Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Going out

I feel like I've become such a recluse. Usually, we stay home for days on end, keep to the nap schedule, get things done around the house. It takes SO MUCH ENERGY for me to make the decision to leave the house for an outing.

Don't get me wrong...I love going out with Olivia. It's just that it feels like it has to be planned well in advance. We have our once-weekly trip to "town" to do errands and have our playdate with other kids. We have church and occasional family gatherings on Sunday. We sometimes have Saturday obligations. But those are planned, and I have advance warning so I can think out Olivia's adjusted nap schedule and prepare her bag and lunch and everything.

Case in point...I have a couple of checks to deposit at the bank. This requires being in the car with Olivia for about a half-hour. I fully intended to run this errand yesterday, but after her first nap and lunch and lunch clean-up, I was afraid we were too close to sleepy time again and feared that Olivia would fall asleep in the car and would wake upon arriving home and then refuse to nap again (this is common). And then our whole afternoon would be shot. So the checks are still in my purse, waiting to be deposited.

Another example...I have two library books due tomorrow, but I have absolutely no desire to get out and go to the library.

I suppose I could combine these two errands, but they are not close to each other and would require at least 90 minutes away from home. The library is close to a park, and it is a beautiful day, so we could go play on the swings. But then Olivia's almost sure to fall asleep on the way home and put us in the car-nap dilemma.

Can you see how leaving the house is sometimes more trouble than it's worth?

Olivia is catching up on naps this week. Our weekend activities prevented any consistent napping, so yesterday she took two 2.5 hour naps. So far today she's on schedule for the same. Luckily, she's not disagreeable when she's nap-deprived (as long as we keep her adequately entertained), but she is a little less "crazy" when she gets her naps. Naps keep her calm. I don't know how else to explain that.

This week, Olivia is working on her walking. She's still only taking 3-4 steps at a time, but now they are slower and more balanced (as opposed to quick and leaning as she falls toward something soft). It's also becoming harder for her to hang from the table now that she's tall enough to comfortably reach it with feet flat on the floor.

I discovered a few more "facinating toys" around the house...including this purse, which kept Olivia occupied for a good half-hour yesterday. She was having so much fun putting things in the purse and pulling them out. So easily entertained...until I'm doing the dishes or laundry, and then the only thing she wants to do is hang on my legs until I pick her up. Go figure.

3 comments:

HereWeGoAJen said...

Schedules are worth so much that it is terrible to mess them up! May I suggest banking by mail? My bank sends me envelopes, I stick my checks in them, and they deposit them for me. It is awesome.

Lizzie said...

All of a sudden, I'm feeling that going out planning bug too. And I don't really even have to worry about nap schedules. I'm just not really that good at nursing in public without embarrassing myself and I never know when the next time is that Lucy'll be hungry - 1 hour? 2? ... Here's to house arrest! ;)

Stephanie said...

I had this problem too, when Asher was little. Everyone said your second will be different, he'll be able to sleep anywhere. I don't know who has those kids, but they aren't mine. Silas will sleep on me or in his bed. That's it in the world. Not on my husband, not on his grandma, not on a blanket right next to me. And since when we're in public I need both hands for Asher, I have to decide if I want him to sleep or if I want to go out that day. Not fun.

I loved when Asher dropped his morning nap (about 13 months old). That's when we really started getting involved in more things in the community. Before then, I just invited people over to my house as much as possible. =)