Schedule

I took Kaelyn to my MOPS group meeting today. Many of the kids involved in that group are actually preschool age, but Kaelyn is PRE school so it's okay for me to go too! There are a few with younger or older kids. Or some moms that have preschoolers AND a child Kaelyn's age etc. It's just nice to get out. The group meets once a month from 9:30-11. So far that has worked just great. In the previous months I would take Kaelyn for a drive before the meeting and she'd snooze for awhile. Then she'd sit on my lap and play with a paper cup or a juice box or something I brought with us while the group met. Then we'd drive through somewhere for lunch on the way home and she'd nap again.

Child care IS available at the group so I don't HAVE to keep her with me. And the ladies caring for the kids are very caring and wonderful people. But Kaelyn is still going through her mama only phase and I refuse to leave her with someone she doesn't know and go to a meeting knowing she's probably screaming for me. I just can't do it. Someday maybe I will be able to leave her happily playing with the other kids, but for now, she hangs out with me. She hasn't at all been a problem until today. She gets a little nervous in new places and was a little fussy when we first arrived. The group got going and I let her eat because it was time and she was wanting SOMETHING. Then she was happy for about 45 minutes. Though it was hard to keep her entertained on my lap, it was working. I brought a whole BAG of small toys and she took turns tossing them to the ground or inspecting them. After awhile she got bored so we moved to the floor. That only worked for a few minutes and then I just stood in the back of the room with her. Finally she got more scream-y so I left the group ten minutes early.

So why was this month harder? It's the schedule. During all previous months she was napping 3 or even 4 times a day. Now she only takes two naps. The first nap is generally around 10ish. The group meets 9:30-11am. I did go for a drive starting at 9. We drove through the bank on our way to the meeting. And she DID snooze for awhile. But she still was missing her regular (ish) naptime, I guess. We took the long way home...driving through the neighborhood three times...and she slept some more. She was in a happy screamy mood the rest of the afternoon. I love those happy screams. It's like she's trying to tell me something and it's a good something. She doesn't know how so she just screams in joy. Her eyes are all lit up. It's adorable and I wish she did it all day every day. Except during nap times. And overnight! :)

I remember when Kaelyn was born. After about 2 days of feeding her EVERY hour day and night and having NO idea when she would nap and what she needed I started asking around. When do babies start having a schedule? Two weeks later when I took her to the pediatrician I asked, when will I see a schedule start? I think she told me to give it a few more weeks and Kaelyn would lead me, but I was in a fog so I'm not really sure. I remember asking that question of every mother I could find for a long time. It was my biggest concern. I wanted to be able to predict her better. Why is she yelling at me? Is she hungry? Tired? Bored? Hot? Cold? What's UP with this kid?! I wanted to leave the house but if I didn't know why she was yelling at me, I didn't feel like I could go ANYWHERE!

All of the advice I got from others was wrong. It must have been what happened with THEIR kids or what THEY had read. But I didn't see a pattern with Kaelyn until about 3-4 months of age. At that point she was eating every OTHER hour and would nap every hour and a half for about 30 minutes or so. She never has been a LONG napper. Every few weeks or months that would stretch a little and she would eat every two and a half hours and nap every three hours.

But honestly, it wasn't until Kaelyn turned 8 months old that there seems to be set times for most everything. She gets up around 6:30-7am and eats. I'll give her solid foods around 8. She'll eat again around 10 and nap anytime between 9:30 and 10. Then we'll have solids for lunch at noon and she'll nurse again at 1:30-2. Another nap around 3-3:30 and nurse at 4:30. Solid supper at 6 and nurse/bedtime at 8. Until she hit the 8 month mark EVERY day was different. I may have been able to predict that she would want to eat every two or three hours or whatever, but the timeframe of that was different EVERY day. It's SO nice to have set times now. Though it's not an exact science at least it's more predictable when trying to make an appointment or meet a friend for lunch or whatever. And I DID start leaving the house before the 8 month mark, just so you know! :) As soon as I started seeing a pattern and could predict a bit better when she was hungry vs. tired I ventured out to the grocery store etc!

Other than the Mops meeting this morning Kaelyn had a great day. She played nicely and happily screamed the day away. Though playing with her is fun and getting to rest myself during her naptimes is wonderful, my favorite time of the day is when she gets UP from a nap. I'll pick her up and say, "hey pretty girl!" and she'll lay her head on my shoulder and cuddle. This can go on for 30 seconds or 10 minutes. I look at her in the mirror in her room and her eyes are wide open, she's just cuddling. I could do that all day. My arms, maybe not so much, but the rest of me wants to!

So if you're new to the mom world and are wondering, when will my baby get on a schedule? I hate to tell you, it could be awhile! Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones I ran into that saw a pattern at 6 weeks or 2 months or sooner. Or maybe you'll be wondering where that pattern is at the 8 month mark. As so many have told me, it WILL happen. And with kids, we never know when or why so just go with it! :)