A Day in the Life of Us

Because someday, I might want to look back on this time and think about what a "day in the life of us" looked like. 

I know in a few short weeks our entire schedule will be upended with a newborn, but for now we are loving our current schedule. If I've learned anything from raising a baby, it's that change is inevitable. Once we get into a smooth schedule, something always happens (teething, sleep regressions, developmental changes, etc.). But when we do get into a consistent schedule, it makes everything run so much better. Isla seems to thrive when our days are consistent and we have a good routine in place. Kids thrive on routine, that much I know. 

So here is what our typical day looks like:

• 6:00 Isla wakes everyone up with talking or crying in her crib (sometimes she's up as early as 5:00, but we've been leaving her in her crib until 6:00. And sometimes she sleeps until 6:20ish. She immediately wants breakfast. It's pretty rare that she is willing to wait. Michael makes her breakfast while I pull my tired, pregnant body onto the couch and try to wake up (I have never been a morning person and I never will be). 
• 6:30ish Breakfast- Isla always gets a smoothie because it's the easiest way to fill her up with all the things she needs. Her smoothies always have fruit, greens, chia seeds, flaxseed, almond milk, probiotic powder (for gut health), fish oil (for brain growth), and vitamin d drops (for sleep help).  And she has a protein with a smoothie, usually a lara bar or eggs. Then she plays while daddy says "goodbye" and heads downstairs. I sit on the couch a little longer trying to wake up haha
• 7:00 Get Ready- Isla gets ready for the day. That means, diaper change, hair done, and outfit picked out. Then I usually eat my breakfast and make coffee because I'm still dead tired and I hate mornings. 
• 7:00-9:00 Playtime- Isla plays in her room, downstairs, at her art table, or outside. I usually join her and we usually call Mimi to say "goodmorning". I get ready during this time too. If I have to shower, Isla gets to watch her favorite show "Caitie's Classroom". It's a preschool classroom type setting where she learns all sorts of things. I hate screen time, but it's only about 20 minutes and she just loves it, plus I don't shower every day. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 9:00/9:30 Morning Basket Time- We have started a new tradition and Isla loves it. I tell her it's time for Morning Basket and she grabs the blanket and heads to the back door. We spread our blanket out on the deck, eat a snack together, and dive into our basket. Currently, our basket is a devotional, some poetry reading, and a read aloud (The Stories of Beatrix Potter right now). Then we end with a hymn and some nursery rhymes or songs. Next week we will start incorporating a letter and some finger plays too. She amazes me! She just sits there the whole time, completely engrossed. I love watching her learn. 

• In the good old days (before quarantine), this is when we would do something fun with our day- a trip to the museum, playdates with friends, mom's group, a trip to the library, grocery shopping, etc. But we can't do that anymore :( I feel so sad that Isla is missing out on all of that. I often grieve the things we are missing out on, but then I remember everyone else is missing that too. I wish things were back to normal again. Sometimes we go out to Nana's house at this time or we've had the occasional playdate, but quarantine has taken a lot from us :( 
• 9:30-10:30 Outside Time- Unless it's unbearably hot, we do our best to play outside during this time. The vitamin D from morning sun has been proven to affect sleep. We've noticed that Isla has some of her best sleep when she spends time outside. We do everything from painting, playing in her sensory bin, water play, and walks (although Michael has banned me from walks since I'm supposed to be on a "modified bedrest"). Every now and then, we go to the neighborhood park too. We make sure there is no one else there and I load Isla up with sunscreen and hand sanitizer. 

• 10:30 Chore Time- I find it really important to incorporate chores into my day with Isla, not just when she's sleeping (although this makes it ten times harder to get the chore done, but it's worth it). One of my jobs as a parent is to grow responsible, independent adults and part of that is fostering a sense of responsibility within our home. Isla helps me with chores often. 

• 11:00 Lunch Prep and meltdown- about this time of day, Isla starts melting down. I try to set her up with an activity, but it's usually just a meltdown until lunch is ready. And then she's happy again when she gets her food :)

• 11:40 Nap Prep and 12:00 Nap- We have a little nap routine of diaper change, storytime, and snuggles and then she's ready for a nap! She usually does almost 2 hours of a nap, but sometimes she does 3. And this is where I take a nap too or at least rest. My body is about done at this point of the day. 
• 2:00/3:00 Wake up and Snack- Sometimes Isla wakes up crying and other times she's happy as a clam. She usually asks for a snack right away and we always say "hi" to the flamingoes in our neighbor's yard (when we open the curtains). 

• 2:30-5:00 Play- This is about the time daddy gets off work (which means he comes back upstairs). He plays with her, we read stories, sometimes we go on walks... pretty much anything to fill our time before dinner. Sometimes we go to Nana and Pop Pop's pool during this time. 

• 5:00-7:00 Dinner, Play, Bedtime- We always eat dinner as a family and we share our high's and low's of the day. Then we play, go outside, call grandparents, take a bath, and hang out as a family. Isla loves her bedtime! We read 2-3 books while we change into jammies and brush teeth, say prayers, and sing "Baby Mine" before lights out. It has been the same bedtime routine since she was about 4 months old. I love that we can all participate as a family. It's a great way to end her day. She usually talks in her crib for 20 minutes and puts herself to sleep. At 15 months, she started sleeping all the way through the night. We are hoping that keeps up, even with a newborn! 

*The other night, it was suspiciously quiet. We found Isla in her room, trying to put her diaper on, with her jammies around her ankles. She loves bedtime and often says "ok come on" when we tell her it's time for bed!

And that's our day. I'm trying to soak up all the one-on-one time I can with Isla before our lives change. I am so excited to meet our little man, but I often get sad thinking I'll never have this special time with just Isla again. I know she'll be a great big sister, but for right now I'm trying to squeeze all the baby out of her that I can :)