Pre-pregnancy & post-pregnancy & the difference of Friday nights

This already sounds like my Friday nights (minus the wine)....and my baby isn't even born yet. I love spending time with hubby, but he gets antsy on the weekends, and I actually look forward to it when he has plans and I can make excuses to stay home. Whatever happened to the wild party girl I used to be? But I wouldn't change it for the world!

Oh girl, you're not alone. My girl is 5 weeks and I sometims open the vino a few times a week. A nice glass of wine makes me feel normal again and Fridays aren't that bad. :-)
We pile on the couch, watch a movie, have a little glass of wine and coo with our baby while she drifts off to sleep and then I can put her in her bed for the night.

I'm 34 weeks pregnant and that sounds about like my Friday nights, minus the wine and the poker. (I really do miss wine!!) Sounds like you, Monkey, and Tarzan have developed a pleasant routine. I'm looking forward to that with my little one!

My husband and I are trying to conceive right now, and we already spend our Friday nights doing what you do! Does that mean we're ready?

:)

I actually think that night sounds amazing, like time to recharge.

Just wondering if Monkey goes to bed at 7:30 pm, what time does he wake up in the morning? My LO (13 weeks) doesn't go to sleep until 10:00 or 11:00 pm and wakes up around 6:00 am. I thought that was pretty good... Now I understand how you have time to read a book!

Just saw on your Twitter that you are putting your house on the market...Please tell us you have some reason other than to move closer to your crazy parents who choose not to see your son as often as you would like.

You're sounding so much better! I remember those fun Friday nights and truth be told, I still miss them. Don't get me wrong, I love Lil L, but I miss that kid free social life. Now Sunday mornings, that's a completely different story. I'm sitting here cuddling with Lil L and watching Little Bill. This is probably one of my favorite times of the day.

I have throughly enjoyed reading your blog. Both my kids are very scheduled. It helps both them and me know what to expect out of each day. And, if we get a little off kilter, no one is the wiser. Enjoy your time. I know I do.

Hi Jane!

Congrats on fully embracing mommy-hood! I'm sooo glad to hear that you seem to have things figured out for what works best for you. :) That's a HUGE accomplishment.

My LO is due via c-section in 5 days (yikes) so I hope I too will have things figured out soon. :)

One date night since Monkey was born? Girl, you better be trading some Poker nights for a date night! Seriously though, please don't let your time together as a couple get neglected. That is important for a healthy relationship. Glad to see you doing so well!

Sarcastica - Too funny! Of course he isn't going to stick to his normal schedule... That would be way too easy! HOpe y'all have safe travels!!

Really - Riiiiiight.

Sarah - I feel like I'm that same person as you are. The last few times I went out with my girl friends, it was fun, but I do tend to prefer a quiet night at home. Oh wow, did those words really just come out of my mouth?!? LOL

Gilz - True. & different doesn't equal worse, which is nice ;)

Allison - Totally agree. T & I have had 1 date night & it was fun. There was much anticipation before the date happened too. I took so much for granted before having little MOnkey & it is really special now when it happens. Hope y'all had fun ;)

1st time - Monkey has never taken to a pacifier & I haven't tried to push it on him anymore. It'll just be one more thing to wean when he's older. He also never liked being swaddled, so we stopped that the day we got home from the hospital. Last night I put him down & when I went back in his room (about 15 min later), he was sound asleep. His drowsiness doesn't equal crying... He just moves around a lot with his eyes open. Do you bathe your LO before? I really think that, combined with rubbing lotion after really relaxes MOnkey. Good luck & keep trying & keep me posted!

Hello Jane, when you put Monkey down in a "drowsy but awake" stage, do you use a pacifier, or swaddle or anything else to calm him? How long does it take for Monkey to sleep after you have put him down? I've been trying to do that to my 11 week old but so far it was never successful. Thx!

Jane, my son is 11 weeks old and for the first time, my hubby and I got a babysitter for tonight. We're going to go out to dinner, have some drinks and see a movie. We are SO ridiculously excited about this, we've been talking about it for WEEKS. The funny part is we used to do stuff like this every Saturday night -- sometimes Friday, too -- and we never blinked an eye. I like that it feels so much more special now.

friday nights are much different now - post kiddies.

I have three kids and they're all in bed by 7 each night. I, like you, enjoy being a Mom but my time with myself is also very precious to me. People often look at me strangely when I share my kid's bedtime but it's the only way I stay sane. And I also think that it's important for my kids to enjoy their own company and read, play quietly etc if they don't want to go straight to sleep. I've lost a lot of the cravings to go out since having children. I go out with the girls once or twice a month but the quiet of my home is often more appealing. It was strange to me to think I'd one day prefer a solitary evening on the couch over a night on the town.

Am I the only mom on the planet who has no schedule and enjoys it? Don't you get bored out of your mind? I let my baby stay awake as long as he wants and let him play and stuff. I bathe him when he needs a bath. Every day is completely different from the day before - no boredom.

I'm doing that right now actually (only Nolan is STILL awake because we totally have to be up super early tomorrow morning to travel and WHY would he stick to his regular schedule? lmao.