The end of an era. A mega-post.

Time has flown, and all of a sudden Chip is nearly 15 weeks old, and I'm about to head back to work.  My maternity leave is over, and it seems as if our "real life" as a family of three is starting.

Wow.  I've started so many posts (mostly in my head): nursery tour (I finally finished it just before he reached 3 months), a day in the life, my new-mama (non-existent) exercise regime (do baby tricep presses count?),Chip's first swim, and so on.  I'd also like to write a post about adjusting to sudden dietary changes as a breastfeeding Mum, but I really don't see that happening now.

But, I don't want to spend the whole of my grown up time (7-10pm every evening) writing those posts, so for now, here are the highlights!

Nursery Tour

Can you spy a baby?

We wanted something simple and neutral, and never actually intended it to end up so blue and yellow- it's just how the things we (OK, I) liked fit together.  A few comments:

• the sun decal has the phrase "Rise and Shine, Toby" written next to it in scrabble tile decals, in reference to my favourite Raffi song.  Youtube it- it's awesome.
• The bunting comes from my sister's wedding, and says "Toby" (remember, he's not actually called Chip).  I'll move it to the wall when he moves into the cot.
• We don't actually use the chair!  My inlaws kindly lent us a la-z boy which is far more comfortable.  The chair's neat though, and may get some use as a storytime chair in years to come.
• The pictures on the wall behind the chair all mean a lot to us- there's the card from my first mother's day, a race bib from my baby shower, a picture from our fantastic Northland holiday a couple of summers ago, and a random paper mobile from my sister in Korea. 
• you can't really see the fantail motif, but it's there.  There's a fantail sketch (purchased at 12 weeks pregnant) above the ladder shelf, and a neat fantail sign on the door.  You can also see a fantail in the corner of the mosaic frame above the change table. The fantail was my good luck talisman throughout my pregnancy, so I'm glad it's featuring in Chip's room too.

A day in the life

At the moment, here's a pretty normal day:

2:30am Night feed.  
3:30: Back to bed
6:30-7:30 up for the day, and breakfast.  I get a bowl of porridge with oat milk made by Phil, Chip gets boob.
7:00-8:00ish: Morning nap- he never lasts long after his first feed; it's almost like another night feed, but not quite.  At the moment, all naps are on me!  I tweet, play games on my phone, read, and occasionally doze.
9:00ish: We're really up for the day.  I dress the baby, and we hang a little before his next feed (2.5-3 hours after the last one started).
Often at this point, we go out and about- coffee group, doctors/osteo/massage appointments, SPACE (playgroup/parent education), and so on.  Chip naps in the car, or if he gets grizzly, gets a catnap while we're out, usually standing.  When his head gets heavy I try to sit down, and he usually wakes up! He won't (reliably) nap in his capsule or stroller, so this is better than nothing.  If we're not out and about we sometimes go for a walk, as he'll usually give me 45 minutes or so of sleep in his stroller.
12:00-1pm: We're home, and it's time for another feed and another (short) sleep, again in the La-Z boy.  Whether we get much playtime depends on Chip's temperament, and how much sleep he's had while out and about.
3:30ish: Another feed, and tired baby usually crashes for the afternoon- still on me.  I prepare for the long haul with a full drink bottle, TV remotes, charged smartphone and books close to hand! 
5:00-5:30ish: Last feed, part 1
6:00ish: Daddy's home! Bathtime!
6:20ish: Last feed, part 2 (aka, feed of doom)
7:00: BED! (for Chip)

10:00: I pump off Chip's late evening feed, as he now sleeps through but I want to keep producing it, and I've been building a store for my return to work.  Then it's bed for me and Phil. Until 2:30 when the whole cycle repeats...

Exercise

The downside of our bedtime routine, and the winter, is that we no longer have early evenings for exercise, which means I'm left with naptimes (Kinect, weights, etc) and weekends.  Since naptimes are on me, I haven't been getting much exercise in, apart from our walks (probably 3-5 times weekly).  Now that I'm heading back to work, I'll lose those walks so I'm looking for new solutions, and am planning to try some early morning workouts, or maybe late evening workouts.  I've been getting out and about a bit during the weekends, but have been giving myself a few too many weekend goals, leaving very little opportunity for exercise.  #Fail!  I have grand plans of getting into more of a routine when I go back to work.... Watch this space!

First swim

We finally took Mr Chip to the pool when he was about 11 weeks old, and it was fantastic.  A lot of messing around for 10 minutes of pool time, but fantastic nonetheless.  Chip was a bit nervous going in, and clung to me like a limpet, but once he got into the water he was pretty happy, though he didn't know quite what to make of it! (when we went again, he was a pro, kicking about and watching a pink ball floating by).   Since that first trip, we've got him a pair of togs, which means I don't need to worry as much about his shoulders getting cold.  Other than that, all you need is a swim nappy and you're set!