I follow B's cues and we seem to be enjoying a peaceful, happy life. There's nothing in the world I want more.
Most days start pretty late, after Daddy's left for work. Mommy pumps while B watches her favorite show, Doc McStuffins. After that, it's breakfast for both of us, and then a little floor time for play. B loves to play on her own, but also crawls right over the second I sit on the floor for a joint play session. After B's been up for 2 hours, she goes down for a nap. Most of her morning naps are only 30 minutes long, but that's just enough time for Mommy to clean up the house and get some laundry started. MM usually comes home for lunch during the "morning" nap, but B tends to wake up while he is still home. After MM leaves, Mommy and Bunny eat a nice, leisurely lunch. Bunny is completely self-feeding now and balks at the idea of being spoon-fed. She eats pretty much anything we put on her tray, but she loves pasta, carrots, and peas the most. After lunch, it's more play time, usually with some sort of educational aspect like reading a book or two, going over her signs, "reviewing" her flash cards, or just exploring shapes and colors with her toys. If we have errands to run, though, this is the time we do them. It's when she's happiest, although I do try to limit errand-running to one day a week for sanity's sake! When B starts yawning and rubbing her eyes, it's back to bed for her afternoon nap. Her afternoon nap varies and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. While she is napping, I work on the household chores or work on building my Thirty-One business. After nap time, MM comes home and it's pretty much dinner, playtime with Daddy, bath time, then bed. Approximately 12 hours later, B wakes up and we start all over again! So, I guess it is a routine of sorts, but nowhere near as structured as all those professionals say it should be. No, we're not on a three-hour cycle. No, things don't happen at the same exact minute every day, BUT, we're happy and again, that's what matters!
Just look at that happy, silly face! How could anyone possibly suggest she isn't loving her life with Mommy right now?!
