A while back (probably on one of those optomistic ‘I’m going to post lots!’ posts) someone requested that I write a bit more about pregnancy/parenthood. I totally missed the boat writing about being pregnant (maybe next time), so perhaps a little about parenthood as we observe how others do things and give it our best crack, so perhaps you can observe and learn from our mistakes and experiments.

My average day (at home and not during holidays) with a six month old to offer some kind of vague idea is something like this:

Wake up a 7am and feed Claire, if she makes it to 7, hooray! (This has not been the case the past few weeks, damn teeth). Change nappy, find cute clothes (of which we own far too many because my mother has scourged and purged all of Melbourne’s opshops of their finest girls clothes – I’m sorry everybody).

Then we have a play on the rug out in the lounge-room together, I leave her to her own devices: toys, schemes etc. while I make breakfast and tea – although I usually hesitate with the tea and decide to wait until she’s back in bed so I can enjoy it properly, or I have two cups. She watches me eat. Wears out pretty quick in the morning so it’s back to bed by about 8.30am.

I then have that cup of tea and attempt to sit down and journal/pray on a good day, then I clean some of the house or I go straight to um… the computer – to which I am still sorely addicted. To either Facebook or Lightroom and sometimes Pinterest. After a really bad night (not too often) I’ll go back to bed, but I always feel like it’s a bit of a waste of time…

Claire is ‘supposed’ to sleep to 11am. She now usually makes it to 10.30am. If she wakes up before this I change her nappy and put her back to bed.

She gets up, feeds and we play or read books – I’m a huge advocate for reading lots of books – Peepo is still the favourite, or if I need to clean up in her room she plays on the floor in there or I fold washing or something while she kicks around on the floor, sometimes put some music on. Has some ‘solid’ food at lunch time… still trying to coordinate how to get her and my lunch happening at the same time and I’m still trying to sort out the wide world of food for babies (which mildly terrifies me because a) there are so many things they can try and should try and can’t always try just yet b) I’m quite unorganised in this department. Consequently I am using purees despite a bit of a desire to run with baby-led weaning, but I’m hoping to change that now she’s hit the 6 month mark.

Back to bed 12.30-1pm for her and I do whatever in the afternoon.

Up between 2-3pm, feeds again. More playing etc. get outside, in an ideal world go for a walk… Down at 4.30pm up at 5.15pm and a play and some more solid food. Cranky time. Dad gets home and all is happy again and I palm her off to Geoff. Bath and feed and then bed by 6.30-7pm. Then we eat dinner and typically crash infront of the TV, or I hole up in the study and edit photos.

Stay up until 10.30pm, when I feed her again and then usually hit the hay. She’ll wake up once (mostly) about 2 or 3am and feed and go straight back to sleep, as do I. And fingers crossed for a 7am start again.

Repeat.

Essentially I run with a ‘flexible’ routine. Based roughly on the Save our Sleep stuff – some of which is bollocks, but it provides a reasonable framework. I don’t let it stop me leaving the house and I know a few crucial things that help make things just work eg. that 4.30pm nap is an important one! I’m still working out solid food for her and the reduction in sleep that happens around this age along with the joys of teething.

Tip from me to you: for babies who detest baths, let them sit up (not recline leisurely) and introduce bath toys… it took us 5 and a half months to work this out.

Ask me anything.