I have to give credit to my husband, Dustin, for inspiring the title ‘Whine with Dinner’ for this blog. He inspires me all the time. Sometimes he inspires me to love deeper and sometimes he inspires me to pull my hair out. Overall, I love that man. Enough whining, let’s get to our life as new parents!
I want to give you a glimpse into our life as first time parents and what a general day/week is like with our almost 4 month old baby. This is our experience in real time. I am not here to tell you how it should look for your family, but maybe you will enjoy reading about our experience and make some connections. I’ve added little blips of creative writing in there to add some ambience. Hope you enjoy it!
A little background about us might help you understand why we do things the way we do as new parents. My husband and I both work. He owns and operates a childproofing business, Arizona Childproofers, and is out in the field installing Monday through Friday. His hours vary from day to day and sometimes he spends all day installing a pool fence in the Arizona heat by himself. I promote the business from home through online social media, do data entry, and maintain files/paperwork. My work is more flexible throughout the day and allows me to stay home with our daughter.
This is our life: currently.
Mornings
As the blue light of day creeps into the room, Ruby opens her eyes hazily to the ceiling and starts to fidget. Mother wakes up at the sound and listens without movement; judging whether or not to engage the tiny human or pray she falls back into a blissful slumber. Ruby, now with eyes wide open, juts her right leg to sky. She pulls it back to her mouth like an arrow to a bow. SNAP! She releases and her foot thumps to the base of the bassinet. She lets out a clever little coo. Mother knows; it’s time to start the morning.
Mornings vary depending on how well Ruby sleeps through the night. We usually wake up between 7 and 9am. She’ll be hungry from sleeping for a few hours. If she wakes up fussy, I will give her a bottle first, but if she wakes up like Smiley Cyrus (my favorite!), I will change her diaper first. She usually doesn’t have a super full diaper in the morning so most of the time it isn’t an issue. After a bottle and a diaper, she is ready to move!
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Daily Routine
With a belly full of milk, Ruby rests in Mother’s arms and breathes a sigh of pure satisfaction. Her eyes once fixed upon the bottle begin to wander about the room. She is disinterested in her present place and chirps at Mother to entertain her, not unlike a little princess. Mother is tired, but she knows the consequences of an unhappy baby. So begins the daily circus.
We go through many activities throughout the day. Ruby stays interested in each one for AT MOST 15 minutes and then onto the next one! Right now, our go-to daily activities are:
- watching fishies in our aquarium– we have a variety of fish but her favorite seems to be “The Big One”… so majestic
- going to “the farm“- Ruby chills in the cradle; watching while I sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm using her stuffed farm animals… she finds it hilarious
- playing in the “tree house”– it’s actually a play mat with a tree graphic and bird toys hanging down from it… she thinks she’s a bird too; her screech is on point
- going for a walk– or carrying her from room to room while singing about things we see… she LOVES to look at all our clutter; keeps me mentally aware of all the things I have to organize someday
- visiting her “biggest fan”– we sit in the glider and rock back and forth while she watches, amazed, as the fan in her nursery spins above her… I also attempt to read her books if she is interested
- practice motor skills- right now she likes grabbing toys, fingers, and Mom’s hair
- “marching” on mommy’s belly- her legs are wild; she loves to march with them lying down, sitting, and especially standing on my stomach… and I love watching her face light up, pretending to walk
Feeding
Ruby smiles with delight and giggles sounds of pure joy. Mother is happy and enjoying her baby’s contentedness. All of a sudden Ruby stops. She turns and stares into Mother’s eyes wantingly. “What is it, my love?” Mother wonders as she tries to unravel meaning from her daughter’s face. Just as suddenly as when she stopped smiling, Ruby jerks her tiny fist to her tiny mouth and gnaws on it like a puppy. Oh! She is hungry. Mother gets the bottle.
Ruby eats about every two hours. We have no definitive schedule there. When she starts getting fussy and none of things things on the extensive list above is working, I know she’s hungry. Also, she tries to put her whole fist in her mouth, ha! That’s her sign 95% of the time.
On the flip side, she makes it very clear when she’s tired. She makes little fists, brings them to her eyes and rubs in circles; straight out of a cartoon! It’s VERY cute. She will fight it sometimes but that doesn’t last long, thankfully, and she usually wakes up smiley afterward.
Naptime
As Ruby’s eyelids become heavy, she and Mother withdraw to the nursery. They sit together in a loving embrace, rocking back and forth in their favorite chair, listening to the sweet sounds of Disney Lullabies. Ruby drifts off to Slumberland and Mother is not far behind her.
Most of the time she takes micro-naps; like 30 minutes tops. It’s definitely a challenge to get anything done during the weekday. She’ll usually take one long nap, about 2 hours, at some point in the day but it’s a roll of the dice exactly what time. This loose routine is my life during the week. I take advantage of every micro-nap to eat or do tasks for work. Sometimes, I don’t get them started until Dustin gets home from his job. Then, it’s Daddy Duty. He will take over for a while and I will clean or continue to work. As new parents, we just go with the flow.
The day is coming to a close. The setting sun sends orange beams through window shutter cracks. Mother is tired; her will wanes. A familiar, deep voice is heard downstairs. Father is home. Eagerly, he gathers Ruby in his arms and she grins from ear to ear. It’s time for them to bond. It’s time for Mother to rest for a short while.
Dinner time. This is probably the most frustrating part of our day as new parents. Ruby is drama. For some reason she never naps during this time and MUST be held. If she doesn’t get all of the attention, she WHINES, then I whine because she’s whining, and Dad whines because we’re whining; hence the title of this blog. So while Dustin makes dinner, I watch her and we usually have to take turns eating. Not very romantic, which is why taking time to go on dates just the two of us is important. After dinner, I try to get a work out in and prepare bottles for the rest of the night while Daddy bonds with his daughter.
Bedtime
Father feels the weight of his work overcome him. Mother is settled with her daily tasks. Ruby is grown a full day. The family is ready for night, for sleep, for restoration.
The most consistent part of the day is, conversely, the night. Ruby is almost always passed out around 10:30pm and will sleep a good 5 or 6 hours. Then she will wake up, need to be fed, and go back down for another 3-5 hours.
This may seem great, like a I get a lot of sleep; no. I take a couple of hours for myself, which usually consists of watching adult cartoons (i.e. The Simpsons or Bob’s Burgers) and/or mindlessly browsing social media. It’s absolutely necessary for me to have some time to myself AWAKE for the sake of my mental well-being, but damn am I exhausted all week. Also, I don’t sleep well with my restless legs. I catch up on sleep over the weekend when Dustin wakes up for feeding at night. As new parents, we still take turns caring for Ruby but he is the primary parent on Saturday and Sunday.
Mother and Father watch their little gem shine day after day. They live for her sweet smile and gentle, warm cuddles. As much as they love to see her independence blossom, they know her quiet need for them will be forever missed. They soak in her love and keep it deep within their hearts for all of time.
This is our life: currently. We are new parents, making it work and love watching our little girl grow and learn something new everyday. It takes a lot out of us but is 100% the BEST just job we’ve ever had.
It most definitely is the best job ever and you two are rocking it!