Sleeping in on Saturdays didn't used to have guilt attached to it.
Doing housework on weekends was less of a chore when it wasn't as necessary to finish it immediately.
Why am I looking forward to structured, workday Monday?
Like the parents that know what they're doing (i.e. the ones with older kids), I will be experiencing the joys of holiday breaks from school, as well, where day care is closed for two weeks, stretched from the week of Christmas to the week of New Year's Day.
I used to love snow days, sick days, weekends and holidays as kid. Breaks from school were fun, with no schedules and more relaxed bedtimes/wake-up calls!
As a parent, I love spending time with my daughter, but I hesitantly admit that the weekdays are much easier for someone that feels as lost and overwhelmed at times with how to handle an entirely dependent baby.
The benefits and curses of not having a schedule
Back during maternity leave, there were no designated feeding times, no designated nap times, and, unfortunately, no designated bedtimes.
The lack of structure allowed for some flexibility, but ultimately led to an exhausted mommy by day's end (and not just because babies sleep in three-hour spurts).
After introducing our daughter to day care, we follow the same schedule (if we can help it) that she doesn't during the week on off-days, from feeding to napping.
There might be some changes (baby refusing to sleep), but for the most part, structure and schedule make the weekends and holidays a lot less stressful and a lot more fun.
Curing kiddo boredom
Some day (hopefully not), our daughter may survive for several hours parked in front of the TV. Or (more hopefully), playing outside unsupervised.
Unfortunately, our baby is bored fast when she is given restrictions on where she can go and what she can do.
As such, we often end up letting her crawl freely around the entire house, taking away things she can't chew up (electric cords are her favorite), toys she can't play with (mostly that belong to the dogs) or picking up after her little path of destruction (why does she love chewing on the green plastic Xbox cases?)
At least since she's crawling, it's easy to keep up with her.
Grandparents to the rescue
The ultimate way to survive the holidays is to enlist REAL adult supervision in the form of family and friends, especially the kid's grandparents (in other words, our parents).
How do you survive the non-school, non-daycare days? Leave a comment!
--Althea Peterson
What I am NEVER feeding my baby again: Prunes. After joking with my husband about how prunes would make baby "regular," she only ate two baby-sized spoonfuls. And it wasn't even pure-prunes, but mixed with other vegetables and fruits. She proceeded to have the first dirty diaper in the middle of the night in months, and then had several more the next morning. Beware, parents: Don't feed your kids prunes!
Baby bit: Tis the season for coughing and congestion. Our baby is now coughing herself awake, then being too congested to breathe with a pacifier in her mouth, so cannot go back to sleep. So, we are trying everything (except antihistamines, which babies aren't allowed to have). Warm baths, saline squirts, snot sucking devices, ANYTHING. And yes, she hates it.
Mommy moment: The breast milk pumping has been going on for about nine months now, so I am getting bored with it, to the point of CLUNK -- the pump vibrated right off the end table to the floor because I was so busy ignoring it. Fortunately, it continued buzzing away angrily.
Althea's previous entries:
Nov. 26: What NOT to get for kids this ChristmasNov. 19: Sick or tired parents usually follow a sick kidNov. 12: Christmas wishlist: Gifts for parents that we've used every dayNov. 5: What type of person our child will grow up to be?Oct. 29: Things parents are NOT allowed to doOct. 22: Little parent-child time makes big differenceOct. 15: Choosing a daycare center for your childOct. 8: Baby blood drawing, catheter, congestion, antibiotics...Oct. 1: Beginnning to feed solid foods to a babySept. 24: Baby's first long car tripSept. 17: Photos: A newborn baby in her new homeSept. 10: Motherhood misconceptions and baby mythsSept. 3: When a baby can't sleep and won't stop crying (possibly due to her first cold)Aug. 27: Baby's appetite changes can make breastfeeding more difficultAug. 20: Mom's hospital stay after the baby arrivesAug. 13: Returning to work after maternity leaveAug. 6: Life as a single, working mother with a babyJuly 30: Dealing with a baby's first sick timeJuly 23: Delivering a baby by Cesarean sectionJuly 16: Introducing a new baby to your pet cat and dogsJuly 9: Breastfeeding a baby is a challenging decisionJuly 2: Baby airport travel requires patience and timeJune 28: Baby means there's never an awkward silence
Althea Peterson is the proud mother of a nine-month old girl. Althea returned to work at the Tulsa World in May after two months of maternity leave. Baby advice, baby questions or baby words of encouragement can be sent to althea.peterson@tulsaworld.com. Also, follow Althea on Twitter at twitter.com/a1a4ou.
