A lot has been going on here in the Reed household! Our sweet baby boy has been getting so big, is growing more hair, and has gotten his first teeth in! His two bottom teeth are making their way out- not enough to capture a good picture yet, but enough to make you think twice about letting him chew on your fingers!! Mike went offshore, finally, and will hopefully be out for a long hitch this time. Not because we don't want him here, of course, but because funds have become super tight and we really need the income to get us back to where we are comfortable again. He's been gone 5 days now, and Sean and I both miss him like crazy. But he is on a good job- one of his company's boats is being leased out to BP to provide food and housing for guys working on the oil spill- no diving involved, but Mike is out there as a medic (DMT). So he gets to hang out, doing grunt work, reading books, etc. and be available in case someone gets hurt or needs to be checked out.
When Daddy is offshore, or working in the shop during the week, Sean and I have established a pretty decent routine (as much as we can, at least, considering how unpredictable babies can be.... once we get used to this schedule, I'm sure it will change again LOL!) Sean typically sleeps until sometime between 7-8am, with an occasional night waking/feeding sometime between 2-5am. The nights where he sleeps until 7 with no wakings are awesome- I feel like I am getting enough sleep to be a normal, functioning person again! When he wakes, I give him a 4 oz. bottle, then he eats breakfast- this week has been sweet potatoes. I even made some of my own last night from scratch- just baked the potatoes, scooped out the meat, and blended it with formula until it's a consistency he can take. I froze 6 containers, and saved one in the fridge for this morning. After breakfast is usually Sean's "quiet time," meaning I put him in the playpen and he plays by himself very contently for 20-40 minutes, depending on his mood, while I make coffee, take the dogs outside, etc. He usually takes another 4 oz bottle at some point after breakfast as well, and then we play until naptime. After Sean has been awake 1.5-2 hours, he is ready for his first "nigh-night," aka nap. I have been trying to catch him before he gets too fussy, so we can go into his room and read a book before putting him down in his crib. Sometimes he fusses in his crib for a few minutes (usually less than 5 minutes) and then is asleep for anywhere between 1-2 hours (on fussy days, he may only sleep 30 minutes!) He is eating every 3-4 hours, so whenever he wakes is usually time to eat again (anywhere from 10am-12pm). He takes a 6-8 oz bottle, and then we have playtime. We play on the blanket in the living room, or in the exersaucer that we are borrowing from Bec and Rob, or whatever else we can find for fun. Again, after about 2 hours of wake time, Sean is ready for his second nap. If any errands need to be run, I try to make it right after his first or second nap of the day (after he eats if it's close to that time) because his third nap of the day usually falls sometime around 4ish. After this third nap, we have a pretty set in stone routine- solid food for dinner sometime between 5-6pm (lately it's been homemade peas!) then a 4-6oz bottle. At 7ish, we go for a walk in the neighborhood- at this time the sun is down enough I don't have to worry about sunscreen or covering every inch of his body with clothing, and it has usually cooled down enough that I can walk a good 0.5-1 mile with him in the stroller. If it's a longer walk, Sean usually falls asleep before we get home and gets a mini cat nap in before bedtime. Bathtime is around 7:30, then we lotion up, put on jammies, say good night to Daddy (We have a picture in a frame for when he is offshore) and get ready for "nigh-night." If he is in a good mood, I can usually sneak a story in before bedtime. But on fussy nights, or on days where his previous feeding is nearing the 3-hours-ago mark, we just turn off the light and he takes his 4-6 oz bottle while I sing our bedtime song. He is usually asleep around 8pm.
This is pretty standard, but notice I didn't include times until the nighttime routine begins at dinner. That's because on days where Sean wakes at 6:30 or 7, the schedule varies a lot more than the times he wakes at 8. And on the days where he thinks that 30 minute naps are sufficient, the times vary there as well (he is fussier, therefore hungry sooner, and sometimes takes 4 or 5 naps on those days). My routines are solely based on how his day is going- they only thing I do pretty regularly is wash bottles and get 4 of them prepared for the rest of day during his first nap. Other than that, I do what I can when I can : ) Our weekends are a little hectic too- we like to visit friends, swim in their pools, go to BBQ's, festivals, etc. So naps, eating, and everything else revolve around whatever is going on. But we are pretty good about coming home no later than 7:30 so we can start bathtime and all that jazz.
This week has been tough so far- Mike left Saturday morning, and on Sunday afternoon I threw my back out. Of course I was freaking out initially- I literally could not stand up from sitting, let alone walk or bend over or pick up a 15 lb. baby. I was soooo upset, we absolutely could not afford for Mike to miss this job opportunity, but I was unable to care for my baby alone!! Luckily, I have the greatest group of friends down here, and they were more than happy to help me out through the rough first few days. I literally had to wake Angelo and Josh up to pick Sean up out of the crib and move him to my arms while sitting, or whatever destination was best for him. The first day was the worst, but after that I learned how to pick Sean up correctly without re-injuring myself. Katie came over to my house those first few days and helped me to care for Sean during the day, she also drove me to the doctor, and helped me tidy the house, do laundry, clean bottles, etc. I could not ask for a better situation here, with Mike being gone it is so reassuring to know that my "family" down here is there for me when I need them!
Now I am looking forward to the upcoming visit from Gma3!! Angie is driving over from Austin to stay with us, starting July 3rd. Not sure what Independence Day events we will attend, but I know she is looking forward to hanging out with her grandson!
