The boys wake up between 7 and 7:30 a.m. We usually snuggle for a bit in Shaun and I's bed (love!) and then we head downstairs for breakfast in a bottle. After that is some play time and diaper changes. While they're playing, I can usually make tea and squeeze in breakfast for myself. By 9 or 9:30 a.m. they take a (power) nap in their swings. It's usually about 30 minutes long and then they wake up cooing and babbling and ready to play again! There's quite a bit of time between their morning nap and next bottle, so usually we get out of the house for a bit and see what there is to see. Each day is different. You may find us at Target, baby story time at the library, hanging at a friend's house, walking around museums downtown, swinging at our neighborhood park, getting groceries, picking out new books at the library or enjoying Momma Fit Camp. By the time we get home, it's time for them to eat again and play a bit more.
The afternoon nap is the long one. They go to sleep between 12:30 and 1 p.m. and will sleep two hours at the very least. I love nap time...seriously. It's my time to do what I want. No matter what, I always eat lunch, tidy a bit, shower and prep for the rest of the night and even prep the bottle for the next morning. All of this usually takes about an hour or so and that leaves me with an hour to do whatever I wish! Sometimes I'll do something productive and other times you may find me just lying in my bed and resting my eyes. I really never fall asleep unless I'm super tired (which, I always feel like I am), but it always feels so good just to be still for a while.
After they wake up all happy and cute, we go downstairs and play some more. Shocking, I know! They eat again between 3:30 and 4 p.m. and then we change diapers and get ready to walk the dogs. We usually go for a two to three mile walk. O and E are always just happy looking around and now they're starting to babble at times while we're out. Occasionally there is some fussing, but it's rare. When we get back home they play some more and that gives me time to cook dinner and start the countdown until Shaun gets home...yea! Another pair of hands! On nights when I have to go into work, it's usually rushed and we basically do a quick change of shift report, kisses goodbye and I'm out the door. If I don't have to work, we get to have some family time for a bit and eat dinner together. The final bottle is around 7:30 p.m. and then we start the bedtime routine. The boys are asleep between 8 and 8:30 p.m., the nightly rat race of tidying begins, I get some "me" time again and then repeat it all the next day!
Throughout the daily grind during the past month, Owen has really come out of his "serious" persona. It's like he's trying to prove that we've been wrong all along. He giggles a lot now and goes on and on about nothing. Even with strangers, he's the one that isn't shy and will let his personality shine. He rolls all over the place and is almost sitting up by himself. He likes to be read to and you know what he likes even more than that? Sucking on his left big toe.
In the last post, I think I wrote that I would go into more depth about transitioning them to their cribs, but that seems like so long ago now! Without going into much detail, they had a rough time going from their rock and play sleepers and into their cribs. When they turned five months and could roll over, we attempted the transition again because my thinking was they could roll into whatever position was comfortable for them. It took a while and we did it in baby steps, but we would put them to sleep in the crib and when they woke up inconsolable, we would return them to the rock and plays to sleep the rest of the night. I just wanted to ensure that they were still getting good sleep and not up all night crying because of their crib hatred. Night after night they kept sleeping longer in them and now the rock and plays are a thing of the past. Victory!
On a final note, I ran across an article the other day about 13 Things Mindful People Do Differently Every Day. I read it at a time when I had just caught myself checking Facebook on my phone while feeding the boys. I was disappointed in myself. Are my kids not entertaining enough? Why am I on Facebook right now? I felt guilty. The thought crossed my mind to delete my account for a while and that's when I ran across the article.
I can't tell you how many times I'm at the grocery store or walking out of work and people have a hard time looking me in the eye. When I try to make eye contact, people instantly bring their phones up to their face. Am I ugly? Do I have a booger in my nose? Stuff in my teeth? Do I scare you?
Eye contact seems to make people completely uncomfortable nowadays yet according to this article and another book I'm reading called Love Rituals, eye contact helps to develop and maintain stronger connections in all relationships. These strong connections (with children) help with cooperation and discipline. I would love to build this kind of relationship with Owen and Emmett.
With all of this said, I am challenging myself to deactivate my Facebook account for at least a month. Some of you may or may not have noticed, but I've already been weaning since last Friday. I've already removed the app from my phone and will deactivate my account after the sharing of this post. I will continue to use Facebook messenger which is basically like texting if anyone doesn't have my number and wishes to get in touch. I will still post pictures on Instagram so follow me there! I love Instagram so much more than Facebook. It's overall a much more positive experience for me.
I have a friend that recently gave up Facebook for lent. She has since returned, but it was interesting to read her blog about what she took away from the experience. I hope to take good notes about my revelations and of course, be in the moment and continue to work on building a strong connection with my boys. I encourage all of you to read the article and come up with a challenge for yourself. Are you living in the moment?
I love you, Owen and Emmett. You are my world. Happy 6 months!
I love/hate you Facebook. Goodbye (for now)!
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