The new regime

As Alice and I hurtle between our various mothers' groups, I am struck more and more by what a great baby she is. I'm sure that Stu would consider giving her at least 9.5 out of 10 now (that extra half point reserved until the point when she smiles more at him than at me - probably as soon as she is weaned - she knows which side her bread is buttered). We have a nice little routine going now, which no longer involves grumpy evenings or missed sleeps and it is to her credit that when she woke at 6.20am this morning I was horrified. I mean, that's like, early. I used to get up at that time when I worked for a living.

So as a note to my future self, in case I ever dare tempt fate by having another child, (and with apologies to those who aren't interested in how we spend our days) here's our 14/15 week routine:

7-7.30am: Wake and feed. Then Alice sits on Bumbo chair and watches me make breakfast, sterilise last night's bottle and dummies.
8.30-9am: Alice back to sleep after a book (current favourite, Possum Magic). I compulsive obsessively buy the latest baby gadget on eBay, play on Facebook, idle on Yahoo with other mothers in endless Replies to All mails about how to get babies to sleep. Usually throw a wash on too, since most of our stuff from the previous day is covered in baby sick or dribble.
10-10.30am: Wake and feed. Playtime in baby gym/ tummy time/ persuading her to roll again/ with her mini aquarium with fishes I have named after West Wing characters to keep myself amused (Sam the Clam, CJ the Starfish, Toby the Tunafish and Josh Crab).
11.30-12pm: Back to sleep. I eat.
1pm: Wake and feed. Usually depart for an activity/mothers group/pilates/walk with a sleep during those activities for Alice.
4pm: Wake and feed (are you getting a sense of the repetitious nature of the day?!)
5.30pm: Catnap - now in cot although we sometimes walk if she hasn't had any other fresh air that day (walk from front door to car to get to shops to buy yet another baby gadget doesn't count, I'm told)
6.15pm: Feed
7pm ish: Fun starts - Daddy home. Pater takes an elaborately long time to change before having Alice plumped onto him. It's a far cry from our courting days when he used to turn up at my flat to a 3 course meal, a fine red and Sky Sports. I run around making dinner, cooing at Alice (who is getting tired by now) and then we eat. Alice enjoys new jumperoo toy while we have dinner. Thank goodness for Fisher Price.


8pm: Feed, bath, play in bath with Daddy, Keith Horse, Keith Duck and Keith Sheep (we have been unwilling to let go the idea of Little Keith)

8.45pm: Bottle and bed. Until the morning. Yeay. Mum and Dad watch the Sopranos with the sound off and the subtitles on (since two nights ago when a gunshot on the telly woke her up and we felt like the worst parents in the world). I would rather she dreamt of boobs and her mobile rather than that she lived in a ghetto.

And a note on that last bit - I am living with the guilt of giving one formula feed and that she goes to bed relatively late. It's gradually getting earlier and to have a bit of evening after she has gone to sleep is bliss. Until after my two nights out in May, nothing will change. The routine is set in stone, so that even Daddy can manage it, while I paint the town baby pink.