In the midst of the hustle and bustle, day to day, doctors appointments, work appointments, errands, just life period, it can be so easy to forget to nurture your family. Most days you just want to be able to get breakfast made in the mornings and dinner on the table in the evenings. As you go about a “routine” you realize how fast a week has gone by. I’ve been so blessed to be able to stay home with our son for the past almost five months. I’ve realized you have to make your children and your marriage a priority. Make every day special, even if it’s with a routine. Having a newborn makes it even more difficult at times to connect and nurture your relationship. Especially when you are trying to get your baby on a routine. Here’s what I’ve found works for me:
1) Stop and write a love/appreciation note to your spouse. Place the note with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. All your spouse wants to know Is that they are loved and appreciated. It goes a longgggg way!! Trust me!!!
2) Steal hugs and kisses in between baby naps. Nap time is the perfect time to catch up on mommy and daddy time.
3) Hold hands during doctors appointments or running errands. You’d be surprised how that helps you stay connected.
4) Make Evening baby bath time, Family time ❤️. Ron and I enjoy this time the most. Our son, RD3 loves when we are both there to dry his toes.
5) If you are working, send text messages throughout the day to your spouse.
6) Here’s the big one, Let the “I love you’s“ flow. If you can’t remember when you’ve said it, you are not saying it enough. I make sure to let my husband know how much I love him and our son how much I love him as well. You can’t ever pour love on too thick. The thicker the better ❤️.
7) Have family time every day. if you are working it can be hard to connect with your family. It’s something you have to purposely set aside. Set aside some time, ten minutes, thirty minutes, whatever you can do to connect with family. Ask about the day, cook together, eat together, watch a show or movie together, or just hold each other. All of this can be done with a baby. What I’ve learned is that our son is an extension of our love and he connects us both even more.
It’s all about balance and I’ve learned this so much more having our son. Ron and I had to build an even stronger bond for our son to get him through his cleft journey. It‘s the small intentional things that keep us going. RD3 comes first for both of us but we keep each other first as well. Im getting this wife-mommy role down! I’m learning how to balance better every day. Hope I inspired you to Do something intentionally beautiful for your spouse and family today! Every day is a day to celebrate family and love! Let’s do it!
Monique Diltz
Picture above: A quick family photo. Our son is 8 days post op from cleft lip surgery! He’s so captivating ❤️ See previous blog entries for his journey.