30 min a day

Just 30 min a day is all I would need to be more fit.  I could run, swim, bike, do pilates, stretch, or get stronger for 30 min a day.

But instead... 30 min a day is wasted for either Jason or myself or both as we go through the post-night time routine.  We've always been pretty happy with our night time routine.  Starting at 4 months old, we set up a routine that Rachel has done well with and we've stuck to almost anywhere we've gone.  She has typically gone down very well.  For all our sleep complaints about Rachel waking up too early, we have rarely complained about her going to sleep.  In all the sleep literature we read in looking for ways to get more sleep, it always goes through sleeping routines to get kids to go to sleep in the first place.

Here's how it goes:
- pajamas and night time cloth diaper on
- brush teeth, drink water
- say good night to one parent
- read 2 stories
- say good night to things in the room
- lie in crib, put blankets on, snuggle with Nu-Nu
- say good night, Rachel sucks thumb
- parent leaves the room

Within minutes, Rachel starts crying.  We do, as good sleep-craving parents do, what we should and ignore her.  After 10 minutes we go in.  With any luck, we can solve the problem on this round.  Sometimes there is no problem to solve and we leave and wait another 10 minutes and check again.  Sometimes it takes a third round.

The problem to solve?  Poop.

For some strange reason, Rachel will not poop BEFORE night time.  Maybe it takes her the effort of crying out for us for minutes and minutes to make it happen.  But we cannot relax and enjoy the fact that our day as a parent is over until we hear her say 'I have a poop!' and we can change her diaper.  Once changed, she happily lays down as planned and goes to sleep.

This has happened inconsistently before, and has happened every night since we've been home for the last 3 weeks.

We're looking forward to this phase passing... and maybe then we'll earn back those extra 30 min and be able to use them to a more productive use.