How the heck do new mommies....

[ICNLesa]

take a shower and get dressed, prepare bottles, do laundry & the dishes, feed, rock and cuddle the little one AND fit in a bathroom break every hour??? I'm finding that I can manage bottles, feeding, cuddling and bathroom trips...that's it! Getting myself dressed before 4 pm is out of the question and I'm lucky if my teeth get brushed before noon. Good thing this little baby doesn't mind a disheveled mommy!!

ICNLesa

[ldwall]

Do I remember those days...........ahhh. Glad they are over. What I had to do when my kids were little (now 10, 7, 5) was pick a chore a day....and rotate through all of them in a week. I would do the living room dining room combo one day, bedrooms the next, then bathrooms, then kitchen etc. I would do dishes everyday because I didn't have enough dishes to wait once a week. (But I sure would have liked to, I HATE doing dishes.......ranks right up there with washing windows :eek

My middle child, my Gracie, had colic for most of the first five months, and she cried from 10pm to 3:30am every day like clockwork. I had my oldest, Isaac was 3 at the time and he used to run away to the park (behind our house) and having to deal with IC, new baby, colic, exhaustion.........Whew, makes me tired thinking about it. But I can tell you my system works and works well. Many of my friends took up my system when thier kids were little because it works. It takes the pressure off of making the house perfect. My husband quickly learned all I ever expected from him was to pick up the living room enough so we could use the furniture, and the house never had time to get really gross.

As for the shower, well your on your own there. I never did figure out how to wash my hair, put on clean clothes, or even nice clothes and do anything else at all. I wish you the best, and remember your baby is only this little once! Lisa

[Teri]

{{{{{Lesa}}}}} I am soooooooooooooo glad that I had IC before they could name it so I thought I was just a mommy who could NEVER get it together.....I NEVER had a closed bathroom door policy in my house when my kids were tiny and now I know why.....I would never have gotten anything done Today my daughters-in-law about die when they see how I am able to handle a new baby hanging over one arm and doing what ever needs to be done with the other.....It's easy to do now, I'm 50 and no one had better even try to tell me I'm doing it 'wrong'

But, it could be worse....in the 'good old days', ya remember, when we walked in 15 feet of snow uphill to catch our school bus etc, etc we also had to fit in at least 2 loads of diapers too so things COULD BE WORSE

sending you tons of mommy hugs and give that precious thing a kiss on the cheek for me~

[Kristy]

{{{{{Lesa}}}}}}
It wasn't long ago I was in your shoes and longing for that day to happen to me again. My daughter is now 3. Don't worry this time will fly by. Just cherish your little one. I agree with the advice everyone has given. They are only small once and that time passes quickly. Pretty soon she is going to be walking and talking and you are going to want her to slow down long enough for you to cuddle her. So take every opportunity you have to cuddle and rock her now. They don't stay still long enough once they can move. I just got out of the bed with my 3 year old who wanted me to hold her while she went to sleep. I think it you are brushing your teeth by noon your way ahead of the ballgame. Thinking of you. Keep enjoying that little one of yours.

Kristy

[Michelle in KC]

2 suggesstions:
1) make hubby help out more
2) hire a once weekly maid.
BTW: Congraaulations on the BB!!
Works for me!! Michelle

[Kayte]

Well I'm glad to know I'm not the only one whose oral hygiene is slipping! By the time I brush my teeth for the first time, it's time to eat lunch! (That's why Julie gave us those breath mints!) I take a nap with Rachel in the morning and I sneak in the housework when she's napping. Being the good wife that I am, I always have my shower and hair done by the time my husband comes home at 6:00 PM, ha ha! Just enjoy your baby and pray that people call before they come over! I'm right there with ya, Lesa!

[pineland]

Hey there Lesa!

Ha Ha It does get better gradually. Olivia is 6 1/2 months old and I'm able to fit more into a day now. It seems that it gradually gets easier. One thing that's saved me tremendously is wearing Olivia in a sling (or carrier) -- she loves it! Makes it much easier to do housework, shop, cook... almost anything. You have to find a comfortable sling (or carrier), I used a front carrier for a while but I love my Over The Shoulder Baby Holder, it has lots of padding and even at 18 lbs, it's still fairly comfortable to "wear" Olivia. I also take a shower with Olivia in the bathroom with me (at first in her carseat, now she sits in her rocker), or I take a bath and put her in with me when I'm done washing up (gets 2 baths done at once). Can't help you with the bottles, I guess that's been another benefit of my breastfeeding, not having to worry about making bottles. All I can say is, it does get easier to do more as time goes on. :-)

Good luck!
Darcy and Olivia (6 1/2 mo)

[ICNLesa]

((((Darcy)))))

I can't believe your little Olivia is 6 1/2 months already! Smother her in kisses for me, will ya?

The baby carrier is a great idea and I've tried it except that Kaitlyn can't hold her head up just yet so I have to be careful not to lean over too far in any one direction. I have also figured out that if I put her in her stroller, she can sit upright and watch me do the dishes and what-not. I think she's tired of lying down all the time so she enjoys her stroller....it's just so big and bulky!! My house has been taken over by baby things...and now every room is her room!

I just love having her and can't wait until I hear her say 'ma ma'. Has Olivia warmed your heart with that one yet?? Oh! What a wonderful day that will be!!!

ICNLesa

[Jazzy Baby]

Lesa,
I agree with everyone else. If the laundry go's without doing for a couple of days, its not going to be the end of the world. My twins are 2, and I still take my days off. When they are as small as your little one is, it is hard to do everything. I agree with the shower thing, I would just put them in their car seats, and set them in the bathroom with me. Dont be afraid to ask family for help either, I am sure they would ask you if they needed it. If you have a sister, or best friend, have them come over for a day, so you can catch up on the house. My sister did that for me a lot,(she still does.)
For now, just cuddle her and kiss her as much as possible. And take lots of pictures. I cant believe mine were little babies at one time.....lol. They grow so fast. And it is true, once they start moving, they dont stop. They just go go go....
Congrats on the new baby, and enjoy her!!!

[ICNLesa]

Jasmine,

You have 2 year old TWINS????? My goodness!! I have a whole new outlook and respect for mommies like you!!! Atta-Girl!

Lesa

[pineland]

Hi Lesa!

No "mama" yet. She has said "da" and "mmmmmm", I'm sure it won't be long. I can't believe she's 6 1/2 mo already either! Wow! Where does the time go?! When we look at pictures of when she was a little peanut, it's so hard to imagine her being that tiny. I'll give her a big kiss from you along with the 100s of kisses I give her every day. Ha Ha I get some looks sometimes because I kiss her so much. She's just such a little miracle, I'll never get over it. What ever did we do before our little girls came along?!

Big hugs to you and your little girl from me and mine!
Darcy and Olivia (6 1/2 mo)