A Day in My Life, the Two-Toddlers Edition

I love reading A Day in the Life posts on other people’s blogs so I decided to write one myself.  It definitely made for an entertaining day, and I’ll be interested to look back on this when I am no longer in the midst of full-on toddlerdom. So, here is my day, as it occurred on Friday, June 1st, 2012.  I suspect I was a little too thorough in my documenting.  However, the only pictures I managed to get were a few I took with my cell phone:

5:45 a.m. I wake up and actually get to say hi to Aaron before he leaves for work. This rarely happens. I only wake up this time because I have just finished nursing Chickadee for the fifteenth time this past night. I get back in the bed, on Aaron’s side in the hopes that I can sleep for a little bit before Chickadee discovers me. That last about 15 minutes. She moves on over to nurse again and blessedly falls back to sleep.

6:30 a.m. I hear Bluejay wake up and head into his room.  I lie down with him and try to go back to sleep.

7:20 a.m. I hear Chickadee and slip out of Bluejay's bed to go get her. We head to the living room and I shut all windows.  It’s going to be hot today and that’s the best way to keep the house cool. I nurse her while checking emails and facebook and doing a tiny bit of my daily bible reading on my phone. I text Aaron to say I'm thinking of him.

7:45 a.m. We head back to the office/diaper changing room to do a diaper change.  Aaron texts back funny and inappropriate things. I cheer up. While Chickadee airs out after her diaper change I check my blogs on the computer, and hope she doesn't pee on the chair.  I start to watch a video on YouTube. Chickadee gets bored and leaves for the living room. I am vaguely aware of some banging and clashing, I hope it is just toys.  I finally put my parental hat back on and go check on her.  It is not toys, she is going through my desk drawer and there are pencils, paper clips and a calculator on the floor.  

8:10 a.m. I pick her up, one pencil still clenched in her little fist, and go outside to take some clothes off the line. On the way back in we watch a baby frog hopping along on the patio, who has just graduated from the tadpole stage in our pond.  It doesn’t even really know how to use it’s legs yet.  Chickadee eats the pencil eraser.

8:15 a.m. It occurs to me that Chickadee might be hungry so I open the fridge to see what I can make her.  She rushes past me and stands on the vegetable drawer pointing out "jhuicshe! abbpple!"  It’s actually a lime.  I make her a bowl of yogurt and apple sauce, and a sippy cup with 3/4 water, 1/4 juice and I make myself some toast with butter AND nutella (I need my energy), and a cup of coffee.  The whole time I’m making it she is calling out “jhuicshe! JHUICSHE!” more and more urgently.  That girl loves juice.  We don’t often keep any in the house anymore, just so I don’t have to constantly tell her no.  I set her in the high chair with her breakfast.

8:30 a.m. Chickadee shovels yogurt and applesauce into her mouth in silence for a good 10+ minutes.  She doesn't need much help to eat.  A nice little break for me! She pushes her bowl to me then pulls off her bib and shoves it across the high chair tray onto the ground, taking a big pile of yogurt with it. I wipe her hands and face and put her down. I try to sit down and drink the rest of my coffee. She straddles my leg like a horse and bounces up and down chanting "mo-MMY, mo-MMY, mo-MMY!"  We play This is the Way the Lady Rides, and Trot, Trot to Boston.

8:35 a.m. I seductively suggest going to put on my contacts and make the bed, whispering this idea in her ear. Chickadee agrees. As soon as I take off my glasses and cannot see, she pulls a long piece of toilet paper roll and heads out of the bathroom with it. I catch her and rip it off. She trots away.  When I have my contacts on, she comes back from the other bathroom, carrying the basin to the potty seat and wiping it with her paper.  Even though I clean it every day of course Bluejay used it last night. I wash her hands.

8:45 a.m. I make the bed, but only because my mom is coming over.  I may have made it one other day this week, I can’t remember. Chickadee helps by smoothing out the sheets. I thank her for being so helpful and she smiles joyfully and smoothes faster, wrinkling them up.

8:50 a.m. Bluejay wakes up and calls out “I have to pee!!” I go grab him and transport him to bathroom, where he does his business and then dumps it into the big toilet.  Chickadee wants to do that too, but she dumps and bangs more enthusiastically than her brother did, splattering drops everywhere. Bluejay intervenes, telling her “it's all done”. I wipe more things down. My friend calls and leaves a message, inviting us swimming. Bluejay gets his new motorcycle shirt and heads straight to the garage to play with his trains.

9:10 a.m. I call my sister to see when she and my mom are getting here.  They are going to babysit the children tonight so Aaron and I can go on an early date to celebrate our anniversary which is next week!  I ask Bluejay if he wants to go swimming with his friend. He says "I don't want to swimming I want to stay here with you and Chickadee". Hmmm, that’s unusual. I call my friend back and tell her I'm waiting to find out when my babysitters are getting here. Bluejay asks to ride bikes and I use that to convince him to get dressed. I make the kids beds while he is getting dressed, and then dress Chickadee. She hightails it when she sees her clothes in my hand. I distract her with a bag of hair ties while I put them on, then I put her hair in pigtails.

9:25 a.m. I get a backpack to put Chickadee in for our walk. I argue with Bluejay about which backpack to use, he wants me to use the blue frame pack and I want to use the ergo. I win!  Chickadee gets her baby doll after shouting for it.  We're off on our bike ride/walk. We walk around neighborhood, with Bluejay zooming in front on his bike, and Bluejay covets a neighbor boy’s red bike with pedals (his is a balance bike with no pedals). We call daddy to tell him what Bluejay wants.

9:45 a.m. We get back and Bluejay begs to go in the ergo. I take Chickadee out and load him in.  He is heavy! I put him down and he sits on the kitchen counter while Chickadee stands on the step ladder. I give him a leftover blueberry pancake and he drinks juice while I pack snacks. Chickadee eats most of his pancake. He asks to take a nap with his new scissors (he just got his first pair of toddler scissors). I put him on his bed while Chickadee busily tears the last piece of pancake into tiny pieces. He comes back to the kitchen to tell me he wants “leven bottles” (that’s eleven, for going down for a nap an hour after he woke up). Chickadee wants one too. The number increases to “eleventeen”.

10:00 a.m. I check my work email and review a training agenda for Monday. I go back to the kitchen and scoop up Chickadee who is asking to "hold dyou". I try to pick up a bit (because my mom is coming) and swoop by the icon corner. Which reminds me, so I light the lampada and say a few prayers, holding Chickadee. Then head back to the children's bedroom where Bluejay calls out to show me he how he cut his new bedspread with his scissors.  I did not realize he had actually taken them with him for  his “nap”. I take them away and put Chickadee in the rocker with a book. I call my friend back and say that we'll come swimming. I try to sit down and take a break. Bluejay comes in and shakes the rocker fast, making Chickadee cry. I take him out of the room and turn on Netflix. He says "You can watch Thomas with me, Mom. You can be alone with me, Mom". My heart contracts.  Chickadee comes in wanting to be held. I put her in my lap and we all watch Thomas the Tank Engine while I update my Day-in-the-Life notes.   Chickadee asks to nurse.  My sister calls.

10:30 a.m. Chickadee and I put on our swimsuits and I lotion her up with sunscreen.  I pack up the swim bag and go try to get Bluejay to get ready.  He does not want to stop watching Thomas or put on his swim gear.

10:50 a.m. I load all the gear and snacks into the car. I pause the show, Bluejay is sweet and does not put up a fuss, as I tell him we’re going to stop Thomas for now but we can watch it later.  He reiterates, however, that he does not want to go swimming. I tell him that that is fine, he can just play with his tractor and watch us. He thinks that is a good idea. I load the kids into their carseats and we head off. We’re supposed to be three towns south of us in 10 minutes, but I hope the swimming plan is pretty flexible.  Note that the pieces of pancake are still on kitchen floor. I dole out salami and string cheese on the way, which involves reaching way back to the car seats while trying to keep my eyes and attention on the freeway.

11:05 a.m.  I miss my exit. And of course it is the last one for about 4 miles! Sigh. I use Voice Memo on my phone to update my Day-Notes so that I will not forget all of these important details. I am feeling bummed about the extra driving, and decide to play Cow I Win to cheer myself up.  But I think gloomily that there will not be any cows. Then I see one! I win!  Bluejay says no, HE wins, but it was definitely me. Only I don’t tell that to the toddler.

11:20 a.m. We arrive at our friends’ condo, and I fail at parallel parking. I unload the kids, it’s perfect timing as they are all just heading to the pool. We have a wonderful time swimming. As soon as Bluejay sees his little friend D in his swim gear, he is eager to put his own on. Both the children love the pool, I hold Chickadee, although she insists on holding onto one of those big water noodles too, which makes it a bit tricky. Bluejay swims around by himself the entire time, wearing his water wings and using another pool noodle to help him. He is pretty much consistently in the pool from 11:30 until we get out at almost 1 PM, except for a few times when he gets out so that he can jump back in and have me catch him. He wears a pair of D’s goggles, and tells everyone who will listen “I’m swimming! I’m a good swimmer!”

1:00 p.m. We get out, the kids drink juice boxes that my friend brought, a special treet. I change them out of their swimsuits and get them dressed. It is so warm we barely need towels. We say goodbye, and my friend helps me carry everything to the car (she carries Chickadee). Chickadee eats apples happily in her seat. She’s a tired girl, her usual naptime is around noon.

1:15 p.m. I am driving back, and Chickadee starts to cry pitifully about her "eyeshs". I debate pulling over, but know she is just exhausted and her eyes want to shut. Bluejay and I sing the ABCs (or as he calls them “ABCD’s”) and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Open Them, Shut Them to her until she falls asleep.

1:30 p.m. We arrive home. It is HOT outside. I get out of the car and Bluejay starts crying because HE wants to open my door. I unbuckle him from his car seat and shut my door so he can open it, and he climbs in the front seat and locks me out. Fortunately he knows how to unlock it. I bring him inside and restart Thomas so he'll stay quiet while I transfer Chickadee, who is still sleeping in running car. I go out, turn the car off, carefully remove Chickadee’s shoes, take her out of the car seat and transfer her to her bed.  Fortunately I’ve managed to keep it pretty cool in the house. I go back outside and bring in the swim stuff and snack bag, and then sit down for a minute to catch my breath. Aaron calls. I check facebook, text my brother back (he is coming down to visit with the baby in a week!!), and sit with Bluejay for few minutes. I unpack the swim bag, hang the towels and suits to dry and put the snacks back in the fridge. Turn on more fans. Pick up the pieces of pancake off kitchen floor.

2:00 p.m. I warm up a plate of pasta for Bluejay and I, and pour him a glass of keifer. When I bring it in he is hanging up the Fisher Price chatterbox phone. "That was Nonna" he says importantly. I sit down and take one bite of my pasta before Chickadee cries. I run in and nurse her back to sleep. When I come back Bluejay says sadly, "I can't call Nonna. My phone is broken." He asks to watch more Thomas. When I agree he cheers up and says his phone is fixed. He is hungry. Eats everything I put in his mouth.  I remember to get a glass of water and try to make Bluejay have a little too.

2:30 p.m. I decide to risk taking shower, even though the baby is asleep. I am going on a date tonight, after all! When I am heading in to the shower I glance in the mirror and notice that I forgot to put sunscreen on myself when I did the babies! My back and shoulders are lobster colored.  I haven’t gotten a sunburn in years! The water does not feel good on my back. My HAIR does not feel good on my back. It is a short shower. I get out and find the Burt's Bees after-sun lotion. That feels good. I gaze at myself in the mirror and think about how my face looks old. I go get a piece of See’s candy from my secret stash left over from Mother's Day and eat it. I do not feel better. Time to snap out of this.

3:00 p.m. Bluejay and I go to the garage to “play trains”. I suggest going pee first but he says he already did. We start to play and he instantly says "I have to pee!"  We hurry to the bathroom and he pees, then spends a long time washing his hands. He decides he wants to wear his old shark bathrobe over his clothes. Then we can't find a particular Thomas train (he has about 8 Thomas’s, let alone all the other characters). He goes rushing into his room to look for it, where Chickadee is sleeping. Amazingly, she doesn't wake up. I find a Thomas in the living room but it is not the right one. I offer him a popsicle or a story to make up for it. He picks the popsicle. Chickadee wakes up. We go get her, get the popsicle and head outside where it is still hot. Thank goodness for our covered patio. They both climb in the double stroller and play there. I think how if I were not using every spare minute to document my day on my phone, I'd be playing solitaire on my phone. I am hopeful that my mom or sister will be here soon. I play spider solitaire on my phone. Bluejay gives me the last of his popsicle but Chickadee rushes over to get it. She eats it. I watch her brand new white swim cover up get covered in FD&C Red #7. I wonder if oxygen bleach will work. Bluejay brings me a baseball glove and asks me to throw with him. Then he decides the sandbox would be more fun. Aaron texts me more funny and inappropriate things. I cheer up again. Bluejay and Chickadee take turns riding Chickadee's scooter and ramming it into the water table. Bluejay gets out his camera. “I'm going to take a picture of you!  I'm going to focus on you," he says. I wonder why it is not even 3:30 yet!

3:30 p.m. I wash the popsicle off Chickadee's face with water from the water table. It's only been in there one day, I justify to myself. The FD&C Red #7 does not come off her face. It sure isn't likely to come out of her dress then. What kind of popsicles am I giving my children?  Bluejay buries my feet in sand. I play solitaire and check Facebook while kids play. Then they both want to get in my lap at same time, getting sand all over me. Remember how I just took a shower? I hold them both, then put Bluejay down and nurse Chickadee. My freshly showered and lotioned legs are covered with sand.

4:00 p.m. We head inside and find that Nonna (my mom) is here! She brings a few items for the garage sale we’re planning to hold tomorrow. I take off Chickadee's swim cover and soak it in oxygen bleach and soap. I brush her hair and get her dressed although she will not come out of Nonna’s arms. Both the kids only want Nonna now! I do the dishes then get Chickadee a snack. Both kids want to use Nonna's clicker to lock her car. The food works to distract Chickadee. Bluejay sees her crackers and wants some too. He hits his head on the edge of the counter but doesn't want me to help him. Then he wants pineapple tidbits. But not in his cracker bowl, not in that bowl either! He starts to panic. I tell him to take a deep breath then suggest he has them in a teacup. That sounds good. He eats them rapidly while my mom tells me about her various things. Chickadee starts discarding her remaining food items on the ground, saying "auh ooh" (uh oh), while Nonna hurries around cleaning her up. Bluejay needs a little of Nonna’s attention so I take Chickadee back to my room and let her play with silly putty (I know, it’s not wise) while Bluejay goes to show Nonna his trains. Chickadee and I read "Boy with a Drum" and I sneak the silly putty away.

4:30 p.m. I bring her out to the garage to join Bluejay and Nonna and sit down at the computer to have a quiet minute, but my sister arrives. I chat with her for a bit. Aaron gets home. He and I get a few minutes to say hello and talk outside, then Chickadee joyfully discovers he is here and takes him over. I unpack Aaron's lunch and wash some vegetables for my sister who is making dinner for Nonna and the kids. Then I nurse Chickadee to make sure she's tanked up before we go out. Aaron takes a shower.

5:00 p.m. Bluejay comes running out to see me. He doesn't know Aaron is here yet!  He is super excited. He tells him "I need you to still hold me." I head back to the bedroom to get dressed for our date and decide against make-up, it is too hot for that. My sun-brightened face looks lovely enough with just a little mascara. Aaron takes Bluejay for a bike ride. It's just what he needs. I chat with my mom and sister and deflect my sister’s comments on where we're going and what I'm wearing. Kind of. I go back and change my shirt. Aaron and Bluejay come back from their bike ride.

5:30 p.m. Nonna engages the children in Bluejay’ brand new Thomas book. We kiss them and slip away without major goodbyes, they seem pretty happy. We stop to get gas and Aaron asks if I remembered to go to bank and get change for the yard sale (the ONLY thing he asked me to do). I did not. We decide to try to make it to the bank before they close at 6. On the drive Aaron coaches me on yard sale ettiquete and says he will set up the couch in the garage so we don’t have to sit in the sun all day. It supposed to be just as hot tomorrow. We discuss plans for getting the babies to my mom’s house in the morning. We pull into the bank parking lot at 5:49 p.m. Aaron runs in to get change. We arrive at restaurant at the geriatric hour of 6:00 p.m.!  Our anniversary date (and the 4th date we've had since Chickadee was born) begins.

I’m going to leave you out of our date details, we are just pretty giddy to have a few hours together sans children.  Suffice it to say that our dinner hour is indeed consistent with the party celebrating a 90-somethingth birthday at the table across from us. The restaurant eventually did fill up with more of the “younger/middle-aged” crowd. And I could not stop laughing that amongst all the Italian décor, there was a motivational poster on the wall in the ladies room.

8:30 p.m. We get home. The kids are playing in the garage with Nonna and my sister.  They are excited to see us but very tired.  Chickadee is wearing Bluejay’s backpack, Bluejay is wearing Chickadee’s bike helmet.  Chickadee climbs in my lap and tries to get my dangly earrings. I take them off before she rips them out and she takes them from my hand. I let her play with them for a minute and then take them back. She cries and crumples to the ground with great indignation. My mom feels sorry for her and offers her all the earrings she has. Bluejay tells Daddy everything that he has been doing and takes him to the “farm” around the “corner”. Which is apparently in the living room. I take Chickadee into the living room and thank my mom and sister while they wrap things up. I give Chickadee to my mom for a minute to run back and change my clothes, in order to make nursing easier. Chickadee gives everyone a good night kiss. Then she notices’ Nonna’s car keys and wants to make it beep again. “Beeb beeb” she says earnestly. Bluejay is still talking about the farm with Aaron. I carefully extract the keys from Chickadee’s hands and help her to say bye bye to them. We head back to the bedroom, still saying “beeb beeb, beeb beeb”.  We close the curtains, turn out the light and sit in the rocker to nurse. Chickadee kicks around for a bit but quickly settles into sleep. This is one of those nights where she falls so deeply asleep she is just limp in my arms. I carry her to her bed and put her down. I open the window and cover her with a sheet, then slip out. 

9:00 p.m. Bluejay and Aaron are saying prayers. He comes to me to be picked up. I try to take Chickadee’s helmet off his head and he gets upset “I want to wear it! I want to wear it!” I acknowledge that he wants to wear it and wait a few minutes. I let him hold the candle (unlit) that he asks for. We finish prayers and Aaron and I chat while he fills bottles. Then Bluejay kisses and hugs me and says that Daddy has to brush his teeth. They go to bed and I head to the computer. I check out FB and my blogs, then download pictures from my phone.

10:00 p.m. I go wake up Aaron who has fallen asleep with Bluejay. I should have done it earlier, but I got lulled into the abyss that is the internet. We try to wake up enough to do a little bit of prep for the yard sale, but we are so tired. We head outside to enjoy the coolness of the air, finally. Then we decide to go to bed.

10:30 p.m. Before I even get to climb into bed Chickadee cries.  I head in and nurse her.  It is 11 PM before I can turn my own light out.  Goodnight!