Routine

I looked down yesterday and realized I typically do the same things at the same times each and every day. I suppose that's more likely than the norm when dealing with a very scheduled nine month old.

I wasn't a psycho about a lot when Julia was a baby, but getting a schedule was one thing I was very particular about creating. Those first few weeks threw me for a loop. From one day to the next I had no plan. No clue. No ability to forecast. Not to mention, anxiety out the roof. Fear she would die of SIDS. Fear she would choke to death. But back to the schedule, or lack thereof, sometimes I'd wash bottles at 2 am and sometimes at 2 pm. FINALLY, we got that nailed down and now for the most part I can tell you what happens every second of the day. For my personality, that works. Very. Well.

We do a lot of highchair time these days. It takes a while for a little one to explore, eat, drop and get silly while eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's such a precious time of the day for me. We chat. We dream. Sometimes we call dad. Sometimes we look for Guinney.

Being routined, we do meal times in the same spot three times a day. I have a drink holding station next to the highchair. The morning starts like this...and progresses through dinner as follows.

The Today Show is playing in the background.
Most of the time it's quiet during lunch.
We get spicy with some happy hour tunes for dinner.

My mom came last night to babysit so the mister and I could enjoy a dinner sans bebe. She also volunteered to cook up some dinners to freeze and be the wonderful Mimi she is. On her way over I began to think about my earliest memories of schedules and routines.

I have the best memories of my mom cooking dinners, the smell of onions sauteing, music playing and my parents discussing their days over an evening cocktail. I have an overall fuzzy feeling about my home life. Then like a brick in my face, I realized that's exactly what I'm doing with Julia. One day she'll know my music like I know Neil Diamond, James Taylor and Carly Simon. She will (hopefully) have warm and fuzzies about dad coming home from work, me cooking dinner and playing in the living room. And isn't it our job as her parents to see that she is exposed to life, love and happiness? As cliche as that sounds.

Do you recall the mundane of life as a child? Do you do things the way your parents did? Are you instilling those things in your kiddos?