Happy 4 Months Indeed!

I thought you might enjoy a break from my yammering to check out some recent pictures of my super-adorable tiny girl who is 4 months old today!

My baby's 4 month birthday is a particularly sweet day for me. Today is the day that all of my co-workers are returning to work after the summer break to prep for the new school year. Today would have been the day I had to drop my baby off with a sitter for the whole day, not to mention spend the day sobbing hysterically. I seriously tear up thinking about it. I could not be happier or feel more blessed that I am able to be at home taking care of her today. I mean, would you be able to walk away from that face??

Check back for the 24-hour chronicle I'm working on today!

"Not Me!" Monday

Welcome back for the second ever "Not Me!" Monday on The Luckiest. You'll notice there aren't quite as many things that I didn't do the past 2 weeks. Mostly that's because I'm not great at remembering all those things that don't happen. I am trying to get better though :]

So these past 2 weeks I have definitely not noticed a growing pile of magazines sitting around my house that continue to arrive despite my lack of time to read them. I would totally not subscribe to four magazines when I have a 4 month-old baby to take care of. Moreover I would never delude myself into believing I'll get around to reading them "at some point" and insist my husband not recycle them. That would be crazy. I also have not been sitting on the couch chatting and watching tv to later notice the throw pillow beside me covered in spit-up. I definitely pay much closer attention to my baby than that! I would never return from washing my hands after a diaper change to find my baby diaper-less. Seeing that she is too small to take off her own diaper, that would mean I had forgotten to put a new one on her, and I would never do such a thing! I am a much better mommy than that. Finally I most certainly did not transport my baby in a laundry basket, much less atop a heap of dirty clothes (gross!), even if that might be the only way to get my baby and a basket of laundry down to the basement safely. Who would do that?! Not me, that's for sure!

Need to get some of those things you haven't done lately off your chest? Leave them in a comment here or in a post on your own blog.

Happy Monday!

My Thoughts on the Baby Schedule

Thanks for your comments about the baby schedule I wrote about in my last post! I thought it was interesting the different things you noticed about that schedule, and how all three comments pointed out something different than what I had noticed.

What caught my eye about that schedule were the times it said things like, "he sits in his bouncer while I do laundry" or "he sits on my lap while I go on the internet or watch TV." My day is not quite as structured as that one at this point, but I don't have time scheduled for our baby to sit by herself in a swing or bouncer while I do other things. If something needs to be done around the house, I usually try to do it while she's napping. If I absolutely can't get it all done at nap time then she either does it with me (this is usually how it goes), or I might use her bouncy seat or Bumbo to get it done quickly, or I wait until my husband is home and get it done while they are playing.

So I don't know if it's just me that doesn't schedule time like that, or if anyone else found that interesting. Maybe it's because I'm a new mom, but I feel like when she's awake I want to talk to her and play with her. Rarely do I sit her down and then engage in something else. If I do (like now) she is beside me on the couch and I talk with her or pick her up while I'm working. Am I still just overly-fascinated with my little miracle? Am I ruining her by being engaged with her too much during the day? Will she not know how to entertain herself as she gets older and require constant interaction? I am talking to you, Mom-friends! What is the scoop on this issue?

And because I know you're curious, tonight I will start another 24-hour chronicle of what life is like with our now 4 month-old baby girl!

What do you think?

I was reading an article on babycenter.com the other day about schedules for babes of all ages. This is something I've been working on with my own baby, especially with fall approaching. Although I'll be home with her, we will definitely have more of a set schedule with less flexibility. So I looked at the sample schedule that babycenter.com suggested for a breastfeeding 3-4 month old baby of a SAHM. The article itself explains that these are schedules that readers submitted (so they were not constructed by babycenter.com) and then selected as "good examples."

Below I've pasted the schedule for 3-4 month-old babies of SAHMs, and I thought there was something glaring about this schedule as compared to what my day with my 3 month-old looks like. I am curious what my readers think (moms and non-moms alike).

Schedule 1: A breastfeeding stay-at-home mom of a 4-month-old

Editor's note: This schedule is a parent-led routine

5 a.m.: Wake up, change Chase's diaper, he nurses, and we fall back asleep.

7 a.m.: Wake up, he nurses and falls back asleep.

9 a.m.: He wakes up. I bathe him, change his diaper, and get him dressed.

11 a.m.: He nurses, then sits in his bouncer while I do laundry and dishes, then I change his diaper.

Noon: Tummy time, then we play with his toys.

1 p.m.: I change his diaper, then it's nap time.

2 p.m.: He wakes up and nurses.

2:30 p.m.: He plays in his entertainment center while I clean.

3 p.m.: He sits on my lap while I watch TV or go on the Internet. I change his diaper.

4 p.m.: Chase's dad comes home. I make dinner while Dad holds Chase and plays with him.

5 p.m.: Nurse, then nap time.

6 p.m.: I change his diaper, then he sits in his swing.

6:30 p.m.: Playtime.

7 p.m.: Nurse.

7:30 p.m.: Tummy time.

8 p.m.: Change diaper, get into pajamas.

8:30 p.m.: Sit in bouncer seat.

9 p.m.: Nurse.

10 p.m.: Change diaper, go to sleep.

I think I may do another 24-hour chronicle to compare to both this suggested schedule and the 24 hours I posted about previously when my baby girl was 2 months old.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts in a comment!

Happy Friday :]

Today in our town...

Many happy returns of the day!

Is It Just Me...

...or do you find some of these coincidences happening to you too?

• As soon as I pull into a parking space at the store, there goes the cart boy with all the carts leaving me to lug the baby carrier in my arms. I've built some considerable strength this way.
• I might not get dressed until halfway through the day, but at whatever time I put on those clean clothes for the day, my baby will immediately spit up on my shoulder. I'll be honest, my wardrobe of suitable post-baby clothing is limited as it is, so this has challenged my creativity just a tad.
• No one needs to call me until I've just gotten the baby to sleep. Then suddenly my phones start ringing, but not all at once. First the cell, then the house, then the noise from someone leaving a message on the cell. I promise, I'm not that important! At least I've finally got our house phone on the Do Not Call registry. Small victories.
• UPS also seems to know when my baby falls asleep because that's exactly when they ring the doorbell to set the dog off barking like he's insane. I should take my mother's approach and post a warning: "Sleeping Baby! Do not ring doorbell - vicious woman will attack!" True story, she had a note saying exactly that which she posted on her door when my niece was sleeping.
• My baby could be the happiest girl you've ever seen, talking, smiling, playing. As soon as my lunch is ready she falls apart. Maybe cold lunch is the answer? And there's no sense in waiting for naptime as in that case it will never come. I've had 5:00 lunches due to this very scenario.

Now, I'm not the type to actually believe that everything that happens around me is about me, or that my baby, the UPS guy, or anyone else are out to get me in any way. But some days I would be easily convinced! I can't complain though - these are the JOYS of mommyhood, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the wide world :]

Have your own JOYS to share? Leave a comment! (I'd love the company!)

Not Me! Monday

Are you ready for this? It's the very first Not Me! Monday on The Luckiest! Not Me! Monday is inspired by MckMama, a far more proficient blogger than myself. While I used to do Say What?! Wednesday, I feel that will be far less entertaining since I am no longer teaching. Most of my material for that came from students and their infinite indiscretion. I have not participated in Not Me! Monday thus far because I always felt like it would be far more interesting if I had children. Well now that I am full-time mom-ing it, I've discovered a few silly things I could [not] own up to in a Not Me! Monday post. So here it is...

I most definitely have not left the house in a shirt that I knew had something on it figuring that people would see my baby and excuse it with a smile. How disgusting. I would never do such a thing. I've also never propped my 3 month old baby on the couch to watch TV (which she absolutely does not find so fascinating) to distract her while I made a phone call. Are you kidding me? What kind of mother does that. Not me, I can tell you that. I've never caught my reflection in the car window after being in the UPS store to discover that a good portion of my bra was showing. Nope, not I. I am always impeccably dressed and put together despite toting a 30 pound baby carrier and diaper bag everywhere I go. And I must add that although my baby loves to sing and dance, I would never be caught singing Lady Gaga to her, because she definitely does not seem to love a song titled "Bad Romance" more than say, Old MacDonald. I wouldn't sit and watch my baby's photos on our screensaver because she's irresistibly cute instead of getting anything else done while she naps. Nope, I am always productive during nap time. And lastly, you would never find my baby laying naked and wet on her changing table after a bath while I ran upstairs to get her towel that I had forgotten. Ohhhh no, I never forget obvious things like that. Not me :]

So what do you say? Would you like to share what you have not been up to lately? If so, join the Not Me! Monday fun! Leave your stories in a comment or post on your own blog! Happy Monday, everyone :]