It is only 9am and already my whole day is shot. I have been in this rut for the past couple of months where I cannot get anything done. Once Lilah outgrew the wonderful ability to sleep anywhere, anytime, I became housebound for almost the entire day. I knew this would happen with two kids, but knowing it would happen in no way makes it easier. When Sophie was this age (from months 6 to 13 I think), we had a good thing going on. She woke up, we nursed and played for a while (later on we took Music Together), then she took her first two-hour nap of the day. This is when I ran on the treadmill, got dressed, and got everything organized for the day. Then she woke up, we had a quick lunch, and we set out for a few hours to run errands, have play dates, etc. Then we came home, nursed, and she took her second two-hour nap. This is when I relaxed, made dinner, etc.
Here's how things are going now:
7am- Lilah and I wake up. I nurse her and leave her to play while I get dressed and make Sophie's lunch.
7:30am- Sophie wakes up and I am very busy getting her dressed, fed, and all of us out the door in time to get her to school by 8:15ish.
8:30am- Lilah and I get back home. I want to change her, feed her breakfast, get myself dressed for real (instead of the sweats I have thrown on to take Sophie to school in), and GET SOME STUFF DONE. But she is already exhausted and ready to take a nap.
9am-11am- Lilah is sleeping. I engage in a draining debate in my head. Do I just wait and be ready to go the second she wakes up in case she only takes a short nap? If I do this, that means I will not exercise or get any heavy housecleaning done. Or do I find things to do around here including exercise and housework, knowing that if I do, when she wakes up I will not be ready to leave quite yet and that will definitely jeopardize my GETTING THINGS DONE.
11am- Lilah wakes up. By the time I have changed her and fed her again, it is less than an hour until it's time to pick up Sophie. I may have a teeny amount of time to run a small errand, but certainly nothing significant and nothing that is farther than a few minutes drive from home and Sophie's school.
12:45pm- We arrive back home with Sophie. Chances are, Sophie has not eaten enough of her lunch at school and needs to eat again at home. By the time everyone is changed and fed, it's nap time again.
2pm-4pm- Sophie naps
2pm-*6*pm- Lilah naps
By the time Her Majesty wakes up, it is time for dinner, bath time, and bed time.
THERE GOES MY DAY!
This wouldn't be so frustrating if I wasn't trying to move in two months. In order to keep everything running smoothly, I am in constant contact with the contractor, kitchen designer, and various other vendors. I have had to make every last decison about every minute detail in this house's reconstruction, design, and decor. I am good at doing this over the phone, through emails, and online research/shopping. But sometimes it does require in-person meetings and trips to showrooms and stores. I would rather not lug a baby to these meetings and stores, but if I have to, it had better be a well-fed and well-rested baby I am lugging around town. This just doesn't ever seem possible.
So what am I doing today as I watch Lilah sleep on the video monitor? Am I waiting for her to wake up so we can go to the store and make an important and time-sensitive decision for the new house? Am I exercising and getting housework done? Nope, today I am just blogging about it all. Beyond that, I haven't decided.
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Late Night Feedings
Tales from the crib: life with Sophie, Lilah, and Jude
About Me
- B
- I'm an interior designer and a former social worker, but more importantly, I'm a Mommy to Sophie (1-15-07), Lilah (3-27-09), and Jude (10-14-11). I enjoy long walks on the beach, sipping cocktails, and traveling to exotic places, but I currently wipe noses and bottoms, make up silly songs and dances, and say things like, "don't put feathers in the cantaloupe!"
8 comments:
What do you do when the girls nap? Can you exercise and get housework done then?
Yes, and I do (assuming I have had a good night's sleep- otherwise I sometimes drop from exhaustion by then)! The problem is when can I ever leave the house? I cannot make appointments with people and I can ever only hope to squeeze small errands in here and there. I never have 2 whole hours to get to where I need to be, spend time at that place, and get back home or to school. And there are no babysitters in the morning- they are all working or at school!
I so feel you on this one! We have this same issue here, though my issues include an infant who has taken to VERY short naps and a preschooler with "quiet time" instead of a nap which means that I spend the whole hour on pins and needles wondering if I'm going to have to intervene to make sure it stays QUIET.
Leaving the house? Difficult, though I can sometimes squeeze in an errand with both girls in tow in the afternoon (SEE ALSO: no nap from preschooler, short naps for infant) Getting anything done? IMPOSSIBLE. If you figure out a trick, let me know!
I have seen some drop off babysitters advertised on luach. would you drop lilah off? being a mom is hard!
The problem is that she is napping. So dropping her off doesn't help me much. She will not sleep as well or for as long in a pack n play away from home as she would in her own crib. Plus, it seems awfully silly to pay someone to watch her sleep (assuming she can sleep in a stranger's house with a bunch of other crying babies). I would also have to take the extra time to get there, get her situated, and pick her up after my errand/appointment/meeting. I don't mean to shoot down your suggestions- thank you for trying to help! As it turns out, she ended up sleeping way late this morning and I decided she could skip her morning nap. So I just brought her with me to a new house appointment I had been needing to have for a very long time!
here's a thought, and it might have already crossed your mind, but just hear me out. Here in LA, there are lots of hispanic women looking for work. They are so honest, cheerful, and they work so hard. I've had someone coming for the last year, around 3 days a week, for about 3 hours a day to either take noam to the park, etc, or mostly to clean and keep my house looking like i wish i could keep it if i had 10 times more energy. It's especially great when she's here for Noam's naps- she cleans while I'm out. We also just moved and are planning a kitchen redo and having her has been invaluable during this time. Are there women there that could fit this bill for you? With LA, the more you have them, the less you pay.
I hope you find a groove that works for you. I only have ONE kid and it's so hard sometimes to get everything done. It sounds like you're still doing great with two!
your kids take 2-4 hour naps?????? and sometimes twice a day??
Rina- where are these women? Sounds like a great situation. I had a cleaning woman, but she would not babysit. She was strictly here to clean- she had a very busy cleaning schedule. I recently let her go in the interest of saving money for new house stuff.
Sarah- Yes. Please don't hate me.
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