New Schedule

It's a fact..... our baby is growing up. She has always seemed so mature and she's growing and changing by the minute it seems. It always sounds so cache' for people to say, "Enjoy them while they're little, because they grow so fast !" But, as a new parent, I can now attest to this as a proven fact and find myself saying it to other new moms.

This week, we have taken a break from our standard routine while trying to establish a new pattern for our "big girl." From the beginning of her day at the babysitter's house on Monday, she began altering her schedule by napping through feeds and just deciding she wasn't hungry at the designated time. When I arrived to pick her up, she was 3 hours past her normal feeding time -- and didn't seem to mind. Her babysitter was frazzled, thinking that it would throw off her whole evening routine , but I saw it as an opportunity. Never once did she become cranky, whiny or fussy as I kept her awake many hours straight without her regular evening nap. I fed her some baby food and then we played and then it was time for a bath and bottle and she was in bed by 8:30. She slept like a baby and woke in the morning at her usual time. Yeah for success and an early bedtime for all of us ! Even though Eric and I are night owls, getting to bed after midnight and waking at 6:30 can take it's toll after many long days of work and play.

Since Eric has been out of town this week from Monday thru Thursday, I have been flying solo. I have been so thankful that she was so easy to re-schedule ! Even better is that I have been able to squeeze in some early bedtimes for myself - especially this week as I have been getting up an hour earlier to feed her and give her some extra attention before zipping out the door for work ! Eric seemed impressed and is looking forward to more hours to play with his little girl each evening.

Here's a run-down of a typical day in our home :

7-8:00a.m. -- Daddy wakes and feeds Elaina / Mommy gets ready for work
8-4:00p.m. -- Elaina plays at the babysitter's house and soaks up tons of love and spoiling
4-5:00 -- Daddy picks Elaina up and playtime until mom gets home at 5:00
6:00 -- 2 jars of baby food and juice / then playtime to wear the baby out !
8:00 -- Elaina begins to get clingy and so we get jammies on the girl, bottle in the mouth,
and she is sound asleep by 8:30 !! What a dream !

In other news to report ..... Eric claims that Elaina took "a step & a half" tonight. I am still unclear what actually qualifies for that "half of a step." I don't know if I have ever witnessed that for myself. More and more, Elaina will stand alone as her attention is focussed elsewhere and she forgets to hold onto something. While she used to love walking along as someone held her arms, she has found that crawling is a much more efficient, independent means of traveling. She still loves her walker and has become quite the drag-racer in her little seat on wheels ! She tries to plow down the dog every chance she gets. That's one way to keep the dog from laying in the middle of the kitchen floor !