We followed a very strict schedule with Nathan and he had a very involved routine.
He napped every single day at 10:00, then again at 2:00 then went to bed at 7:30.
At night his bedtime routine took anywhere up to an hour.
We fed him dinner, let him play for a bit. Then it was bath, books and bed.

Poor Ryan. This kid hasn't had a consistent day since he was born.
His day looks more like this.

6:30 Up for the day, play "quietly" and try not to wake up the maniac in the other room.
8:30 Down for nap.
9:30 Time to bring Nathan to a playdate (or school or storytime or a doctor's appointment), wake Ryan up, hope he falls back asleep in car.
10:00 - 12:00 Catnaps all morning in the car/stroller.
12:30 - Try to get Nathan's lunch on the table before Ryan starts crying to be nursed.
2:00 Time for Nathan's nap, attempt to get Ryan to sleep now too so Mommy can have a much needed break!! Read them stories together, two birds with one stone.
5:30 Ryan is hungry and screaming but I am still cooking Nathan's dinner so he'll have to wait.
6:30 Put Ryan in his bouncy seat in bathroom so he can hang out with us while Nathan gets his bath. He watches Nathan splash around and pour water from cup to cup, that counts as play, right?
7:30 Already?? Quickly put Ryan to bed, no time for a story but he heard a lot throughout the day, that'll have to do tonight. Quick song and a kiss before I leave the room, hope he doesn't cry because now I have to go put Nathan down.
8:00 Come back and check on Ryan - sound asleep.

I often feel guilty that he doesn't get the same undivided attention that Nathan got as a baby but it doesn't seem to bother him at all. He's the sweetest baby in the world, all smiles, all the time. So I am telling myself that it's making him a very easy-going, go with the flow kind of person. Numero Uno on the other hand is very particular and a little less accepting of change so maybe it's better I don't have the luxury of sticking to a schedule this time around? That's what I tell myself to sleep at night.

If I'm only going to get 2 or 3 hours of sleep at a time, I want it to at least be sound sleep.

Home, sweet home

Today we closed on our house... our home. The moment I walked into this house, I knew it was meant to be ours. By the time we walked through, I was already imagining where the Christmas tree would go. I am so excited to raise Nathan and Ryan in such a beautiful home, it is perfect for our family.

Perspective

Since having kids I've learned an important lesson. There will be really great days and then there will be really challenging days. The challenging days suck... there's no other way to put it. The only thing I can control is how I react to them. I can either dwell on the negative or look for the positive. Today is a perfect example.

Glass half empty:
Ryan had me up ALL night, I'm talking hour and a half intervals. Needless to say I was exhausted at 6:30 but he decided this was a perfect time to get up for the day and practice his new skill: loud, bird-like screeching. Ten minutes after Nathan woke up, Ryan fell asleep for his morning nap. So while Ryan caught up on his sleep, I ran around and made Nathan's breakfast, got him dressed, packed up the diaper bag and took a shower.

Verdict : What a rough morning!

Glass half full:
I've been trying to break the habit of putting Ryan down for a nap in his swing. As much as I love that little 3 hour dream machine, he has to learn to sleep in a crib. So this morning I put him down for a nap in his bassinet and he napped... for two hours!!

Verdict: What a great morning!

I still would have loved a nap but it was nothing a cup of coffee and a morning out in the fresh air couldn't cure.

Focus on the positive... my parenting mantra :)