Routine

Over the last week I've been working on getting Nataleigh back on a schedule and it is going pretty good! She has been waking up around the same time every morning 6:30-7:00. She eats and then plays for a couple of hours. The thing that is confusing for me is that she usually gets really sleepy and so I lay her down for a nap but she will only take about a 30 minute to an hour long nap! She went from being up 2 hours then nap 2 hours and then we would start the whole cycle over...but I think she is either (1) getting hungry after so long (2) has a drenched diaper (even though I have just changed her before I laid her down for her nap) or (3) she just doesn't want to take a very long nap or doesn't want one at all...so I've been trying to figure it out the last couple of days. After she gets back up she eats then plays for 2-3 hours then takes a 2-3 hour nap...which I absolutely love! (I can get a lot of housework done and cook lunch for Nate & myself and then we spend some quality time with each other.) Nataleigh wakes up between 3-4 and will eat again and then play for another couple of hours...this is the tricky part here again...depending on what time she wakes up from her previous nap determines whether she will get another nap before bedtime....if she takes a nap too soon before bedtime I'm afraid it will keep her up a little longer past her bedtime...which I am trying to keep consistent at 8:15pm I want to gradually move it towards 730 but have to do it little by little. I am happy though that she does go to bed at the same time each night and doesn't put up a fight....that makes it sooo much easier on me or whoever is watching her if I am at work!

Parenting is an interesting thing....you think you have a schedule down but as they get a little older it keeps on changing....and I don't want to be a bad mother and I want what is best for my daughter so I am trying to do my best....I guess the only thing I can really do is trust God will lead me and show me through Nataleigh's cues what she needs and trust that I do the best thing for her with each aspect of raising her! I have read a couple books from the On Becoming Baby Wise series which has help to encourage me that I am doing the right things for Nataleigh but I have to keep in mind that I am Nataleigh's mother and not all babies are a "book" baby....there is not manual out there on how to raise a child only tools like these books to help "guide and direct".

So that is what I've been doing the last couple of days instead of focusing on exercising but again I am using it as an excuse and I just need a swift kick in the hind end to get motivated...anyone want to volunteer?