Daily routine with 2 toddlers + 1 baby

It has been 3 weeks of managing ourselves on our own and I’m pretty glad that we have set a daily routine for all of us .

Our weekday routine:-

I will try to wake up early to express bm, perform all the necessary milk bottle washing and sterilising as well as preparing the kids’ schoolbags. I always do all this in a frenzied rush while hoping that Baby Aerynn won’t wake up and cry. If she does wake up, I have to sling her and continue with my tasks.

After that, I wake the kids up to get ready for kindy. Kindy starts at 8:30 am. Sometimes we are early but most of the time we are 15-30 mins late. Thank god the kindy is nearby. Then it’s the only time to pak toh but the only difference is to tag Baby Aerynn along . We have breakfast at the nearby coffeeshop.

Since Baby is always crying at home, we (as in Mummykhong and Baby) follow Daddykhong on his errands or to the office. Baby loves car rides and she will sleep soundly in the car seat during the rides.

We pick the kids up from the kindy at around 12+ pm. Lunch is tapao food. It could be anything from their list of all-time favourites:- chicken rice, wan tan mee, charcoal bread, egg tarts, cakes or McD. Daddykhong sometimes stays back to feed the kids while I attend to ‘anak bongsu‘ – that’s what we call her nowadays. Must say, she’s pretty pampered compared to the 2 terrors.

After their lunch, they will find something to do/play such as workbooks, toys, puzzles or the worst-scenario is running around chasing/fighting with each other till 3 pm where they can have a dose of Playhouse Disney. There will be no TV for them if they misbehaved the day before. I will be nursing Aerynn or carrying her from this time onwards. Nowadays, she’s only wants to be carried and walked around when she’s is full and sleepy .

The kids will have their nap at 4 pm. Of course, they will play in their room until they are sleepy, most probably they will be asleep by 5 pm. I will have this time to bathe baby, after which I will be lying down nursing baby to sleep. Then I quickly eat my dinner which is normally around 5+ pm. I don’t cook – I wish I could though (daddykhong: thank goodness, she doesn’t!). We cater dinner food from Momsfood. The portions are quite big for 2 persons and it costs us RM13.50/day.

The kids wake up at around 7 pm or later. They will have the same food as us. I will cook a simple meal for them if the dishes are not suitable for them to eat. I will try to feed them (it’s faster this way) if the baby is still sleeping. Otherwise, I will feed them using 1 hand with the other hand holding on to the baby. Sometimes they eat themselves but it will take FOREVER for them to finish the food and they tend to be choosy with their food .

By the time they are done, daddykhong will be back home. He will settle the older kids once he’s done with his dinner such as cutting them fruits and feeding them multivitamins, Scott’s Emulsion Cod Liver Oil and pitted prunes. Then he will bathe the kids (yeah…the kids are used to showering late since their baby days).

After their shower, Shay will have her night milk fix. Braedyn does not drink much milk these days so we let him be. Daddykhong will help them brush their teeth and after that, they will go to their room for a spot of book-reading during which time daddykhong will take his shower. Mummykhong will get baby changed while waiting for daddykhong to finish showering. Then it’s mummy’s turn to shower once everyone is done. Daddykhong will bring baby to the kids’ room to read books together while mummy expresses bm before sleeping.

By the time we hit the sack, it will be 11+ pm or later. Of course our ‘anak bongsu‘ needs the boobs to sleep. She is co-sleeping with us on our bed. On some nights, she just cries and cries until daddykhong has to carry her and walk around the room to make her sleep.

Phewww…that’s our routine . On weekends, we stay at home more compared to last time but we still go out as a family of 5 .

Notes:

• Braedyn & Shayanne are quite independent after the arrival of Baby Aerynn. They can wear and remove their own clothes (but the shift still gives them problems so they help each other remove their shirts ).
• They sleep in their own room during naps and at night. They will walk to our room when they want to shee shee.
• They will keep their own toys after playing.
• They will switch off the TV at 4 pm and go directly to their room to nap.
• They will eat by themselves if they see me nursing Baby Aerynn.
• They will shee shee by themselves if I’m busy. How do they do it? Brae will lift up the toilet seat by himself to shee shee, flush, then wash his hands. Shay will squat at the shower area to shee shee after which I will help her wash the floor whenever I’m free.
• As for their big business, I still need to carry them up onto the WC.