My new daily routine

Things have been different around here the past week.  For one, John got a job as a flight instructor and has now been gone many days of the week training and starting work at the flight school.  We're really excited for him to be getting back up in the air more regularly! :)  That combined with our visiting mothers having both gone home, has left me and Evan alone during the days now.   This is probably how a typical maternity leave is supposed to go, but I was lucky enough to have John around more during those early weeks of the leave, and then to have our mothers come and visit and help out too.

Regardless, my first full day alone with Evan was trying.  He is now in a phase where he doesn't like to be out of my arms.  He stopped napping during the day for longer than 30 minutes unless I was holding him.  This meant that it was really hard for me to find time to shower, pump, and even eat!  Let alone do laundry, dishes, or any other house chores that needed done.  And on top of that, since this is my last month of leave I was hoping to start weaning myself back to work by working from home a few hours each day.  I have managed to call into some teleconferences, mostly on mute while Evan is nursing though.  In one arm I hold Evan, I have the laptop on the ottoman in front of me, and the phone on speaker phone (and muted) in one hand so that can I readily unmute if I need to speak in the meeting, all the while hoping that when I need to speak Evan will not be noisy.  It's quite the juggling act...almost literally!

After several days of this new unwillingness for Evan to nap outside of my arms I was a bit worried that something may be wrong, or that we had spoiled him by holding him too much when there were more arms in the house to hold him most of the day.  I asked his doctor about it and she still said that a baby this young couldn't be spoiled and that I shouldn't let him "cry it out" until he was older (around 4 months old), but that maybe I should try wearing him as she said he most likely just wants to be near me.  Up until today I had never tried on the Baby Bjorn yet (when we first got it I was very pregnant and it just didn't fit anyway!), but I needed to get some tidying up around the house done and decided to give it a try.  While it's somewhat prohibitive to wear Evan and do all the chores I need to do (he gets in the way and I don't want to chance hurting him) I was able to do most of what I wanted to accomplish, and low and behold he even fell asleep and slept through most of it!  The best part is if he stirs I can get up and just move around with him and he lulls himself back to sleep easily.  Now, I hope by writing this I don't jinx myself, but I think I've found a new trick to help me make it through these days alone with Evan when he won't let me set him down for very long.  Granted, I still can't shower or go the bathroom with him this way, but I'm so happy I've found something that works and that I enjoy too.  You really can't beat having your little one laying on you so snug for most of the day.  What better way to be close to my little man! :)

Evan awake and asleep on me in the Baby Bjorn (and one happy momma to go with!)