Buckle up for a day in the life Monday. Actually, I want to rewind to Sunday night to start this post.
My sweet boy is in a phase right now where he doesn’t want to go to sleep in his bed and wants to sleep in “mommy’s bed.” I put him down in his room on Sunday night and he seemed sleepy and happy. I went to shower and came out of my bathroom to hear some noises in my bedroom. Y’all he was all wrapped up in my covers and hiding.
What followed was many walks back to his own bed. I didn’t get him down to sleep until after 10p (in my bed). These are the moments where you know be consistent is so important but it’s so hard not to cave.
With that preface, let’s kick off Monday in the life. Despite his late night, Finn was still up at 7:30a. We came downstairs and I fed the dogs, made coffee and Finn’s breakfast while he watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney+. Finn chose scrambled eggs and a homemade banana muffin for his breakfast. While he ate/played/hung out, I vacuumed and straightened up a bit.
Finn’s nanny arrived at 9a and he was super excited to see her after she took last week off for spring break. They took off for their morning adventures and I took off for a run.
I ran four miles and it felt amazing! I know I keep talking about running lately but it just makes me so happy. The weather was perfection. 65 degrees, sunny and low humidity.
I got new running shoes this weekend and went with the Brooks Hyperion Tempo. I’ve had my eye on this shoe since Virginia wore them on one of our walks together and raved about them.
The Brooks Hyperion Tempo is a neutral, lightweight running shoe…which is what I love. I just cannot do a lot of shoe these days. I like the feel of a lightweight running shoe but still want to feel a certain amount of support and structure. I get that with this shoe. It feels free but also like it holds and supports me.
My dress shoe size is a 7.5. I usually wear an 8 in a running shoe but I sized up to an 8.5 here and it was 100% the right thing to do. I was so nervous about running in them outside and committing to the 8.5 but I needed the extra room. I have actually found that 8.5 is a better fit for me in running shoes since I had a baby.
I didn’t get up early enough to eat before I ran so my first order of business after my run was refueling. I ate a peanut butter Perfect Bar on my way to teach yoga.
Next up on the day’s agenda was teaching hot power yoga at Charlotte Yoga. We are still teaching in masks but able to accommodate more people in the studio while still offering a livestream option. Class was great! 🙂
I showered at the studio and got ready for a medical appointment. I had an appointment at Novant Breast Center as a follow up to an issue I had back in 2017. I have had some intermittent pain in my left breast to the point where it wakes me up at night. My OBGYN is the best ever and super proactive about these things so he ordered a diagnostic breast exam for me. Thankfully my 3D mammogram showed no significant changes to the one I had in 2017. I cannot recommend enough not waiting until 40 and getting an early baseline mammogram. It is 100% worth it for the peace of mind…especially if you have a family history or any personal concerns.
To be honest, I felt a little self-conscious telling my doctor about my concern and for taking up my nurses time today but he was nothing but attentive and caring and she was nothing but kind and gracious. Both took my concerns seriously. I think so many of us stay silent about how we feel but what if it was something…and what if we never said anything.
I have worked with Novant in sponsored capacities in the past but I haven’t in over two years. I have never, ever had anything less than AMAZING experiences with the care I have received from the Novant healthcare system from primary care to prenatal visits to an emergency c-section to pediatric care to a toe injury/surgery and more.
I got home around 2p to relieve our nanny. Finn was down for a nap and I made a salad of baby spinach, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, quinoa, avocado, feta, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and homemade honey dijon balsamic dressing. I ate a BUNCH of Whole Foods brand kettle chips while I made my salad.
I was on a really big deadline for a project today so it was a bit of a balancing act to finish that up while hanging out with Finn this afternoon. He woke up from his nap about 30 minutes after I got home. We hung out inside and then headed out to the backyard.
We wrapped up outdoor time to get ready for swim lessons. While Finn was in the pool I finished up some things for the project I had due.
I needed a few things from Target so we made a quick trip over there after swim.
Of course we couldn’t miss our Monday post-swim tradition of car wash so we did a $6 ride through and then I vacuumed out the whole car and used some wipes I got at Target to clean the inside. Y’all…my car has never been as clean as it is now that I have a carwash obsessed toddler.
Ask me how many times we listen to this tonight between Target, the carwash and driving home. Finn was absolutely cracking up every time I started it over.
I am not above eating Finn’s leftover Annie’s mac and cheese as a side dish for dinner. Air fried chicken thigh/leg quarters with green beans. Many bites of cold mac and cheese were eaten in the preparation of this dinner. Like, double what you see here.
I wish I could say that bedtime was easy tonight but it was really hard. I had to be firm with Finn about staying in his bed/room and it made me sad but again…I know the consistency is so important. I am watching the season finale of Rock The Block as I type this and then I’ll head upstairs to bed.
QUESTIONS
How was your Monday?
There really is no right or wrong when it comes to sleep situations. Your mama instincts know better than anything so if you feel like sleeping with your toddler, do it! It goes by way too fast, enjoy ?.
He does end up in my bed at some point during the night most nights (which I don’t mind) but he never starts in my bed. I don’t want to start this habit because I want to be able to shower/read/hang out in my room before bed sometimes…and I want him to feel comfortable sleeping in his room. I really struggle because sleep training has never felt “right” for us so it’s hard to find a balance between setting/holding expectations and also being sensitive to his needs.
Kids, like all people, have different needs at different times. They aren’t robots or pets that have “consistency” as their most important need. Letting him sleep in your bed, if that’s what feels right to you, is okay.
Hey Elle – Thanks for your comment. I think the consistency thing came up for me when I was writing this post because I was talking about his nap and bedtime sleep with his dad and he sleeps through the night in his own bed at their house. At my house he usually ends up in bed with me at some point in the middle of the night but I know that is a habit/routine that I’ve created. I honestly don’t mind it at all but I do want him to continue to be able to fall asleep in his own room so that I can have some time to myself in the evenings and he feels comfortable in his room for quiet time/naps/bedtime. The internet is a hard place to talk about baby/toddler/kid sleep because some people are so accepting of sleeping with your little ones and some are completely against it. I was honestly nervous to even admit that he ends up in my bed most nights.
I feel like I’ve been through every possible method with sleep over the years with my L.O. who is Now five – sleep training, co sleeping, being firm, caving, mattress on my floor… definitely no right or wrong… and this too shall pass!! Just when I feel like I can’t take it for one more night she’ll change it up and suddenly go back to sleeping well again. You’re doing fabulous and ONLY you and Finns dad know what is right for him.
Just wanted to say you’re doing great! Sleep stuff is so hard. I totally get setting the boundary. I don’t want a toddler in my bed, and that is reason enough for me to not allow it. Mama’s needs are important too (a fact that I think gets overlooked when it comes to sleep boundaries sometimes). All that said, I was up three times last night with mine ha! Good luck to you guys!
Sleep is so tough! My almost 3yo has slept in bed with me since infancy – and yet it’s not a perfect magical solution and she’s still a PITA to get down for the night. Once she’s finally down she’s DOWN though so I am free to read or whatever in bed lol, i turn the light on, do as i please. Honestly no matter what you do there are going to be challenges so do what works for you as a mom! My middle will be 5 in a few weeks and ends up in bed with one of us probably 50% of the time. I know it won’t be like that forever! Anyone who has an opinion can suck it, unless you are the one putting that child to sleep, it really doesn’t affect you. People are weirdly braggy about not letting their kids in bed. Like my coworker recently mentioned it – her kids are older than me! I was like…umm okay? Cool story bro. Did you get a medal for that, or were you just in the trenches trying to figure this shit out like the rest of us?
Thanks so much for posting about breast health. I also have been experiencing intermittent pain– also in my left breast, coincidentally– that wakes me up at night. My doctor has referred me to a breast health center, but I have been dragging my feet on making the appointment. I’m 33 so below the age of recommended mammogram screenings, and I am simultaneously embarrassed that it will be nothing but also terrified that it might be “something.” Anyway, reading your post today will give me the motivation and courage to finally book the appointment. Thank you :).
My twin sons (now age 9) never slept with me at Finn’s age but starting at around age 5, one of them started getting into bed with me most nights. Apart from a few months in late 2020 — which included moving him back into his brother’s bedroom — he has gotten into me nearly every night since.
However. . . my son’s behavior is more likely than not related to his anxiety. Here’s hoping that Finn doesn’t struggle with that issue and grows out of this behavior. Certainly no judgment from me for having your child sleep in your bed.
My daughter was an AMAZING sleeper from 1 – 2.5 or so. Then last spring we started having a lot of problems with bedtime and it would take 1-2 hours to get her down for the night. But then she would be down for the night. In the fall, right around her third birthday, she suddenly started coming to our bed at night. At first it was only every couple nights and it quickly turned to an every night thing (we had NEVER coslept before this). I quickly learned that it wasn’t worth the fight (for me) in the middle of the night and would just let her crawl into our bed. In February we took away her pacifiers and we had about a month where bedtime sucked and was hard, she would come to our bed in the night AND she was waking up early in the morning. We’ve now settled into a routine where I just have to sit in her room with her while she falls asleep but she is still coming to our bed every single night AND is now getting up before 6 almost every morning. It’s been an exhausting 4-5 months to say the least. I never thought I’d be dealing with more sleep issues with a 3.5 year old than I did with a baby!! At this point I’ve decided to quit resisting it and just let it happen, We are upgrading her toddler bed to a double bed later this month (hopefully one that will last years and years) and I’m hoping that might help. We’ll see! Anyways, all this to say I think the 2.5 – 3 sleep regression is totally normal and sending lots of good sleep vibes your way!
I loved Rock the Block this season. I am still I that Brian and Mika won!! They didn’t win a single challenge. I was team Jeremiah/Nate!!
My daughter is almost 3 (June 28th) and we went through that stage about a month or two ago. It got bad….she would only sleep in our bed, BUT we didn’t have to be in the bed, so I ended up sleeping in her bed. FINALLY mommy’s bed “broke.” we moved the mattress off the bed halfway and said we were waiting for a new part to come. We kept it like that for a week and slowly moved it back on. We waited until it became a habit that she was back to sleeping in her bed. It worked! So if it gets to be too much and you need a solution that might just work. The things we do as moms!!
I totally get the sleep training! Every mama knows best.. seriously 🙂 Do what makes you all peaceful and joyful. I read a “natural instincts” book when my son was 1.5 and it changed my entire outlook on discipline, sleep training, consistency versus what we perceive as “caving” and I highly recommend it! The studies and stories that stuck with me the most was when the author spoke about co-sleeping patterns across countries, cultures, and time periods. Our diets, hormones, and anxieties have a lot to do with what we need to fully and securely rest our bodies from an ancestral perspective, especially with toddlers. We are odd here in America 2021, that’s for sure! Our family’s sleep is now phenomenal and I wouldn’t change a thing <3 find your groove and listen to your instinct, it’s what makes you a human and an amazing mama!
Let me just state that bedtime at age 3 SUCKS. I have heard it from so many parents (I have a son and also work at a preschool). Rarely is it a walk in the park. My 6 year old is in my bed as I type this so no judgement here. I kind of like it…it wont last forever.
As for mac/cheese, I would never make a box. I just dont crave it. But leftover kid’s mac and cheese is so damn good!!! I eat the leftovers every time!
Big believer in sleep boundaries here too. As someone who grew up with no sleep boundaries, I still am a terrible sleeper to this day. Many people don’t realize a good night’s sleep is so important! And when my kids go down at night, that is my only downtime for the day to relax, workout, watch tv, do chores, etc. The only time I throw any boundaries out the window are when my kids are sick, then I’ll do whatever makes them happy or feel better.