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!
