A Day in the Life, December 2013

Things have changed a lot here since my last Day In the Life post and I thought it was about time for me to do a new one. I wrote this on December 9. Today Evie is 2 years, 6 months, 22 days old and Alvy is 6 months, 9 days old.

Today is a fairly normal day for us. It’s a Monday which means a trip to the grocery store. It’s also a rest day so I don’t have a run scheduled. I also have plans to go to a MOMS Club event, return books at the library and buy stamps for our Christmas cards.

I wrote this post entirely on my phone.

6 AM – My day begins. I wake up as Jason is getting ready for work. I try to get out of bed but Alvy, who is laying in bed with me, has other plans. “FEED ME MOM,” is the cry I hear when I try to sneak out. So back in the bed I go to nurse the baby.

6:21 AM – Alvy is done eating and falls back asleep. I finally sneak out of bed and pour myself a cup of coffee. I spend a few minutes reading Twitter and Facebook in silence.

6:45 AM – Evie wakes up begging to watch Mickey Mouse Christmas on Netflix. I make her breakfast. An egg, bacon and some sliced up pear. I put it all on a TV tray on the floor of the den so she can watch Mickey while she eats. I also make myself breakfast (the same thing).

7 AM – E leaves her spot on the floor to throw a piece of pear skin in the trash. With her eggs unsupervised the dog swoops in and eats them. She is understandably upset and asks me to make more. So I kick the dog outside, dig the skillet back out (which I’d just finished washing) and cook her a second breakfast.

I use this rare silence as an opportunity to address Christmas cards. I manage to get them all done before…

8:12 AM – Alvy wakes up in a great mood. I take him upstairs to change his diaper and get him dressed. I try to nurse him but he’s more interested in playing.

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The three of us sit on the floor and play for a half hour.

9 AM – I get dressed and take Evie upstairs to get her dressed. I make a second attempt at nursing Alvy while E plays. I drink my third cup of coffee.

9:45 AM – We all leave the house to go to a Christmas cookie decorating party with MOMS Club. I visit with my mommy friends while Evie systematically licks the icing off her plate and eats two sugar cookies. Alvy spends the entire time in the Ergo fussing and trying to Houdini his way out.

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11:15 AM – Alvy has a meltdown at the cookie party and we leave in a frenzy of screaming baby and angry toddler who wasn’t quite done playing.

11:30 AM – I nurse Alvy who falls asleep in my lap. I consider laying him in his crib in our room but Evie is playing quietly and he’s sleeping peacefully so instead I choose to continue holding him. I’m already tired and consider making another pot of coffee. I begin to wonder how I’m going get everything done I need to do today.

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Pasta with meat sauce

NOON – Evie screams and wakes up the baby. After his little power nap it becomes clear he isn’t going back to sleep. I get up and make our lunch.

I make Evie a peanut butter and honey sandwich and some blueberry yogurt and I heat up leftover pasta for myself, which I cover in cheese. I turn on VeggieTales and E eats while I make a phone call and send a few emails regarding some volunteer work I do. I then inhale lunch while Alvy sits in the Bumbo.

I realize stamps and the grocery store might have to wait until tomorrow.

(Please note, I wrote this post on a Monday, I didn’t end up buying stamps until Friday.)

1:10 PM – I change Alvy’s diaper, top him off and we all pile in the car to go to the library. Once we get there we return Xanda’s Panda Party and Don’t Worry Bear which were both due today and browse for something new to take home.

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2:13 PM – We leave the library and go back home with two new books, I Can Do It Myself and Puddles ABCs. I realize I’m exceptionally thirsty.

2:30 PM – I take Evie upstairs, change her diaper and lay her down for a nap. I get Alvy out of the car seat, fill up my water bottle and grab a handful of chocolate covered cherries off the kitchen counter.

(As I’m editing this days later, I realize this is when things all start to go downhill.)

Alvy and I go to our bedroom so I can nurse him and put him down for a nap. Just as I am getting comfortable I hear Evie yelling, “I want my books!”

I leave Alvy in the bedroom to go get the library books off the kitchen counter. I also grab a second handful of cherries.

2:45 PM – For the second time today Alvy decides that it is playtime not nap time.

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I’m Batman!

He’s learning to sit up right now and he’s so excited to practice his new trick! We sit in bed and play until…

3:27 PM – I see an eye rub and decide it’s a good time to try to lay him down. I turn off the lights and nurse him but apparently I am wrong. He is obviously tired but is fighting sleep. He moans, trashes, hits me in the face and otherwise tests my patience for another half hour.

4:00 PM – I need a break, so I lay Mr. Refuses-To-Nap in his crib and go into the kitchen to get a glass of wine and another handful of cherries.

(Can you say, self medicate?)

While I’m gone he gets very still and quiet in the crib and I think, mistakenly, that he will fall asleep. Unfortunately, he sees me poking my head around the corner and starts screaming again. I pick him back up.

4:14 PM – Alvy FINALLY falls asleep in my arms. Under no circumstances do I dare move for fear of waking him up. My full wine glass is just out of reach. I stare longingly at it.

4:26 – I realize I’m definitely not making it to the grocery store today and I make the decision to pull out one of our emergency freezer meals for dinner instead. I carefully lean over and rescue my wine.

4:58 – Jason sends me a text message asking what we’re having for dinner. I tell him about our frozen options and he offers to pick sushi up in the way home instead. I tell him that, at this point, I’d be appreciative of anything he brought home for dinner, even if it was gravel. He thinks sushi would be better than gravel and I agree.

Alvy is still asleep in my lap. My left arm is completely numb. I consider laying him down but I’m really enjoying my break.

5:05 PM – Evie wakes up from her nap crying. I am forced to lay Alvy down in the crib and thankfully he stays asleep. I go upstairs to get Evie. She tells me she is cold and asks to be changed into her snowman pajamas (which she has worn every single day for almost 10 days straight). We go downstairs to cuddle on the couch and enjoy some time, just the two of us.

(We don’t get that much anymore, it was nice)

5:35 PM – Jason calls to tell me our favorite sushi place is hosting a private event tonight and is closed. While I’m on the phone coming up with a back up sushi plan…

5:45 PM – Alvy wakes up from his nap. I walk into the bedroom to pick him up and while I’m gone Evie goes into the kitchen, opens up the pantry door and helps herself to a Graham cracker. She then does gymnastics on the couch eating her cracker and watching WordWorld while I attempt to nurse the baby. At this point I am merely trying to survive until Jason gets home.

6:05 PM – Jason comes home with sushi. We eat and after dinner watch Wheel of Fortune.

7:00 PM – We all go upstairs for some good family time. Jason plays the guitar while I give Evie lessons on how to use the touchpad on the laptop. She does surprisingly well.

7:45 PM – Alvy decides he’s had enough family time and starts crying so I take him downstairs to put him to bed.

8:30 PM – He’s finally asleep. I hear Jason upstairs getting Evie ready for bed. I lay Alvy down in his crib. He immediately wakes up. I decide to hit the “easy button” and just lay down in our bed and nurse him back to sleep.

9:15 PM – I get out of the bed and carefully lay Alvy in his crib. I then go upstairs to tell Evie goodnight. When I get there I realize that Jason has fallen asleep in her bed. I lay down with them and enjoy a little family cuddle. I may or may not have dozed off.

10:45 PM – I wake Jason up and we both leave her room. We sit on the couch for a few minutes while Jason drinks a glass of water.

11:09 PM – We finally call it a day and go to bed.

3 thoughts on “A Day in the Life, December 2013”

    1. Jill, it is busy! I never could have imagined how exhausted I could get trying to keep two little ones happy. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything though!

  1. Pingback: A Day in the Life {January 22, 2015} | Rocks on a Fencepost

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