A day in the life with my 12 week old
I thought it would be fun to share a day in the life of my 12 week old so you can compare that to Emily’s post with her 7 week old and Brittany’s post with her 12 week old.
Here’s a day in the life with my sidekick Raffi, who turns 12 weeks old tomorrow (but 3 months next week. This counting of his age thing is confusing to me).
7 AM: I hear squeaks from Raffi’s bedroom and take a peek on the video monitor. His mouth is opening and closing like he’s hungry, although his eyes are still closed. I sneak in and pick him up to feed him laying down on the guest bed. I kind of doze off as I feed him.
7:15 AM: Back in his crib, where he is half asleep. He falls asleep in a minute or two. We consider this his morning nap although he doesn’t play before it. I hop back in bed.
8:30 AM: My alarm goes off and I jump up to try and get as much done before Raffi wakes up for the day. I shower even if I plan on exercising, just in case I don’t find the time. I also make the bed, fold laundry, straighten up and try my best to eat breakfast. By 9 AM Raffi is awake and chattering in his crib. I try to let him hang there entertaining himself until about 9:30 AM.
9:30 AM: I go into Raffi’s room and shut off the sound machine, open the shades and smile a lot at him as he wakes up fully. I unswaddle him and really enjoy watching him stretch and smile at me. This is his most smiley time of the day. After 5 minutes or so I pick him up to change his diaper and get dressed for the day. He usually wears soft PJ-like outfits unless we are going to see someone special or we’re going to church. Since I most likely haven’t done everything I had planned to do, Raffi hangs out on his own for a few minutes on his activity mat until I’m done.
10:00 AM: Time to eat! I nurse him while sitting on the couch and watch news/junk or type on my laptop one-handed.
10:15 AM: Play time! We play a lot together at this time, mostly on the mat or I sing songs and he stares etc. After a few minutes of digesting we do tummy time, which he either loves or hates.
11:00 AM: Uh oh! Raffi starts yawning and I panic a little, knowing it’s the dreaded naptime. I swaddle him loosely and put him in his crib. I darken the room a bit and then read a book. Raffi stares at me talking and never notices the actual book. I put on the sound machine, give him a pacifier and a kiss and leave the room.
11:05 AM: He’s crying. I wait a minute or two and give him his pacifier. His eyes close and he immediately turns his head to the side. I start running around the house cleaning.
11:15: Wailing! Pacifier fell out before he was ready to let it go. I sneak back in and give it to him without talking or looking him in the eye.
11:20 AM: Pacifier again. I wait a minute or two to see if he can grab it with his mouth before going in one last time.
11:21 AM: He’s asleep! I check emails, read blogs, get dressed to go out, etc.
12 noon: Someone’s awake! I try to help him nap a little longer but it never works. I unswaddle him, change his diaper, and we play more.
1 PM: Time to eat again! We sit on the couch and I watch TV or just look at my cutie pie.
1:20 PM: he falls asleep nursing. I let him rest knowing he’ll be up in a couple of minutes. He wakes up and spits up his whole meal on both of us. Outfit changes for two!
1:30 PM: Raffi goes in the stroller and we either walk or drive to do errands. After about 30 minutes of looking out the window or at his surroundings, he will doze. If he’s in the car this involves some tears first. I clench my teeth for the 5 minutes of crying and try to blast the Christmas music. At the next stop on our task list Raffi will wake up and look around before gently closing his eyes again- no tears. All in all he’ll sleep about one hour.
4:15 PM: I rush home as fast as possible knowing Raffi will be hungry soon. I unload the stroller with our groceries etc. at lightning speed, realizing just then I never ate lunch. I make 2 eggs and eat them as fast as possible. Raffi wakes up after bite number 2.
4:25 PM: I feed Raffi on the couch while checking emails on my iPhone. I don’t have the chance to respond to any.
4:45 PM: Raffi goes in his babysitter balance in the kitchen while I prep dinner. He practices pushing the pacifier in with his arm every time it falls out, or putting his toy to his mouth over and over again.
5:15 PM: Raffi is already crabby and yawning again. I put him in his swing for a mini 30 minute nap. We repeat the pacifier moves of the morning nap if he is overtired. If not he just stares at the mobile and slowly and gently closes his eyes.
5:40 PM: We have a squeaker. He starts waking up and I scoop him up to dance a bit. We sing or I put him on my shoulder as a “potato sack” and we walk around looking at things. This is a more fun version of tummy time for all of us.
6:00 PM: As I’m snuggling him he falls asleep in my arms. I snuggle up my head next to his and give him lots of kisses.
6:10 PM: He’s back up and yawning. I try my best to entertain him while finishing dinner.
7:00 PM: Baba’s home!!! Everyone perks up as we gab about our days. Trig gives Raffi his bath as I go back to my computer for a few minutes.
7:15 PM: Trig puts Raffi in his long sleeved onesie and diaper. I then brush his hair, double swaddle him, close the curtains and shut off the lights. I lay in the guest bed to nurse Raffi without any noise or light. I am usually on Twitter the entire time.
7:35 PM: Raffi finally pulls off with a contented sigh. I shut off the heater, scoop him up, turn on the sound machine and plop him in his crib before escaping as fast as possible.
Then one of the following things happens:
A: Someone is thrashing in his crib, but he is not crying. We wait with crossed fingers and a warm dinner on the table. He falls asleep.
B: He barely moves from the position I put him down in, and he is sound asleep immediately.
C: Raffi shrieks a bit and we keep running in to give him the pacifier or a pat until he is out.
D: The crying doesn’t sound like tired cries. We pick him back up to check for a dirty diaper or a burp before rocking him a bit and putting him down drowsy again. Then we wait for A, B, or C to happen.
8:00 PM- 5/6 AM: Raffi is asleep. I am yawning by 8 PM but stay up to write, check emails, chat with my husband, eat dinner, and watch a little TV. Lights out at 10 PM, if I can make it that long.
5/6 AM: I see Raffi’s mouth on the monitor opening and closing like a little fish. Every once in a while he squeaks and moves his head from side to side. I wait 5 minutes to make sure he isn’t doing it in his sleep, and then I sneak in to dreamfeed him. He goes right back to sleep while nursing and I put him back in the crib.
Repeat from the top!
Some notes: There are lots more diaper changes in there, often a poopsplosion or two, and sometimes a photo shoot. Raffi smiles the most first thing in the morning, so I really soak up that time and also snap lots of iPhone pics to send to Trig at work.
The end. A day in the life with my 12 week old. I wonder how that is going to change once my maternity leave is over.
PS- Check out my latest post on Babycenter where I share my maternity leave tips.
22 Responses to “A day in the life with my 12 week old”
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I love this!! And I laughed out loud at the praying during naps, hot food on the table, and gritted teeth while driving. The crying while driving is THE WORST. But I figure crashing my car is worse than whatever he is crying about, so I try really hard to just stay focused and safe. Can’t wait to see what all of this looks like in another few months!
It gets SO much better … it really does. After the 3-mth mark, so much gets better!! We’re experiencing the teething phase now, which just started … and is a challenge. But anything is better than those first 2-3 mths where you are so sleep-deprived and trying to get to know one another.
Awwww…I remember those days and it’s a far cry from a 12-week old to a 12-month old (12/18 is my daughter’s first birthday). Have you tried a Wubbanub paci? Those are the greatest–they’re designed to never fall out of baby’s mouth–they’re weighted or something. My daughter LOVES her giraffe. She plays with him as much now as she sucks on him, but he’s with her at naptime and bedtime and when she is under the weather. Just an idea–b/c I know it can be frustrating to play the “find paci/put in mouth” game.
@Lissa, Yes! We have a Wubbanub and I am OBSESSED. He has the mango monkey. I only use it when we are in the car or he is in his little play seat or swing though because when he’s in the crib he turns his head from side to side too much and it doesn’t stay in.
It is the best invention ever though because he loves holding on to it and he loves pushing the pacifier back in himself after it falls out. Although usually it came out because he pulled the monkey by his tail!
Yay! It’s the best — and that monkey is sooo cute!!
(Far cry–meaning, it gets so much better!!!)
I can’t believe both of you “forgot lunch.” What will I be in for someday!?
@Kath, I now keep about 5 granola bars in my car and a couple in my stroller bag since I forget lunch so often. Before having a baby I don’t think I had ever forgotten a meal before.
@RhodeyGirlTests, 🙂 I’m sure I’ll find a good system too
Okay I love this too. I haven’t driven yet with him by myself but I’m dreading the crying while driving. My first instinct is to pull over, which is obviously not the best idea at all times. I have to say that this timeline is much appreciated!
And I have to say that while my pre-baby timeline included a lot of eating time for me, post-baby timeline includes 2 minute eating slots because I’m just scarfing down dinner to run to a crying/fussy baby.
Again – great timeline! 🙂
Very amusing Sabrina and sweet! Great photos as well. I love the bit at the end where you add a disclaimer for poopsplosions.
best wishes to you and your baby boy from Athens Greece!
It’s so funny how different yours and Emily’s are to mine! And I think I’m going to have to get a wubbanub now. M can’t keep her paci in her mouth for the life of her!
@Kristen @ The Concrete Runner, It was the best $15 I’ve spent on baby things so far. My other favorite thing is the Rattle & Roll from Discovery Toys ( TolsToyStore.com). How is your day different?
Thank you for this!!! I cannot tell you how insightful and demystifying I found this post. As someone who doesn’t have kids, this was a very interesting read to have some expectation of what my days could be like after having children. I’m 28 and have started thinking about it seriously lately.
at three months you can do cry it out/sleep training…I was doing the SAME THING with the binki. AND she hated the car seat before cry it out….It’s a tough first few days but it is awesome down the line@
Interesting to read your schedule and thanks for sharing. I was also blessed to have a baby that started sleeping through the night at a very young age.
You are so lucky that Raffi eats every 3 hours!! My son needed to nurse every hour and a half at that age…grrr…but we did manage to squeeze in an hour walk in the stroller every day before he would start wailing for food again.
Good Lord. I’m exhausted reading this! Sounds like you guys are doing great though. Raffi is such a cutie pie.
“This counting of his age thing is confusing to me.” <—– It's funny how that works isn't it? My little girl was 12 weeks on Monday & will be 3 months next Monday (the 19th) which is the same day she is 13 weeks.
I spent SO MUCH TIME while pregnant trying to dispell the whole "pregnancy is 10 months" bullshit. If you do the math, it's so false! My daughter will be 9 months on June 19th & 40 weeks on June 25th. Yet I still have a friend who adamantly protests & says that it's 10 months – drives me NUTS!!
Oh, Sabrina, I felt myself becoming exhausted just reading this! LOL!!
You “summed it up” perfectly. I remember my husband coming home and asking what I did all day when the kids were little. I couldn’t even tell him because it was full of feedings, diaper changes and everything that you wrote (except of course, being in touch with the outside world through computers). Too funny!
So glad you guys are doing so well. He is absolutely beautiful, Sabrina.
Enjoy EVERY moment, even the difficult ones because they grow up WAAYYYY too quickly. Our younger daughter just received her acceptance letter to the college of her choice today – two down, one to go – It. Is. Flying!!
Hugs!!
He sleeps from 8pm until 5am??!! That’s amazing! My 7 month old is up at least 2-3 times a night still…She goes down like a dream for the night and for naps, so I won’t complain, but I dream of a stretch of sleep longer than 3 or 4 hours…I haven’t had one since she was born!
Definitely feeling a bit tired after reading this. Wondering what I got myself into with a little one on the way in May, but I’m sure it’s the most rewarding job I will ever have!
Raffi is such a cutie pie- I’m sure you love most of it…minus the poopsplosions, I’m sure!