balancing acts

Being a parent is quite the challenge.  Figuring out baby's schedule, how much he needs to eat, what he wants... it has been a roller-coaster.  Finding time for myself has been like finding that needle in the haystack, combined with working nights and trying to sleep/recover from those while being there for my son is taking its toll on me.  Juggling that with a husband, three pets, an upcoming 2 room renovation, and all the general everyday tasks of life is making me really sit back and think of how I can take care of myself best to take care of my family.
My son when he's upset, prefers that I comfort him and will not let hubby console him.  This makes for some fun nights for hubby when I work and T is not having any of it.  It's so hard to be at work and absolutely positively unable to do anything for either of them.  I am hoping that putting the baby on a schedule will allow hubby to plan his evening better and T to anticipate what's happening next so there's no surprises or upset babies.  
I know it's normal to feel overwhelmed at times, but is it normal to feel this clueless?  I thought parents knew everything, and I'm not a fan of this whole flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants thing.  I feel like I pull a solution out of thin air, apply it, hope it works, and if not, try again.  Researching my options, thinking about things, and applying the perfect solution would be much more my style.  Babies don't allow that.  They want it, want it now, and mine at least is pretty darn vocal about it.  I wonder what happened to that baby manual they're supposed to come with!
We're up for a new experience in the next couple of month.  Solid food!  We give him some rice cereal at night in his bottle to help tide him overnight.  Yes, I formula feed, and it has really worked well for our family.  He's growing well, 50th percentile all around, and is quite the happy little camper. 
Here's to growing, learning, living, and taking care of my family.