Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Schedules

Do you like schedules? I LOVE LOVE LOVE schedules. Porgie was a wacky baby, and it was hard to get her on a predictable schedule. Around 4 months of age, she finally settled into a more predictable routine, taking 3 short naps per day. Life instantly improved in my household.

I am already looking forward to Izzy establishing a schedule of his own. I hate never knowing when he will sleep or eat. Honestly, it makes me never want to leave the house. Although I am all for breastfeeding, I hate breastfeeding in public. And I never have time to pump. So, I never leave the house.

Porgie brings me her shoes and cries until I put them on her. Then she brings me my shoes, and she tries to put them on for me. Its very sweet, but its also a little disturbing. My child is so bored, she is practically begging me to leave the house.

And I need to leave the house. Some days, the walls feel like they're closing in on me. I feel trapped.

So, schedule or no schedule, I am going to leave the house today.

15 comments:

Dooneybug said...

Good for you!

I don't particularly like to bf in public either but I've found that if I go somewhere where it's mostly SAHM's with their kids, it isn't a big deal. Like the play area at McDonald's - great place for my little guy to run around and get some energy out, have lunch and I can feed the baby in a secluded corner if need be. It's always easier if you have the older one entertained and contained in an area so if you do need to the feed the baby, you can.

Good luck and have fun!

Carrie said...

I hope you have fun! Are you going to do something simple like a walk around the block? Or are you talking a trip the the store?

S said...

Definitely a good thing! Enjoy yourself (as much as you can).

Eva said...

I love schedules too! That's one of the hardest things for me about parenting, not being able to plan. Even now, we never totally know when they'll nap on the weekends.

It took me a few months with S&J to feel like I could comfortably breastfeed in public. For a while I'd do it anywhere basically. Now they're really squirmy and like to play with my shirt and show off my boobs. So the best privacy I get now is to go to a big mall, and go into a ladies' room in a fancy department store. They always have a comfy chair and I can nurse one there while I entertain the other in the stroller. And anyone who walks in is obviously female and probably doesn't care.

Lainey-Paney said...

Here's what I did: I am a go-go-goer.I go stir-crazy if I'm home for too long without getting out. But, I was completely freaked about leaving the house w/ my new son, and not knowing where I could nurse, etc. A girlfriend went w/ me to the mall. We found the mommy-friendly restroom where I could sit in a comfy chair & nurse. We literally spent the first trip to the mall to scope out the restrooms.

Play areas at Chik-fil-a may be good. (I am anti-mcdonalds...different story.)

I love the play area at one of our malls. It is contained & there is seating for the parents. You could discreetly nurse there (discreetly nursing took some practice for me to get the hang of....)

Pumping: do it when your husband is home. Nurse him, and pump afterward. You may not get a whole lot if you just nursed---but over time you will, and every bit you get will add up! that way, you will have a supply to take with you when you aren't comfortable nursing in a certain setting.
I nursed Gage, and then pumped for 15 minutes to get my milk to come in. Also, after the milk came in---I'd nurse & then pump so that I'd have some to freeze. Also, I wanted to keep up my supply, so I wanted to completely empty my breasts.

It's cooler weather now, so trips to the park or for a walk are going to be harder to do.

If it's not toooooo cold, try just playing in the backyard, but have Izzy in the swing at the back door. That way, he's still in where it's warm, but you can still see him (if your house & doors allow for that...)


Good luck. I know it must be tough.

Antropóloga said...

Eventually he'll have a schedule and hopefully they will coincide! For now I guess it's short trips for you. :) You're doing great!

Suz said...

Good! It took me almost THREE MONTHS to leave the house with the twins and I waited much too long. Have fun!

Bon said...

i love schedules too...and hope today went well.

or at least that it wasn't bad enough to keep you in for the rest of the winter!

you'll get the hang of this. :)

Chastity said...

Good luck leaving the house! I can't even imagine doing it with two.

I do like schedules, but I'm not good at making them or enforcing them.

Mary said...

I hope you had a good outing with the kids!

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

Glad you are getting out! It will get easier. I promise. :-)

I am a homebody, but have found that I have to leave the house every day. Otherwise, my toddler starts going bonkers.

Rachel said...

Yeah it is tough. Max usually gopes to sleep by now but not today-wide awake and I feel crappy. Why when I need to relax, well he decides a new schedule? LOL ..because he is a baby..

Christy said...

Carrie,
We ended up going to the local baby store to purchase a few essentials. Izzy slept the whole time, and Porgie was an angel. Lucky me!

Em said...

Have a good day out then, you'll get there with the schedules but its tough!

Timi said...

Christy,

I just finished catching up on your blog (I'd email this but I don't know your address). Just wanted to say congratulations on Izzy! My daughter was born the same day at 1:02am! And of course I have not even attempted to update my blog. That's great that the breastfeeding is going so smoothly. I'm jealous, we're still working on it here. Good luck with the schedule, and the two kiddies at once. I'm sure you're doing a great job.

Timi