As my sister has been our nanny for our first child since the day she was born, we have been so fortunate to have someone live with us and always be there when we needed her. Now she’s gone and it’s just me! I must say that I am getting the hang of it, but it doesn’t come with its challenges. As I sit here, 39 weeks pregnant…patiently waiting for my water to break, or for contractions to hit, I am scared yet excited for the double duty (mainly because I’m so uncomfortable, I would take handling a newborn over the big belly that has taken over the front of my body).

Here’s a typical 24 hours:

My nights pretty much consist of tossing back and forth, going pee 2-3 times and periods of being wide awake and surfing the net just to fall back asleep again. Then, Charli will wake up around 7am and she is ready to hit the ground running! It’s play time for about 3 hours straight with a breakfast and snack somewhere in the mix. Then, if I’m lucky, I can get her down for a morning nap (which can be anywhere from 1-2 hours!) Score for mommy! This is where I take a shower, blog, or catch up on reality television….I SHOULD be napping, but sometimes I just want to get things done.

As much as I love playing tea time and Little People Princess castle, it’s nice to have a break.

When she gets up, we have lunch and play again! I try to incorporate some sort of drawing or painting activity, so that we can work on her mechanical skills. I am so impressed by how much more she’s talking now in the last 2 months!

Usually by the 10th time she has asked me for a snack I start to get anxiety…..I mean, how much can a 2 year old actually eat in a day!? I try to get a variety of foods for her so that I’m not giving her the same snacks everyday. Luckily she loves fruits, so I offer those to her most of the time.

Again, we go down into the basement to play again. Luckily we just finished it a couple of months ago, so it makes a great playroom. Alas, me and another flight of stairs to have to go up and down all day while I’ve got an extra 30 pounds on me!

And then there is the occasional snuggle session…..when she should be put into her bed to take a nap, I take full advantage of her sleeping right next to me. After all, we only have a couple days left of her being my only child. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best part of the day when I do allow it.

Then by 6:30pm, daddy usually comes home! I’m so excited to have a REAL person to talk to (adult conversation that doesn’t involve Peppa the Pig, Caillou or Mickey Mouse talk!) We have small talk about how our day went, but I’m usually busy cooking dinner or cleaning up dishes from earlier on, or toys off the floor.

Her bathtime (which she ALWAYS asks for) is around 7:30-8:00pm. Mommy always gives her a bath, so its just part of my routine that I’ve gotten used to. Then we try to settle down by reading some books in her bedroom. If she can be asleep by 9:00pm, it’s a good night. That gives daddy and I about an hour to get chores done: laundry, cat food/litter, trash taken out, etc.

I usually have had a shower, but still have not done my hair or makeup (unless I ACTUALLY left the house that day!). I look like a frumpy housewife with a huge belly. I know that it will be so different in about a week. Will I be frumpier? LOL

My visions of being a SAHM are less glamorous than I envisioned, but very rewarding at the same time. I cherish the time I get to spend with my child and hope that my husband is proud of me at the end of the day. It’s easier to go to a physical job site and not have to worry about being creative, fun or entertaining to a small child. These last 2 weeks have proved that I can transition from corporate world to domestic goddess! I can do it! I can’t wait to see what next week brings!! I will post all about it!

What has been the biggest adjustment to your life when you became a SAHM or SAHD?

-Kim

The post My 2 weeks of being a SAHM appeared first on .

First thing, choosing what time of bed to get her. We went to a furniture store to see what a “big kids” bed actually looked like. We knew that they usually involved a rail of some sort and were usually low to ground, in case they fell out of the bed. Unfortunately, the furniture store only had cribs on display (that DID transition into toddler beds), but none of them were already set up so that we could see what they actually looked like. They did have a Twin Size bed but we thought that was too big to start her off on. We liked the secure look of a transitional bed with a rail.

We ended up finding one on Amazon.com and went with it. A few days later, it showed up! We built it and put her mattress in it with new big girl sheets. We told her it was her new bed as we were building it. We put a couple of her toys on it and let her explore. We pulled her old crib out of the room and put it into the room down the hall, which will be her sisters room. Lucky for us, we put her in that bed that night and she fell right asleep. I kept the camera on her all night, in freight that she would fall out of the bed, or cry wondering where she was. I must have checked on her a couple times that night. My sweet girl, curled up in her baby fetal position all comfy on her new bed! I even put a big soft pillow against the bed where there was no railing, in case she did tap up against it and accidentally fell out of the bed.

Its been almost 1 1/2 months now in her bed and she hasn’t called out of it once!! SUCCESS! She actually stays in it and doesn’t leave it until we come to get her! We watch her on the monitor and when she starts to get up, she grabs her books and just starts reading to herself. How did we get so lucky? She’s always been a good sleeper since she was 6 months old and this proved that she was ready for her bed all along!

Here is her bedtime routine (usually around 8:00pm start):

1. She gets a bubble bath every night (to her request…she LOVES getting  bath!)
2. We brush her teeth
3. We get her into her pajamas
4. We either go downstairs to let her watch a little bit of cartoons, or we read her some books in her room
5. We lay her in her bed, turn on her Cloud B “turtle” and let the music lull her to complete sleep

Products we use for her:

1. Ava Anderson Non Toxic (Kids): Body Wash + Shampoo, Body Lotion and Diaper Cream
2. Ava Anderson Non Toxic (Smile) toothpaste
3. Ava Anderson Non Toxic (Kids) Monster Spray: An amazing lavender spray for her room! Love the name of the product!

What works well for you in getting your toddler to bed at night? Do you have a good routine to share?

-Kim

The post Transitioning To Her Big Girl Bed! appeared first on .