A typical day with two.

Several of my blog friends have said that they are super curious about life with two kids. I know I felt the same way before Jude was born. I used to wonder how I would do simple things like take a shower if both of the kids were awake. So, I thought I would share what a typical day looks like for us right now. I wanted to document this anyway, because I know that by next week, our routine could very well be something completely different than it is right now. Ha! But here is a day for me with a 23 month old and a 5 week old:

I'm usually up somewhere between 6 and 7 to feed Jude. He goes back to sleep after this feeding and typically sleeps for 3 more hours before he's "up for the day." Aubrey usually wakes up somewhere between 7:30 and 8 (except for last week!) so sometimes I'm able to go back to sleep for a little while after I feed Jude, and sometimes I'm not. It's nice that Jude sleeps late because this gives me a chance to get Aubrey up and give her breakfast without having to worry about him. This also gives me some one on one time with Aubrey when she first gets up, which is nice.

When Jude wakes up (between 9 and 10), he is ready to eat. Sometimes I feed him in my bedroom and just shut Aubrey in there with me. She will sit beside me on the bed and talk to Jude and just play. Other times I feed Jude on the couch in the living room and let Aubrey play with her toys. She is usually pretty good while I'm nursing Jude. Thankfully, he is a good eater and it only takes 10-15 minutes to feed him. After eating, Jude is awake and usually pretty happy and content. This is typically his longest happy/awake time all day. If we have errands to run, this is the time to do it because both children are happy. If we're getting together with friends, this is the time I take a shower and get ready for the day. If I need to take a shower while both of the children are awake, I take Aubrey into the bathroom with me and shut the door. I leave Jude either in his pack n play or his swing. If we aren't going anywhere that day, I hold Jude and Aubrey and I talk to him and try to get him to smile for a while. I then put him in his swing while he is still happy and try to get things like laundry done. Aubrey is pretty good about leaving Jude alone while he is in his swing, but sometimes she goes and pulls his blanket off or takes his pacifier out of his mouth, so I have to keep a close eye on them.

Jude starts to get fussy as it gets close to time for him to eat again. He is still eating about every 2-2 1/2 hours during the day. It is somewhere around 11 by the time he wants to eat, so I feed Jude and then it is time for me to get Aubrey's lunch ready. Since Jude has been awake for a while, he is typically fussy and ready for a nap at this point. Sometimes he falls asleep while I'm feeding him and I can transfer him to his swing. If that doesn't work, I'll put him in the Moby wrap, and he is out within a couple of minutes. After Aubrey finishes with her lunch, we play for a while before naptime. (I'm usually counting down the minutes until naptime by this point-- is that horrible?? Haha.)

Aubrey goes down for her nap at 1:00 (although I adjust the time if she slept late). Ideally, I would put her down for her nap before I put Jude down. However, Jude usually takes a little longer to fall asleep, so sometimes it just works out better for me to put him down first so that when I put her in bed, they are both down for the count. If it isn't quite time for Jude to eat again though, I put Aubrey to bed first. I leave Jude downstairs in his swing while I take her upstairs. She goes down really easily. I just rock her while I sing a verse of Silent Night, and then I put her in bed and that's it. Lately she has been talking for a while before she goes to sleep. To get Jude down for his nap, I swaddle him and nurse him. I then put him in his pack n play. Usually I have to go give him his paci several times and sometimes pick him up and rock him once or twice before he goes to sleep. Once he is in a good sleep though, he will sleep for about 3 hours. Jude takes lots of naps a day, obviously, but this is the only one that he takes in his bed right now. The others are either in his swing, the wrap, or his carseat (or in someone's arms!). That's just what works best for now, but as he gets older, we'll transition to more naps in his bed. Anyway, if I need to put Jude down for his nap before Aubrey, it's the same routine, she is just in the room with me while I'm feeding him and putting him in bed. He is still at the age where he will sleep through just about anything, so it doesn't bother him to have his [loud!] sister in the room while he is going to sleep.

When they are both finally asleep, I do a variety of things. Some days I'm really productive and do laundry and clean up. Other days I feel like I just need a break, and I watch TV, read, or get on the internet. Most days it's a combination of all of the above. This is when I usually eat lunch and take a shower if I haven't already.

For some reason, Aubrey and Jude always seem to wake up within minutes of each other. This is not ideal, because Aubrey wants a snack and attention and Jude is more than ready to eat. After Jude eats, he tends to be fussy. He just wants to be held at this time of the day. We just do the best we can at this point and start watching the clock for David to get home. Ha! He gets home at 4:30, which is SO NICE! When he gets home, Aubrey is so happy to see him and ready to play. David takes her to play while I tend to Jude, who is still fussy. Most nights we are going somewhere about an hour after David gets home. If that's the case, I get Jude ready to go (change his diaper/clothes and feed him) and David gets Aubrey ready. Jude takes a nice nap in his carseat while we are at karate or church and Aubrey plays. If we are going to be home for the evening, David will take Jude so I can cook dinner, and after dinner Jude usually takes his nap in my arms instead of his carseat.

The night time routine is not the greatest at this point. Aubrey's routine is still the same as it was before Jude was born. She goes to bed at around 8:30. Jude, however, is up until David and I go to bed. The only bad thing about that is that I feel like I really don't get a break at night. Jude is so fussy at night (although he has been getting better lately) and he just wants to be held by me. He is not happy if David tries to help me out by holding him. Not really sure why, but that's just how it is right now. I have been wanting to try putting Jude to bed earlier, but I'm just scared he is going to wake up a dozen times in the night if I buck the system. Haha. Trying it one night can't hurt though, so I need to just go for it. I have been trying to go to bed earlier now that I'm not sleeping through the night, but by the time I feed Jude and get myself ready for bed, it's usually 11:30 before I get to sleep. Jude wakes up around 3 AM to eat, and then again at 6 or 7. And then we start all over again! ;)

So, that's our life right now. Some days go so smoothly and are so enjoyable that I almost can't believe it. And then some days I'm tired and the kids are both needy and I want to just pull my hair out. I think that's the case no matter how many kids you have though. All in all, the transition to two kids has been a good one. I'm learning everyday, and it just gets easier as I figure out what works best for us. If you're thinking about taking the plunge and having another baby, I say go for it! :)