Daily life
Beyond keeping Rudi alive and dry-ish (he drools a lot!), here are some things I do everyday:
- Walk Outside, for anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. This is so crucial, I can't even describe it. On the odd day I don't/can't do this it is never a good day. Now that Rudi is sleeping really well at night, I don't need a nap anymore so we've been going in the morning. Rudi naps while we stroll around our neighborhood. I feel like I've gotten the winter babywearing game figured out. I bought a bunch of things and now I think we can be out in any weather. Except rain. Because I hate rain. But we are through the rainy season! It was -20 here today!
- Eat Chocolate: this falls under the 'confession' category, for sure. Some days require more confessing than others. On days where I feel a little unsettled or am struggling or don't get outside, I eat WAY more chocolate. Like, so much I might feel ill. The other day I ate at least a 1/4cup of Nutella, straight from the jar. That was bad. But in general I feel like I deserve chocolate. I am keeping another human alive. And doing its laundry! If that doesn't get you chocolate, I don't know what does.
- Write: this counts! I have a few things I'm working on plus a journal and it feels so good to be creative and use my brain. I've been doing this in the afternoon, in my sunroom while Rudi sleeps in the sling on my chest. We get cozy with blankies (it's a bit chilly back here) and bask in the winter sun. Sometimes I have purpose and direction in my writing and other times I just write exactly what I'm thinking. I'm toying with trying to write a book, but I'm not sure how to go about it, so we'll see what happens with that.
- Shower and get dressed: Well, ok I shower every other day. But I get dressed in clothes I could wear to work (my work is pretty casual) every morning. I also get Rudi dressed. Not staying in comfies helps the days feel purposeful.
- Wash bottles: There seems to be this idea held by lactation consultants and people who don't bottle feed their babies that bottles are somehow easier than breastfeeding. Where do they get this idea from? Both forms of feeding are challenging in their own way but I have to tell you, bottles are frigging annoying. Rudi drinks 5 bottles a day. We have 7 bottles. So you know what that means. I wash bottles constantly. All day. Everyday. I also always have to think about how much milk is in the fridge for him and how much to get out of the freezer. From where I'm standing, breastfeeding seems MUCH simpler and easier. Did I mention you are supposed to boil the water you make formula with? Rudi also gets formula.
- Dishes/Kitchen Maintenance: It's hard, but I clean up after myself during the day. Having clear counters makes me feel like I'm doing something right. This is among the more mundane tasks so I often have to have netflix on at the same time to motivate me to actually do it.
- Watch Netflix: yes, this is true. I watch tv during the day....one of THOSE people. But to be fair to myself, it's more of a background thing. It helps me keep moving. And I usually have a show I'm watching/listening to while feeding Rudi or eating lunch or things like that.
- Read to Rudi: ok, another confession. I don't do this daily. I forget! And he's not interested yet, so when I do read to him, it's more like I'm reading 'Where is the green sheep' while he looks around the room. I'm trying to get better at this.
- Look at things on my phone: Yes. This is inevitable. We all do it. But sometimes I see Rudi looking at me while I look at the phone and then I feel guilty. So I try to have non-screen time every day. I typically don't bring my phone on our walks. When I walked to work I'd listen to podcasts but now I just use walks as thinking time and non/screen/input time. So I'm trying to limit this one as well. Some days much less successfully than others.
All in all Rudi and I have carved out a pretty great regular routine for ourselves. Sometimes the weeks get too busy and we don't have time for our morning walks or afternoon writing and then I lie and tell people I'm busy just so I can have one of our snuggly routine days. Rudi and I are rocking parental leave. I feel so grateful that I get to have the year with him. Way to go, Canada, making it possible for parents and babies to bond and snuggle and be together.
- Walk Outside, for anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. This is so crucial, I can't even describe it. On the odd day I don't/can't do this it is never a good day. Now that Rudi is sleeping really well at night, I don't need a nap anymore so we've been going in the morning. Rudi naps while we stroll around our neighborhood. I feel like I've gotten the winter babywearing game figured out. I bought a bunch of things and now I think we can be out in any weather. Except rain. Because I hate rain. But we are through the rainy season! It was -20 here today!
- Write: this counts! I have a few things I'm working on plus a journal and it feels so good to be creative and use my brain. I've been doing this in the afternoon, in my sunroom while Rudi sleeps in the sling on my chest. We get cozy with blankies (it's a bit chilly back here) and bask in the winter sun. Sometimes I have purpose and direction in my writing and other times I just write exactly what I'm thinking. I'm toying with trying to write a book, but I'm not sure how to go about it, so we'll see what happens with that.
- Shower and get dressed: Well, ok I shower every other day. But I get dressed in clothes I could wear to work (my work is pretty casual) every morning. I also get Rudi dressed. Not staying in comfies helps the days feel purposeful.
- Wash bottles: There seems to be this idea held by lactation consultants and people who don't bottle feed their babies that bottles are somehow easier than breastfeeding. Where do they get this idea from? Both forms of feeding are challenging in their own way but I have to tell you, bottles are frigging annoying. Rudi drinks 5 bottles a day. We have 7 bottles. So you know what that means. I wash bottles constantly. All day. Everyday. I also always have to think about how much milk is in the fridge for him and how much to get out of the freezer. From where I'm standing, breastfeeding seems MUCH simpler and easier. Did I mention you are supposed to boil the water you make formula with? Rudi also gets formula.
- Dishes/Kitchen Maintenance: It's hard, but I clean up after myself during the day. Having clear counters makes me feel like I'm doing something right. This is among the more mundane tasks so I often have to have netflix on at the same time to motivate me to actually do it.
- Watch Netflix: yes, this is true. I watch tv during the day....one of THOSE people. But to be fair to myself, it's more of a background thing. It helps me keep moving. And I usually have a show I'm watching/listening to while feeding Rudi or eating lunch or things like that.
- Read to Rudi: ok, another confession. I don't do this daily. I forget! And he's not interested yet, so when I do read to him, it's more like I'm reading 'Where is the green sheep' while he looks around the room. I'm trying to get better at this.
- Look at things on my phone: Yes. This is inevitable. We all do it. But sometimes I see Rudi looking at me while I look at the phone and then I feel guilty. So I try to have non-screen time every day. I typically don't bring my phone on our walks. When I walked to work I'd listen to podcasts but now I just use walks as thinking time and non/screen/input time. So I'm trying to limit this one as well. Some days much less successfully than others.
All in all Rudi and I have carved out a pretty great regular routine for ourselves. Sometimes the weeks get too busy and we don't have time for our morning walks or afternoon writing and then I lie and tell people I'm busy just so I can have one of our snuggly routine days. Rudi and I are rocking parental leave. I feel so grateful that I get to have the year with him. Way to go, Canada, making it possible for parents and babies to bond and snuggle and be together.
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