Snow day

It was chilly this afternoon (4 degrees) but I bundled up Boyd to try out his infant sled. We walked up and down our driveway and neighborhood street. Afterwards I set him in the snow and he seemed pretty interested in the white stuff. From the photos he looks less than enthused though!

On a super cold day like today, I dress Boyd in his Patagonia layers, cover his hands and feet with my wool socks, and then put him in a down bunting.

Schedule

I am so incredibly thankful that Boyd's sleep has improved. My quality of life has improved as well - I can actually sit and enjoy most of my evenings (after chores) instead of spending 4+ hours putting my baby to sleep every night. I look back on his first 8 months and think, "INSANITY!"

• On an average day, Boyd wakes himself at around 6:45 a.m. I usually wake 10-15 minutes before he does and flip on the baby monitor to see how he's doing. I get out of bed and scoop him out of the crib for good morning kisses. (D gets up at 4:50 a.m. and leaves the house for work at 5:40 a.m.) I never used to be a morning person, but my early wake up call doesn't bother me now that I'm getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night as opposed to a few 2-3 hour segments. It's amazing what some perspective will do for your outlook! 
• Boyd nurses right away, since he has gone all night (12 hours) without eating. I cherish these early morning feeding sessions - Boyd is still sleepy and usually pretty quiet while eating. I get to stroke his sweet little head and relax for a few minutes. Then he gets a new diaper and outfit for the day. We spend a little while looking out of his bedroom window and saying good morning to everything. I also use this time to restock diapers and wipes, change his sheets, and sometimes get his laundry started. 
• We head back to the master bedroom, where Boyd gets to play with toys while I take a shower. I manage to get dressed and maybe put on makeup before he starts getting bored and/or has his first poop of the day. Another diaper change and I try to dry my hair before we head downstairs.  
• On a work day, my mom arrives around 8:15 a.m. and she feeds Boyd breakfast (oatmeal plus baby yogurt or fruit). I finish getting ready and scoot off to work to arrive by 9 a.m.
• If it's a Monday (my "Mom"day!") or weekend, I feed Boyd breakfast and eat something light myself. Afterwards he has floor playtime while I tidy the kitchen, start laundry, take out the garbage, or do other light chores. By this time it's around 9 a.m. and he's usually starting to get tired. We do a mini version of his bedtime routine: new diaper, books, kisses, down in the crib and then lights out. He goes down sleepy but awake. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes to fall asleep and other times it's more like 15.
  
• Once he is asleep I do more chores. If it's a Monday, I look over my shopping list for the grocery store and Costco. On Mondays I make a more elaborate meal for dinner since I have more time to prep and cook. This week I made spinach and black bear manicotti. It was awesome.
  
• Boyd normally takes a 35-45 minute nap and once he's up, I nurse and change him. We get bundled up and zoom off for shopping. He's a big boy now and sits in the shopping cart, taking in the sights and sounds. People love him and he receives a lot of attention.
  
• Once we get home I lug all of the groceries into the house and try to put them away before feeding Boyd lunch, usually a meat/protein, veggies and fruit for dessert. After a little while he is ready for an afternoon nap.
  
• I take this time to prep dinner and switch over laundry. Once Boyd wakes he nurses and then we practice walking around (and crawling now too!) Sometimes we'll hang out downstairs in the laundry room while I fold clothes and he puts various things in his mouth and slobbers on them.
  
• If my mom is watching him for the day, he usually gets a bath sometime during the day. I like to do it in the afternoon when I'm home. He is not a happy camper if we pull him out of the bath too early!
  
• On weekends our schedule varies a bit during the day depending on activities we leave the house for. During the week, D and I return home after work and my mom gets to go home. She usually feeds him solids for dinner before leaving and then we have playtime with Boyd. D and I take turns making dinner, depending on who got home first or has a menu planned.  
• By 6:30 or 6:45, Boyd starts to get fussy and tired. His evening routine starts with goodnight kisses for everyone before heading upstairs to his room. He is put into a nighttime diaper and his fleece sleep sack before we  get one last nursing session in. After he's full, I turn on the noise machine and his battery-powered candles (nightlights). We read books until he's tired, which takes about 10-15 minutes at the most. Sometimes he wakes after 30-40 minutes but very rarely do we have to go up and help him back to sleep.

Did I mention earlier that my reduced schedule was approved? It's been fabulous to spend an extra day with my boy. We usually spend it cleaning, grocery shopping and prepping a nice dinner - things I don't usually have time for during a regular week. 

Video: Lizard tongue - 10 months

I filmed this video just this morning, so Boyd and I are still a little sleepy and laid back.

Video: Eating Cuties - 9.75 months

Literally, he bit off more than he could chew...

Finally, snow!

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for all of the snow we're receiving. It started last night and won't let up until sometime later today.

I'm excited though - we've been waiting to go cross-country skiing for ages now. And we'll finally be able to try out the Chariot carrier and ski kit! Can't wait for Boyd to go for his first ski.