My Path to Somewhere: A Day in the Life...

Spending your day with a baby can be many things.... fun, adorable, chaotic, hilarious, rushed, repetitive, heartwarming, frustrating, exhausting, but mostly filled with love <3

As worn out as I would get during the day…now that I'm back to work I miss every bit of it. Even being worn out by the end of the day. <3

Colton is growing more and more everyday. He can sit up by himself (with a boppy or me behind him just incase) he loves to play in his jumper and on a blanket surrounded by toys. He can play by himself for a little while, but only if he can see me. He's really a good little boy!

We are schedule parents. I know everyone feels differently about it, and its what works for you and your baby. But babies thrive on a schedule. They feel secure knowing what to expect. And they are happier when you can feel them before they are starving, and put them down for a nap before they are exhausted. Babies need to learn the dynamic of the family, and that includes learning that they are not in charge.

We are flexible with the schedule when our day calls for it. If we are going somewhere, we might adjust his naps…if he's extra cranky, or going through a growth spurt, we may need to feed him more, or let him sleep a little longer. But for the most part we are pretty strict with it.

Colton's Daily Schedule:

7:15 - We wake up for our day. He gets changed and we open the blinds and let out the dog. Sometimes he starts waking at 6:30, but he will lay in his crib and talk to himself and maybe fall back to sleep. He used to try to wake up at 5:30, but through practice he's learned to just entertain himself in his crib until I come and get him.

7:30 He has his first bottle. And we relax in front of the tv while Mommy has her coffee :)

8:30 Breakfast time! I tried feeding him right after the bottle but it was too much food all at once. He loves his baby food! We give him new food in the morning and its fun to see his expression when he tastes something new. We usually mix his cereal with the food we are giving him.

9:30 - Nap time! I love nap time.... it's the best time to get things done. He is a rockstar napper! He will nap for about 2 hours. It took some work to get him to this point, he used to only nap for 30-45 min.

11:30 - I get him up and he has his second bottle. This is a good time of day. He is rested and full which means he's in a pretty good mood. We enjoy some floor time and he squeals and babbles to me. It's so much more fun now that he's more alert and aware of what's going on.

1:30 - Nap time #2. This nap is also 2 hours. (I know…I'm very lucky….but again, I wasn't blessed with a good sleeper…I worked for it)

3:30 - Bottle #3. If it's a nice day and we haven't been out yet we might go outside now, or we dance around the house. Then we enjoy some more floor time and jump in the jumper. Sometimes I put him in the pack n play with some toys while I work on the computer. I'm trying to get him used to playing by himself more.

5:30 - Sometimes he needs a third cat nap around this time. He usually will only sleep for about 30-45 min, and usually he will sleep cuddled up with me on the couch. But he hasn't needed this nap much lately, so we are phasing it out.

6:00 - Dinner time! He has some more food and cereal. Afterwards he sits in the highchair while I clean up the kitchen and make the bottles and food for the next day.

7:15 - Bath time! I'm usually pretty exhausted by this point. But since going back to work I soak up every min I can get with him after 4:30. (when I get home) Chris helps with bath time, it's just so much easier with two people. Colton loves everything about bedtime. He enjoys his bath, he kicks and squeals with excitement. He loves getting all lotioned up and dressed with fresh clean jammies.

7:30 Last bottle followed by a story, our good night song, and bed. He goes down so easy. I place him in his crib awake, he wiggles around for a few min getting comfortable, and goes to sleep.

He is really is a great baby…which is not what I would have said a few months ago LOL. It takes hard work and dedication, but since being on a schedule he is SOOOO much happier! (Anyone who was around him in months 1-3 will tell you the same thing) <3