Living by the "ish" and why a ROUTINE works for us!

If Clay and I are going to do something "spontaneous" we schedule which night we are going to do it. We put in our calendar on June 12, "do something spontaneous 7pm-10pm" 


If we are going to pick somewhere "random" to eat, we usually decide on what type of food and what area of the city...then we go pick somewhere "random." 

We love living with a plan!

 That's just how our life works and we love it! So why would bringing a baby into our world be any different? I know a routine doesn't work for every family ...but for the Franks family...we need a routine! I have read BabyWise at least a dozen times and every time I read it I think, "this seems way too easy." However, so far, it really is that easy!! What BabyWise doesn't tell you though, is that everything is an "ish." 

We live by the "ish." 

I'll meet my friend for lunch at noon"ish", we will drop him off at 2:00"ish", we will be at the pool at 11:00"ish." That's why I say Sawyer is on a ROUTINE but not necessarily a SCHEDULE. A schedule would be nice, but he doesn't always wake up at the exact same time every morning, sometimes the dumptruck will wake him up during a nap, or the dog barking next door. We follow the exact same routine every day and we have one happy little baby!!!

 He loves a routine! With Sawyer, as soon as we conquer one challenge, a new chapter begins...but the routine has saved our lives! 


Despite a few fusses here and there, Sawyer doesn't do a lot of crying, and if he does we know there is something wrong! When he wakes up for the day, he knows what it will look like because of a routine. He knows when I will feed him, he knows when nap time is (so he sleeps like an angel) and he knows when it's time to play!  It's easy to leave him with someone because I can tell them what he will do when, and I can plan a week in advance to do something at a certain time"ish" :) For our family, living by a routine has been the best thing we have done with Sawyer! 


Here is an example of our 4-6 month routine! Sawyer eats every 4 hours, 4 times a day. Sleeps like an angel...11-12 hours every night. 2-3 hour naps twice a day! Since SJ was born we have followed the Babywise routine (they say schedule, I say routine :) and it's been so helpful!!! 


8:00am   Wake and bottle
9:30am   Nap
12:00pm Wake and bottle
1:30pm   Baby food
2:00pm   Nap
4:00pm   Wake and bottle
7:30pm   Bath and cereal
8:00pm   Bottle and bed