I think that a schedule is very important for my sanity and structure for Ansley. I have finally established some kind of a schedule and I thought I would share for those who may be curious...
Lately our little blue-eyed beauty has slept 6-8 hours at night without waking. It makes for a happy mommy. :)
- Once up around 7am, we eat breakfast, (all three of us) Diesel, Ansley and I.
-Then by 8, we all fall back asleep until 10am.
-At 10, Diesel and I get up and I get ready for the day. By the time I am showered and dressed, Ansley is up and she gets some tummy time. Then she gets dressed for the day.
-By noon she is down for a nap and I eat lunch. When I start classes again, I will fit school in after lunch.
-Around 3:30, the three of us go for a walk/run.
-We watch TV or a movie until 4:30 when it is dinner time for Diesel and more tummy time for Ansley. After mommy eats dinner, we play more.
-By 9pm, Ansley gets changed into jammies, we read a book, sing our "goodnight song" and she falls asleep. I pick up the house, if there is any laundry to be folded it gets done, if the dishwasher is clean it gets emptied, and if I need to shower I do so and get ready for bed.
-By 11, Ansley is hungry again and after she eats we all go to bed.
It starts all over the next day.
Once a week we have lunch, usually at the PX food court, with Tina.
Fridays we have done "Friday night game night" with Katrina, Maria, Kyla (now baby Bria), Apryl, and Amy and the girls are invited too.
Saturdays have become an evening with Ashlee.
As our hubby's come home next week (and this week for Ashlee <3) this was the last week for "weekly" outings and will be on hold until most likely the guys deploy. Tina and Maria will leave for the deployment, but Ansley and I have established a good routine and a great group of girls to lean on. Support in this community is what we need. Especially because as a wife, I feel I experience the deployment separation differently (not to say other family members don't have a hard time, we all do). But living here and living this life, surrounding yourself with people who are experiencing the deployment in the same way helps. We all know not to talk about it and we all know its hard. Back home you get people who ask questions and bring it up... which is ok, but here it is an unspoken bond we all have and no questions or words are needed. We just know.
So now, more than ever, a routine will help each day pass. Some days will drag on and some days will fly by, but for me, a routine will help mark time and when the days are long, I will go minute by minute/ hour by hour to manage. When we get to Colorado, our routine will hopefully have the same basic structure. Family and friends will keep us busy and loved.
