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Brooke, Clarke Littles
/
June 30, 2015

A Day On Maternity Leave

A Day on Maternity LeaveNow that my maternity leave is coming to an end today, I am actually getting to share what a normal day has looked like for me and Brooke. I still can’t believe how fast the time has flown, it feels like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, not 12 weeks ago! I will admit that everyday has been different since we brought her home, but a lot of things are the same. We have our own little routine that is flexible, but consistent in its own way.

 

6:00am Brooke starts to move around in her crib. I tend to lay in bed gathering up the energy to go get her from her room until 6:15 (by then she will start to cry a little). My favorite part is getting her out of her Ollie Swaddle. We bundle her up at night, because it helps her sleep so much longer (about 7-8 hours). When I un-velcro the blanket, Brooke stretches really big with her arms and it is just so cute.

 

6:15am Brooke eats, normally spits up all over me, herself and the sheets. Then, I wipe her face, change her diaper and swaddle her up to go back to sleep in her crib.

 

8:00am I normally wake up and go downstairs to get my cup of coffee, then head back upstairs and check my email in bed while watching tv. Sometimes I take a quick shower, other days I wait until the afternoon.

 

9:00am Brooke wakes up and is ready to eat again. She does her normal spit up routine, I change her diaper, and then I put her down on her piano gym to play while I fix my hair and makeup.

 

10:00am If Brooke is still awake, she does some tummy time. Some days she catches a quick morning nap early. I work on a blog post, pay bills and other random things.

 

11:00am Brooke is in fully “nap mode” by this time. She normally starts her morning nap in my lap and then I move her next to me on the couch. This happens because she tends to be a little fussy or gets bad gas and just wants me to hold her. I continue to work on blog stuff or do some online shopping once I put her next to me.

 

12:00pm Lunch time. I try to fix my lunch before Brooke wakes up around 12 – 12:30 wanting her lunch. As soon as we finish lunch, I do the normal change her diaper and then I put her in a cute outfit. Once she is camera ready (kidding – I really mean once she is spit up free), I put her in her carseat and we head to Kevin’s work to spend his lunch break with him.

 

1:00pm During Kevin’s lunch break, we either go walk around the mall or go to a few shops around his work. Sometimes we even just hang out together in the car and chat it up. I love getting to go see him during the day. We don’t do this everyday, but it is my favorite day.

 

2:00pm Brooke and I tend to be on our way back home or going to run other errands we may have. She is normally asleep the majority of the time we are gone, but don’t worry, she spits up in her carseat at least once before we arrive back home. Also, her headband ends up covering her eyes 1 out of 3 times we are in the car.

 

3:00pm Food time again! This girl just eats all the time. Lately, I have been giving her a bottle at this feeding to get her ready for daycare or “school” as I like to call it. After trying out a few different bottles, Brooke loves Avent ones. They are working really good right now, but I want to try comoto ones still too (although I don’t like that they don’t have the ounces marked on the bottle, so I don’t know if I will actually try them).

 

4:00pm After Brooke takes her bottle, I change her diaper and she normally plays for a little bit on her piano gym, does tummy time, and then sits in her 4Moms MamaRoo until she falls asleep around 4:30 – 5:00pm.

 

5:00pm She is still catching some zzzz’s. I work on blog stuff and watch tv because I know she will be waking up any minute.

 

6:00pm She tends to wake up around 5:30-6:00 to eat or if she wakes up a little sooner, I feed her then. This is where our schedule is flexible. She tends to eat every 3ish hours but if we are still running errands or she is sleeping really good, she goes longer. I rarely wake her up to eat. After this feeding, I give her a bath. She loves bath time. She will just lay there smiling, but as soon as I take her out of the tub she screams. Next, I put her in a new onesie or in her jammies. On average Brooke goes through two outfits a day because of spit up, sometimes 3.

 

7:00pm Dinner for the adults is underway, if not finished by 7. Occasionally Kevin will get home later than 7, so dinner will get pushed back. Brooke is normally sleeping or screaming while I make dinner. It is really a toss up. One day she will sit in her mamaroo, one day she will scream insisting I hold her and the next day she will be asleep. Most of the time, she chooses dinnertime as the perfect time for a cry fest, then falls asleep until her next feeding.

 

8:00-10:00pm Kevin and I enjoy time together. We catch up on our tv shows, watch a movie, play video games or just talk. Brooke tends to be sleeping during this time on the couch with us or in her mamaroo.

 

10:00 – 10:30pm Around this time, we make our way upstairs to get ready for bed. I feed Brooke for the last time of the night and change her diaper. Then, we wrap her tight in her Ollie Swaddle (because if not she will bust her arms out – Houdini child), turn her monitor on, and put her in her crib. We like to put her down awake and let her put herself to sleep. We give her goodnight kisses and get in our bed. However, sometimes, Kevin has to go back in and walk around with her a little bit to put her to sleep. He use to do this every night before we put her down, so sometimes she just needs her daddy time again before she goes to sleep.

 

On average, Brooke sleeps about 7-8 hours at night, eats 6-7 times a day, takes naps on her own schedule, gets a little fussy at some points during the day, and spits up a lot (& I mean a lot). I should mention she also occasionally likes to have a blowout on top of the surplus of spit up we clean up on the daily. Its a good thing she is so cute.

 

I know tomorrow will mark a change in our schedule and it will most likely take a few weeks for us to get in the swing of things. I am both sad and happy to be returning to work tomorrow, but more on that in tomorrow’s post. I had the best 12 weeks staying home with Brooke. Its so crazy how much I love that little girl, I am so thankful for her and the blessing she is in my life.

 

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10 Comments
  • Gina Davis
    June 30, 2015

    Both my boys were projectile spit uppers. I mean it seemed the entire feed for every feed was always coming out. They also both significant spit up less around the 4/5 month mark (I EBF both). With my second we did Nas Pho 5, I think it’s called. Hylands homeopathic tablets. One after every feeding for a week, provides babies tummies with missing enzymes. It either worked or by gods grace because both times right after that week the spit up was gone. Every baby is so different but know lots of spit up is ok and it will go away shortly. 🙂 she is beautiful

    Reply
    • Marquis Clarke
      Gina Davis
      July 1, 2015

      I will have to try that! Thank you!

      Reply
  • Amanda Brooks
    June 30, 2015

    Enjoy your last day! It’s crazy how fast 12 weeks can go by. I hope your day back to work is smooth sailing 🙂

    Reply
    • Marquis Clarke
      Amanda Brooks
      July 1, 2015

      Thank you! It was a great day 😉

      Reply
  • Katie @ A Beautiful Little Adv
    June 30, 2015

    As I get nearer to my due date, I found your daily schedule really helpful! It’s always good to read what other babies schedules are like. I hope your transition back to work goes smoothly without too many tears!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Marquis Clarke
      Katie @ A Beautiful Little Adv
      July 1, 2015

      Thank you! Every day is pretty different. Some days are good and smooth while others are hard and exhausting. Always remember tomorrow is a new day!

      Reply
  • Suzanna Davies
    July 1, 2015

    We call daycare “school” too! Two questions: have you swaddled Brooke since the beginning? #BabyD2 is a totally spastic sleeper and wakes himself up when he kicks his blanket off, but I don’t know if he’d take to me trying to swaddle him now (he’s 5 months). Also, do you do any baby wearing when little Ms. Brooke gets fussy? I found that #babyD2 was much more amenable to being worn when he was big enough to face forward in his baby bjorn.

    Reply
    • Marquis Clarke
      Suzanna Davies
      July 1, 2015

      I love calling it “school” my husband thinks i’m weird 🙂 Yes, we have swaddled Brooke since birth pretty much but only at night or when she is really fussy. My advise would be it wouldn’t hurt to try it. He might be a little fussy at first because its new but see how he does. I have only used our Solly Baby wrap like 2-3 times. She likes it okay but isn’t the biggest fan of it.

      Reply
  • Jenni Pettigrew
    December 1, 2015

    When you put her to bed around the 10-10:30 time does she feed at this time? I was trying to figure out her last feeding time of the day. So glad I came across your blog. Thanks to you and Brooke and your postsI have about 15 cute headbands on the way! 🙂

    Reply
    • Marquis Clarke
      Jenni Pettigrew
      December 1, 2015

      At that age, yes, she would eat right before we put her down!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Marquis Clarke

Hi, I’m Marquis Clarke

I'm a modern mom of two, who strives to encourage women throughout marriage and motherhood. I embrace life as it comes with kid meltdowns, family dance parties, and snacks galore. I believe that laughter is the best medicine, simplicity is perfection, and that life is breathtakingly beautiful.

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First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊

It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙

🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️

#houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
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First 24 hours at @splashway has been a success as always!! We’ve been coming here since 2018 (little kev was only 1!)☀️🌊 It’s so family friendly and we’ve made the best memories here 💙 🎟️ PROMO // CLARKE15 for 15% off #splashway waterpark tickets all season long! 🎟️ #houstonmom #houstontexas #texasvacation #waterpark #texaswaterpark
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#mms_partner ❤️🤍💙@mmschocolate Peanut Red, White, and Blue Mix are a must-have sweet treat for summer!  From park visits to pool days, to days on the lake, these are a family favorite and have been traveling around with us on our adventures. Grab your family, head to the park and bring along your favorite treat!  M&M’S® wants to give you savings this summer, so they’ll drop you five dollars via gift card when you spend twenty dollars! Terms and conditions apply. Go to www.dropeverythingandsummer.com for details.
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Happy Father’s Day to the best men I know!! So blessed 💙 #happyfathersday #fathersday
Happy Father’s Day to the best men I know!! So blessed 💙 #happyfathersday #fathersday
Happy Father’s Day to the best men I know!! So blessed 💙 #happyfathersday #fathersday
Happy Father’s Day to the best men I know!! So blessed 💙 #happyfathersday #fathersday
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Happy Father’s Day to the best men I know!! So blessed 💙 #happyfathersday #fathersday
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These cozy sets are GOLDEN!! 💙🧨There’s a reason these are going viral - so cute and comfortable. COMMENT “shop” and I’ll DM you the link to these Red, White and Blue Cozy Sets. #casuallook #casualoutfit #cozyoutfit #amazonfashion #amazonmusthave / viral amazon set / patriotic set / https://liketk.it/5g30L
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#ad #FATTYpartner Snacks are my love language! I’m always prepared with them for on the go and the original @fattysmokedmeatsticks are my go to right now. The FATTY 2oz Original stick has 13g of protein per serving and tastes amazing! They are made with Grass Fed Beef and Pork Raised without Antibiotics. Grab them at Walmart! BIG. TENDER. NO JUNK.
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#ad @PearlMillingCompany Pancake Muffins with NUTELLA® are a great, simple treat for Fathers Day morning! Pearl Milling Company Original Complete pancakes are our favorite. They are so simple. just add water! They taste amazing and paired with NUTELLA® - majorly delicious. Dad will love these. #fathersday #fathersdayfood #breakfast #pancakes
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For the past four years, I’ve shared about @WorldVisionUSA and the impact they make around the world as a global Christian humanitarian organization. I’ve seen first hand how they embody LOVING GOD and LOVING THEIR NEIGHBORS through difficult times. In Sudan, 7 million children have been displaced. Many are going days without food and water, access to shelter or healthcare. But YOU can help change that. Click my link in bio to donate and be a part of the solution to the crisis in Sudan. #WorldVisionPartner
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