A Schedule or Just Consistency

Jess at http://www.andherecomesthesun.com/ is wondering about baby schedules...
When I read  her post, I automatically thought of course we have a schedule...I'm totally posting about it....YES, we function on a strict schedule! How else could we survive?:-)

Then I started to type out our "schedule"....I realized we don't have  a set schedule, but we do many things that are consistent.

Here's how things roll in our house, they are slighlty different on days she goes to school and we work, vs. the days we are home with her and the weekend. It works for us. Presley is 19 weeks old now. (time flies, tear)

We don't use a schedule exactly, but we are consistent. (i. think.)

Up to eat first bottle between 5a-6a. On "school days" about 6am she eats 1/4 rice cereal. Clean her up. She hangs out while i get ready for work. We leave at 6:50a.

On days where we are home...5a-6a bottle and we go back to bed till about 8 or 9. Next bottle and time for cereal.

From this point she eats a 5oz bottle about every 3 hours. 6 bottles a day. After her 5/6pm bottle she gets a container of veggies. (We just started this week) Carrots were a HIT! On to sweet potatoes for dinner tonight.

After dinner (veggie) is a bath and winding down to bed time and last bottle. Sometimes she needs a pre bedtime nap. (my girl loves to be rested) But most every night is a bath and lotion and snuggles, a story and final bottle.

Last bottle is between 8p-9p. Then to bed. She sleeps from this time till between 5a-6a. So about 9 hours.

So everything in between the 3 hour bottles is basically based on what she wants. Playtime, naps, errands. She takes two long naps a day (2 hrs) and usually about 2 short naps 1hr or less.

So do we have a set schedule? Not quite...but we always have bottles every 3 hours. We have a bed time routine. We have rice cereal for breakfast and veggies for dinner.

It works great for us. And she seems to be just fine. She knows in the evenings to not eat her entire bottle and hold out for real food. (silly girl. she loves real food. loves.it.for.real) She knows after her morning bottle and we go downstairs its almost time for cereal. She kicks her legs and gets excited! She knows when she hears the bathroom fan in the evening is bathtime. (leg kicking and squeals) It is seems to me even though we do whatever we need to do in between the 3 hr bottles during the day. She knows the schedule and she is ready for bed every night between 8-9p.

We don't have a set nap schedule. She is in charge of that. Some days she needs lots of rest (we let her) she sleeps the same at night. Some days she wants to party all day. (she sleeps the same at night).

What we do typically every day is consistent. I guess thats what matters for us. I will like it when she does have a set nap schedule. It would be easier to plan my errands and outtings on Thursdays and the weekends. But she sleeps in the car or carrier for now. (good girl). So we are able to do just about whatever we need to do.

Presley loooves her hands.

Rain.Rain.Rain.Rain.Rain.Rain.

It's been raining here for days. I mean over a week. every.single.day. except last Thursday. The rivers are rising. Tornado warnings/watches every couple days. Flash Floods. People are really getting sick of it.

It's annoying, yes. It's constantly wet, yes. But I actually am O.K. with it. I love storms. I sleep the best thru them. I love that it's 65 and raining and I can open the windows feel the breeze and sleep like a baby thru them. In our house...storms equal great sleeping conditions. And I know that the rain will be gone soon. And pollen and heat will arrive in no time. The pollen is here, but its much less noticeable with all the rain every day. But the heat...it's gonna be hot overnight. I just know it. And as much as I love summer. When it is sooo HOT (and it will be). It's miserable.

The forecast shows the rain should slow up as the week comes to an end. That's good cause Saturday is showing a perfect forecast of 75 and sunny. Literally my favorite days of the year. We will be up at dad's animal show. (can't wait....notice sarcasm :-)..the things we do for family) I'm sure P will love the animals and all the attention. 

Hubs is still sick. So that is terrible. The upstairs is off limits to me and P till I can clean it tomorrow. Hopefully Hubs is feeling better soon. I feel so sad for him. He was out of bed for 4 hours in the past 36. And for those few hours he was up he was in the recliner quietly playing fantasy baseball. (I guess he felt good enough to fix his lineups :-)

Another day. Presley loves her morning teacher at Mini U, Ms. Mel. She smiles sooo big when she sees her. It makes me feel good when i drop her off. I love Ms. Mel too. It feels good to know your baby likes who they spend a couple days a week with. It makes all the sadness of leaving them wash away. (well not all of it. but some of it)

Presley is ready for Red's Season! Her cousin sent her 3 Red's NIKE onesies! She is styling in only the best Red's attire! Thanks Carrie! Go REDS! (typically I add a girlie headband to any outfit that people may mistake P for a boy. But I know the school probably doesn't like messing with those on babies all day. So I was nice and left it off. Who cares anyway. She is adorable! And just because she isn't in pink doesn't mean she is a boy. come on people)

Good morning Baby! Ready for School!
Cell phone photo. poor image quality. You get the cutest factor!

I won't be sleeping with you tonight!

Things aren't going as planned. Last night Matt said he was going to take  a little nap and when he got up he would wake P up and feed her that last bottle (9p-10p ish). I could get a shower and go to bed early. (OOO a treat) He said not to worry about the dishes he would take care of it tomorrow (today). Tuesday's are Daddy's day home with Presley. So he was being super nice. Ushering me to a early bedtime and not to worry about the kitchen mess.

I had a glass of wine. Both my babies were sleeping. (P needs a evening nap. She gets up to eat between 8p-9p typically and then back to bed till 5:30a) And then got a long amazing shower. In bed at 9pm. Windows open, listening to the raining. Drifting into sweet sleep. Shortly after 10p Matt comes to bed. No sooner did he lay his head down, than he made a terrible noise, hand over mouth running straight to the bathroom. He was violently ill the rest of the night. I mean violently.

So much for that beautiful night's rest. :-) I listened to Hubs get sick ALL night long. I feel truly terrible for him. Obviously he has the flu. (he got a flu shot!)

Matt called his mom sometime in the night and asked her to come and watch Presley for him. So nice of her since she had to call in. I was planning on switching my day off to Tuesday and asking her to come watch her on Thursday. But that worked out great.

However, last night I stayed as far away from him as possible in bed. I would have moved to the guest room but that would have required moving Presley too. And I didnt want to wake her. TONIGHT is a different story. Presley and I will be staying far far away from daddy and his germs. The entire upstairs where he has been for the past 18 hours will have to be cleaned sanitized. bedding, bathroom. All of it. More work for mommy! Oh well. It's what a mommy has to do to keep baby healthy.

Pray presley and i do not get this bug. It would be terrible.
Forgive the poor quality photos and lighting. She was just waking up and it wasn't fully light out and she HATES the flash!

Presley first thing in the morning. All smiles.



Big stretches!



Same thing every morning. Stretches!

Easter Weekend

Matt and I  tend to over schedule ourselves on the weekends and run around like crazy people. But it's always fun. We've always been an "on the go" type couple. Having a baby hasn't slowed us down much at all. Now we just take Presley with us. Sure, it take a little longer to get out of the house, more things to pack. But really she is just our little buddy and likes to go visit people and be social.

So just a typical weekend for us. Except Easter was the reason for running around. (always a reason). Saturday we went to the in-laws for most of the day. Sunday we got up and traveled the 1hr and 10 mins northeast to visit my family. A stop at my dad's. Then over to my mom's for Easter dinner. (oo yum).

I have 4 nieces in my immediate family (12, 11, 2, 9 months). Add lil Presley to the mix (4.5 months). And the first nephew on the way (end of July). When we are all together its little girl chaos. And with the 3 little ones 2 and under. You can imagine the fun. Seriously though, its fun. The girls are so cute.

Presley is changing a lot the past 2 weeks. She is really "finding her voice." She yells just to hear herself. Its adorable. She "talks" to her animal friends (on the play mat, the ones on mobile and the ones on the swing mobile) She just jabbers away. The other morning at 3:30a when she wanted to wake up and eat (haven't had a middle of the night feeding in a while. growth spurt, maybe) she ate and I laid her back down. And for 20 mins I listened from the other room as she "chatted" to her friends hanging above her crib. She is gonna be a talker. (just like mama ;-)

She is also awake a lot more. Don't get me wrong, she is still my sleepy girl. Loves good long naps and nighttime sleeping (good.girl.) But when she is awake now, she is so interactive and wants to chat, or play on her mat. She loves "patty cake" and "this little pig". She has found her hands (loves them in her mouth...so cute) and is noticing her toes.  Moves those little legs around and stares at her toes. It won't be long before she figures out how to grab them with the hands. We are waiting to hear her laugh. She squeals and grins and coughs sometimes like she is trying to laugh. But so far, no laugh. We are waiting patiently. Maybe mommy & daddy just aren't that funny. (sad face) Presley has no interest in rolling over. I'm sure she is capable. But when you put her on her tummy she does one of two things. Cries, or lays her head down, sticks her hand in her mouth and waits patiently till its over.

This is a typical week for us. But this weekend will be a bit hectic. My dad (love him- but has odd hobbies) is having an Animal Swap Meet and Flea Market in Troy, Oh. (www.troyswap.com). Matt is going up to help put on the event. I'm coming up on Saturday with Presley if the weather is good- to help and show off baby girl. If it's not good, we are staying home. I hope for great weather and that my dad's event is a huge success. If anyone is in the market for some chickens....this event has them.

For the record, I didn't grow up on a farm. I did grow up in the country. My grandparents have a farm. We spent a lot time there. But they didn't have many animals or anything. Just corn and soybeans and tobacco. Occasionally, a couple cows. My house had 5 acres. But most of it was wooded. Eventually, my parents got a cow. No biggy. Now, my dad and step mom have 5 dogs, 2 cows, 1 horse, and a WHOLE lot of chickens. I love farm fresh eggs, and I love to know where my meat comes from. Is this style for me? No. But I think Presley will love to go visit Papa's and see all the animals. My nieces love it. So there you have it. I'm a small town girl, with some country/farm roots. But currently we live in small college town. No acres, no farm animals, no corn or soybeans. Just a small garden in the back yard and our "first baby" Ginger (yellow lab).

Someday I'd like a house with a BIG yard, outside of town. But not miles from civilization. I would like room for the kids to stretch their legs and play safely in the yard without fears of cars or busy roads or creeps. But for now...its perfect.

Speaking of perfect.................

Happy Easter! melt mommy's heart



Let's Party!

Can I fit both of my hands entirely in my mouth? I will try!

Mommy & P.

Happy Easter! Love, The Williamson's

Thankful Thursdays!

Thursday is literally my favorite day of the week. It's my day home with Presley. And since I have been back to work (6 wks now)...there isn't a Thursday that has passed that hasn't been the best day ever! (over the top statement....but true :-)

I go back and forth about how I feel about being a working mom vs.  being a SAHM. Really, being a SAHM isn't something we can even consider right now. I need to work...I carry the health insurance. That's huge for a family. But daycare dries up most of the cash I  bring home. The good part is that I work for great people who allow me to work 4-10 hr days and be off with Presley on Thursdays.  And I do really love my office/job.

Matt is off with her on Tuesday. So she is only going to Mini U: M-W-F. It's the best situation for us at the moment. Thursdays give me a taste of what it would be like if I was a SAHM.  Of course, its a small taste and its always great. But since its only one day a week I get to enjoy the best parts of it. (sleeping in a bit with her (8am)...hanging around in our p.j.s till noon....and just doing whatever we want....besides things we "have to")

Really, right now.........we have the best of both worlds....and I think we are balancing out life out quite well. We are full filling our financial obligations, as well as being excellent-loving parents to our beautiful little girl.

I'm sooo thankful for this day with her every week. Of course we get the weekends and evenings together. But I love Thursday. It's just me and her at home or running errands, meeting a friend for lunch, walks uptown on nice days....this summer pool days at Kristin's. And the list goes on and on. Today we are heading to Walmart....once she wakes up from  her nap and eats. We need to get Easter baskets (and candy- for mom and dad)- a few household items, and some noodles for chicken soup. Presley is just a joy to be with...every moment with her my heart bursts with joy. It's the best feeling.

I'm thankful for a understanding and loving husband. The past few nights has let me sleep in the guest room so I can be right next to Presley and get some sleep. She's still coughing and congested....and this mama wasn't getting any sleep upstairs checking on her every hour or less. (Matt really hates not sleeping next to his wife....and I don't like it either....BUT sometimes, not getting any sleep is worse.)

I'm thankful this weekend is Easter. Saturday we will spend some time with Matt's family. And Sunday we will head up to my moms. I've got to iron Presley two outfits to wear. Of course she needs to be dressed up for both occasions this weekend. And a flowered head band is a necessity. She is seriously just.so.cute!

I feel thankful every day.  But Thursdays.....I always feel extra thankful......for my special day with my special little baby girl!

Blogging..........do I have time for this too?

I have always loved blogs!

In college my friends who were traveling the world during summer breaks....blogged about their travels. I followed them.

Now as a new mama, I'm loving mama blogs! Add to that, there was a time in my life that I used to LOVE to write. I've never been a real pro- but I liked it anyway. So I've been thinking...."How about it girl? Start your own blog. It could be the beginning of the next BIG thing. (or not...:-) "

So I'm working 40 hours a week. (in 4 days). Raising our first child (4month old Presley). And trying to be a good wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and co-worker.

So, do I have time to start blogging? Probably not. Will I try it? YES. (because I'm a over achiever like that)

First post- check. You gotta start somewhere right?

Sweetest Baby Ever! Love you lil P!