The days are never dull with this little guy! I can tell he’s going to keep me laughing, that’s for sure.
Another month down; Cullen is now 10 months old. I have recapped a typical day for us each month of his life, and I plan to continue at least until he is a year old. (That’s just two months away!)
While our days are very different, this at least gives you a general idea.
Sunday, August 23
10:00 p.m. The little rascal finally goes down for the night. We were in a good routine when we got back from vacation–going to bed around 7:00/7:30, but for the last several nights he hasn’t gone down before 9:30/10:00.
Monday, August 24
2:15 a.m. Cullen wakes up. Sometimes his first wake-up won’t be until 6 hours after he’s gone to bed, but more often than not he wakes up every 4 hours. I’ve tried to let him cry it out, but it never works. He actually eats, so it seems like he is legitimately hungry.
4:30 a.m. Cullen wakes up again. We’re still at two wake-ups most nights. I feed him again and he goes back to sleep, no problem.
7:20 a.m. No matter what time Cullen goes to bed, he always wakes up right around 7:30 a.m. Cullen eats again, we hang out for a bit, change his diaper, and then head downstairs for breakfast. I have been taking advantage of sleeping in and enjoying my mornings off from running. I’m not sure how much longer they will last, but I will enjoy it for the time being.
7:50 a.m. Breakfast time. Cullen has banana slices, Cherrios, and a date. I make myself two scrambled eggs with veggies along with a slice of toast with avocado on it.
8:30 a.m. Craig goes to work, and we head back upstairs to get changed into non-pajama clothes. I take Cullen’s 10 month picture.
9:10 a.m. Cullen starts rubbing his eyes, so I take him into his room, draw the curtains, close his door, and read a couple of books to him in order to wind him down. He is almost asleep, but then of course wakes up as soon as I go to put him in his crib.
9:35 a.m. We play, and I pick up our bedrooms.
10:15 a.m. Attempt number two to get him down. Failed attempt #2. (Everyone told me it would get easier to put him down and he would sleep better as he got older, but I am still waiting for things to improve in this department! Honestly, he’s never been a great sleeper from the day he was born.)
10:35 a.m. Attempt #3–the stroller. Success! Sleep didn’t overcome him right away. It was only in the last few minutes of our 20 minute walk that he finally fell asleep.
11:05 a.m. We return home. I decide I don’t even want to take the risk of waking him up by bringing the stroller into the house, so I sit outside with him, working on the computer and eating my overnight oats, while sipping iced coffee and hot tea.
12:30 p.m. Cullen wakes up. Craig had come home during this time, so we hang out with dad for a bit before he has to go back to work. Diaper change and then to the kitchen for lunch.
12:45 p.m. Cullen eats lunch, I clean up the kitchen, and finalize our afternoon hiking plans.
1:05 p.m. I pack the diaper bag, get our kid carrier hiking pack ready, fill water bottles, find the bear spray, grab an extra layer for myself, get Sadie’s leash. . . . .always so many little things to get ready.
1:25 p.m. The car is finally packed and we head to Eagle River for our hike.
2:10 p.m. I arrive a little late meeting Whitney for the hike. Then another 10 minutes are spent feeding Cullen, getting him in the pack, the bear spray strapped to me, and everything ready for the hike. You can’t do things too fast with a baby, but honestly it isn’t that much of a nuisance to me; I’ve am usually pretty good about giving myself ample time these days.
2:20 p.m. We start our hike along South Fork. It is a beautiful sunny day. The mountains are gorgeous and we enjoy chatting with one another.
3:35 p.m. We return from our hike. Cullen was being kind of fussy, so I figure he’s hungry again, which he is. Once he’s done eating we pack up the car and head to the grocery store
4:10 p.m. I buy a few staples at Fred Meyer that we are low on at home: fruit, broccoli, cereal, milk, and cheese.
4:30 p.m. My trip to Fred Meyer was two-fold because I had also arranged to meet a lady to buy a pair of Hunter boots from her that she had posted on Craigslist. I have been scouring Ebay for several months looking for a pair, but they always went for $100 – $125, so I checked Craigslist and was shocked to find a pair in my size, a color that I actually liked, and not too ridiculous of a price ($75).
5:10 p.m. We arrive back home. Craig is home already, so I get started on dinner.
6:15 p.m. This wasn’t necessarily a complicated meal, but it always takes me longer to make food than it should. I don’t know how people can actually cook something in less than 30 minutes. Dinner was (Mock) Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese, roasted broccoli, and nectarine slices.
6:45 p.m. I clean up the kitchen while Craig plays with Cullen.
7:15 p.m. Craig takes Cullen with him to the dog park. I get ready to go running. I run for a little over 20 minutes. Running felt foreign to my legs, but it was still nice to get out there.
7:50 p.m. Return from my run and work on this blog post.
8:30 p.m. Craig and Cullen return from the dog park. Our friends stop by so we chat with them for a bit.
8:45 p.m. Time to start Cullen’s bedtime routine: bath, pajamas on, brush teeth, read books. Cullen doesn’t fall asleep (go figure!), so he plays while I pick up the living room and have a snack (cereal).
9:50 p.m. We try again to get him to sleep and thankfully this time it works.
10:10 p.m. I get ready for bed and finish this blog post.
11:00 p.m. Lights out for me.
The end.
Hi! I just discovered your blog and I’m really enjoying it. My fiancé and I are considering relocating to Alaska in a few years, which is how I came across your blog! Cullen is adorable and I look forward to reading more of your posts about life in Alaska.