Never in a million years could I have ever truly understood what it would be like to be “Mom.” I always knew I wanted kids, but I never really knew what that looked like until the day Kinsley was born. That day was an adventure of its own. If you missed that post, I shared her full birth story here. But crazy enough, as I sit down to write the much requested “a day in the life”/schedule post, everything has changed (for the better, of course). Now, I can’t remember what it’s like to not be “Mom”! Life is funny like that, isn’t it?
It’s like I blinked and we have an almost 5 month old! When did that happen? The deeper I get into this whole mom thing, the more I realize there are so many mixed feelings that come along with your little growing up. On one hand, I want her to stay small forever (because, hello baby cuddles!!) and on another, watching her grow and change is the best thing ever! Literally, watching her learn new things: to roll over, to coo, to grab things, to laugh, has to be the coolest thing I’ve witnessed in my 30 years of life. Speaking of time flying, when did I turn 30?! lol.
Before I had Kinsley, I felt like moms spoke a foreign language – Mamaroo’s, Pack N’ Plays, Sophie the giraffe… I mean, what? who?! I need how many things for her to drool on?
Kinsley is definitely not lacking in the personality category, so she makes being her mom extra fun.
Before I get into a day in our life, I just want to say that this is just what works for us. We *both* thrive off of having a schedule and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it. Of course, schedules aren’t for everyone and I totally get that. So, if you’re a mama who doesn’t love schedules, no pressure here, I’m just sharing what works for us because it has been so highly requested. Along with our schedule, I thought it would be fun to share an update on what she’s loving, playing with etc. Without further ado, welcome to a day in the life of Kinsley and me.
OUR SCHEDULE
7:00: Kinsley wakes up for the day. Sometimes I wake her up, sometimes she wakes up on her own. I bring her into our bedroom to feed her. This is typically when I am waking up also. One day in the near future, I’d love to be able to wake up earlier than her and get some work done (it’s a goal), but as of now this is my wakeup call too. After she eats, we play!
8:30 – 10: She goes down for her first nap of the day.
10:00: I wake her up, feed. She plays from the time she is done eating until about 11:30.
11:30-1: Second nap of the day.
1 – Wake, feed, play…are we seeing a pattern here ;)? This awake time is longer than the rest and I try to keep her up until about 3pm. We used to put her down at 12:30, but Rachel from the Cradle Coach suggested stretching this awake time a bit.
3-4: Last nap of the day
4: Wake, feed, play. Sometimes I opt to take her on a stroll during this wake time. We like the fresh air and it counts as the LISS part of my BBG workout (if you missed my IG story update, I am on week 6 of BBG and using the “Sweat” app. You can download it in the app store if you are wanting to start).
6: Bath time, feed + books (sometimes we start her bath at 5:45 if she is getting too tired). This has become one of our favorite times of the day. We start with a bath (Alex and I typically do this together, unless he isn’t home yet). Kinsley looooves her baths, so it’s always fun. After her bath, I feed her for the night. I breastfeed and then top her off with 2.5.-3 ounces that I pumped from the previous night to help her sleep longer through the night. Post feed, we finish off our day with books! She has tons of favorites that I’ll include below. I like to feed her first and then do books, since she has a bit of reflux. This gives her more time to get burps out, and allows her to stay upright longer.
7: Bed time for the night.
1-3am: She usually makes it to sometime between 1 and 3 am. I feed her, change her, and put her back down for the rest of the night. I try to make sure I don’t really talk to her much and keep her in a sleepy/relaxed state (I feed her in her room for this one).
7: Wake and do it all over again.
Q + A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Sleep Training?
We used The Cradle Coach, and I can’t recommend them enough. My goodness, I don’t know what I would have done without Rachel!! We started sleep training Kins mid-January. Prior to sleep training, we were rocking Kinsley to sleep each nap and at night. We were also swaddling her (since she had not yet rolled over).
We did a form of the “cry it out” method. The first two days were so insanely brutal, and after that it got better and better. I am honestly SO glad we did it (again, it’s not for everyone and that’s fine).
The girls at The Cradle Coach were sweet enough to give my readers a discount code *CourtneyShields10*.
Kins Loves
1: Her frog! I like to put her in the frog on the counter while I make food, do dishes etc.
2: Sophie the Giraffe – there are a few. The bigger one is her favorite to chew on!
3: We exclusively breastfeed (usually always from the breast), but for the past few nights I have been feeding her and then topping her off with a bottle of breastmilk that I pumped (about 3 ounces) from the previous night. We use these bottles and this warmer and love both.
4: Betty the butterfly – This is Kinsley’s favorite toy at the moment. I’m not sure what it’s actually called, but we call her “Betty”! Her wings crinkle, she lights up, sings etc. and she always makes Kins smile!
5: Sleep Sack – Ever since Kinsley has been sleeping in her crib (unswaddled), we have been putting her in a sleep sack. This one is out favorite! It’s cozy and sleeveless.
