Wordless Wednesday XXV - (In two weeks I'll be in Hawaii!!!)

Found this beautiful photo HERE.

Wordless Wednesday XXIV - (Our dog Scoobie! -by request)

As you can see... Scoobie is very tolerant of silliness.

A big announcement and a peek at our daily routine!

Yay!

I have very exciting news:
On February 8th I will be boarding an airplane (my first time) and heading to Hawaii for a much needed vacation with my roommate/bestie Steph!
She won a contest at her job and they're sending us to the Big Island for four days!
We're calling it our Hetero-Honeymoon...
Ok, ok I'M calling it that.
Anyway, taking my little bean with us is out of the question, unfortunately. I'm sure she'd hate being stuck on an airplane 9+ hours and we'd never be able to pack enough for her to be happy in a hotel room for four days. Plus, let's face it, that's not really a vacation. She's going to be staying with Steph's parents while we are away. This is the first time I will be away from her for more than a day. I've never left her anywhere except for when I was hospitalized for gall bladder surgery last February. So... needless to say this is a little stressful. I'm not quite in full panic mode yet but I already have a two page (and counting) to-do list. I know she'll be in very capable hands, however the dormant overprotective control freak in me can't help but worry a bit.
I'm working on that. I'll probably be fine the minute I see the beach.
Now, Nana Poo hasn't taken care of a baby full time in about 25 years so I thought the best thing to do would be to write sort of an owner's manual for Aurora. I figure that way she'll have everything she needs to know at her fingertips and it'll probably make the transition easier for all of us. It'll include our routine and a meal plan as well as Aurora's favorite activities. Plus emergency numbers and all of that jazz, obviously.

The first order of business was sitting down and really thinking about what an average day entails. This is my basic rough draft so far, I figured I may as well share it...

-Around 9:30am or so: Aurora wakes up for her one and only bottle. 

This is technically her breakfast...

If everything goes well, she'll drift back off for an hour or so after! 

-In the event that she doesn't stay down after her bottle, we'll play for that hour instead. 

-If she does... Yay! More sleep.

-First diaper change/belly raspberries of the day as soon as she gets up.

-10:30am(ish): Breakfast/Lunch Time! 

-11:00-2:00: Playtime! 

-2:00:  Nap Time! Nap time doesn't always happen exactly at 2. She makes it pretty clear when she needs to go down so I usually wait for her signal. If she goes too early it takes forever to get her down. Same thing if she goes too late, compounded with sleeping too late which can mess with bedtime.

-After nap: More raspberries and usually another diaper.

Then it's Snack Time!

We usually watch a little TV while she snacks and has her juice box.

-Snack Time until 5:15: More Playtime! 

We try to take a walk if the weather is nice enough.

-5:15ish: Dinner Time!

-Dinner Time until 6:15: Even MORE playtime! I try my best to wear her out this hour as much as possible... Think chasing games and tickle-fights!!

-6:15: Bath Time (if needed) or  wind-down time. 

Books, puzzles, maybe a quick TV show.

- Right around 7:00 (sometimes a little earlier): Cranky Aura will make her appearance. 

This signifies Bed Time!

-Our Bedtime Routine: 

Diaper change/raspberries. 

Snuggles and Goodnight Moon (usually twice).

Big smooches!! 

Put Aurora down and explain it's bedtime and that I'll see her in the morning. 

Belly rub, light's out, baby monitor and white noise on, pull Lullaby puppy's tail... 

Make a quick exit!

-MAMA TIME.

That's it! Obviously Nana Poo's version will be a little more involved but those are the basics. Next up... a meal plan! I've got to come up with four days worth of breakfast/lunch, snacks, and dinners that's be easy and stress free. In an ideal world, I'll make everything ahead of time so Nana Poo can just open a container and pop it in front of her. We'll see how far I get with that... I have high hopes though. 

I'll be sure to post Aurora's menu for the week once it's all done as well as give you a glimpse of "Aurora's Owner's Manual"... 

Hope everyone is having a great week!