A Day in the Life part 2

I've been thinking about doing this post for many months now. I did the first installment at 3.5 months and I've always wanted to do a few for comparison, because my how the routine changes with time. The ironic thing is that every time I start to write this post I stop because each day is so variable, it doesn't seem like one day can capture the 'reality' of our routine. Since in reality, every day can be vastly different from the next. But you know what? That's life---always changing and never a 'typical' generic day, I suppose. This post isn't supposed to be a 'one day fits all' thing, and it definitely doesn't represent each and every day of our lives. Just a glimpse...

Beginning of February, 11 months old:

5:30 Baby alarm goes off in the nursery. Talking, whining, and babbling to tell us he's ready to start the day.

5:40 I finally succumb and ask Nate to go get the boy and bring him to the boob. Our one and only nursing session for the day is the sweetest time ever. I'm propped up in bed, Nate is laying back down, and Truman is staring up at me and grabbing my hair while slashing my neck with his razor nails. Must remember to cut them today.

5:50 Enough of that nursing stuff. T gets restless hanging in bed with us because he knows we are trying to stall the process of actually waking up. He plays with both alarm clocks and requests to see Henry before demanding to get on the move, and so we are off to the nursery.

6:00 Remove jammies, remove diaper (which is totally full of poo this morning---no wonder he woke up at 5:30 with this load). Pick out adorable outfit for the day and apply to babe while he wiggles around the room.

(whoops! someone forgot his pants today...but check out those puffy saddle bag hips!)


6:15 Nate's making the coffee and I put Truman in his high chair for breakfast: he starts on his graham crackers and puffs in the family room while I make my own breakfast in the kitchen. Truman peeps the news and fills us in on what we've missed overnight.

6:20 I eat my breakfast (still PB and honey on a bagel!), sip my coffee and feed Truman his blueberry yogurt while watching the news with T. Nate takes Henry out and I do not envy them for experiencing the cold this early in the morning.

(breakfast time!)


(and what the boys must endure outside....deadly daggers!)


6:35 All done! Nate hops in the shower while T and I play a bit in the family room. Usually Little People Farm is a huge hit.



6:55 Nate's out of the shower so it's my turn while daddy watches T. I shower, get dressed, pull my wet hair back into a mommy-pony, and quickly apply a bit of makeup. By this time Truman has found me in the bathroom and tries to eat the toilet knobs. Great.

7:15 Done with that nonsense, so now I'll make my first trip to my car to drop off all three of my bags while Nate is inside with T: pump bag with lunch bag inside, Truman's daycare bag, and my work backpack. Plus my giant water cooler jug. I learned the hard way one day that I should never try to do this trip while Truman is in the house waiting on me alone. Bad news bears complete with meltdown. Also, I start my car to blast out some of the Wisconsin chill.

(ridiculous amount of loot)


7:20 Nate leaves for the day and Truman and I start getting him together--diaper check doesn't show a Code Brown so we are good there. Stuff his arms into giant winter coat. Place adorable hat. Brush my teeth. Put Henry in his crate and kiss him goodbye, turn off lights, and we are out the door.

(bundled up, what?)


7:30 Strap Truman into carseat, sip some more coffee to go and head to Lori's. Talk to Truman along the way as if he is a fully grown adult, of course. It's taking longer to get there today because I hit some major middle school traffic. Silly 'tweens. Get outta my way!

(Truman in his convertible car seat! Such a big boy).


7:50 Arrive at Lori's. Make drop off as quick as possible since Truman's bottom lip is quivering while I hand him over after a smooch. Tears are shed before I can get out the door and my heart squeezes a little harder. Suck it up, sister. He's going to be just fine.

8:10-8:45 Arrive to the office. Deal with paperwork. Call some patients. Put on the PT hat.

8:45 Leave office, but not before pumping in my car. Front seat, hands-free pump bra, and nursing cover = totally appropriate way to pump and be in public. Get about 3-4 ounces of the liquid gold. Store it in the back of my mobile office, aka my car.

9:15-10:00 First patient of the day. Talk about Truman.

10:00-10:30 Drive to second patient. Think about Truman. Also contemplating a Starbucks search.

10:30-11:15 See second patient. Talk about Truman's party.

11:15-11:30 Drive to third patient. Definitely want that coffee asap.

11:30-12:15 See third patient. Whip out pictures of Truman and discuss party details with said patient. A proud mama can't hide those pics!

12:15 Leaving patient house, looking for a place to park and pump. Find a gas station, fill 'er up with gas, use the bathroom, then pump in my car again while eating my packed sandwich. Get about 3 ounces. Make some phone calls for work. Do some paperwork---all while pumping. Thank goodness for my hands-free pumping bra and modern technology!

12:45-1:00 Drive to fourth patient. Search endlessly for good music on the radio. Realize my CDs are incredibly old and worn out, too. Settle for the same Katy Perry song that they've played 15 times today.

1:00-1:45 See last patient of the day. Counting down the hours to see baby boy.

2:00-3:30 Drive to a nearby Starbucks to complete all paperwork and treat myself to some black gold. Make phone calls, wrap up the day. Use the bathroom before heading out---a nice clean bathroom is hard to find on the road sometimes.

3:30-4:00 Drive to Lori's to get my little man. Wheee!

4:00 Arrive at Lori's and get a report. Can't stop kissing mister man! He had a good day today and got a thumbs up for good behavior....plus he smiled and reached for me when I walked in. Score!

4:10-4:20 Drive home with buddy, constantly stare at him in the mirror to assess the cuteness.

4:20 Home at last. Unload Truman, all three giant bags, and water jug---most likely in two trips, because I fail to have 5 arms for this task.

4:30-4:45 Truman goes into high chair for some snacks, I change out of my germ-infested clothes. I take Henry outside and pet him a few times. Unload pump bag, mixing freshly pumped milk into bottles for the night and next day. Wash all pump and bottle parts. Save the rest of the 'chores' for later if I can stand it, so that I can play with my bubs.

4:45-5:15 Play time on the floor with buddy, and I allow the toy box to barf all over the family room! Maybe a diaper change, too, as needed. Nate calls and is on his way home to join in on the fun.

(toy box barf:)


5:15-5:45 Kitchen time---attempt to throw something together for dinner while Truman scurries around on the floor playing with semi-forbidden kitchen items. Pick your battles, people. But then realize he's probably actually hungry as he tries to eat the table leg. Place him in his high chair to start his dinner. Multitask like a madwoman---feeding Truman, washing dishes in sink left over from breakfast, and assemble our dinner, too.

5:45-6:00 Nate is home! Time to chow. Eat together as a little family and discuss our days. Truman chimes in on the chatter of course, with much to say about his exciting day at daycare.

6:00-6:45 Family play time! Clean up dishes and kitchen then out to the family room to watch Jeopardy! (Truman loves Trebek and the blue screens, duh) and play with Truman on the floor. And magically at 6:45 he hits the wall and is ready for bedtime routine.

6:45-7:00 Get T-man nekkid, give him a bath in big boy tub. Watch him splash around and grin like a goofball baby boy.




7:00-7:15 Change into fresh double-stuffed diaper and jammies, then time for about 5 books in the rocking chair. Nate and I alternate days with this task and tonight it's my night to read. Nate preps the bottle while Truman flips my pages with authority.

(our favorite jammies: wool longies, tee shirt, and socks)


7:15 Both Mommy and Daddy kiss Truman goodnight. Bottle time---half in the rocker, then he lets us know when he wants to lay in the crib and down the other half.

7:30 Done with bottle, sleepy eyes is ready to pass out. Walk out of the room with a sigh.

7:30-8:00 Feed Henry for the night; change into my own jammies; lay out clothes for next day; pack my lunch; pack Truman's daycare bag; pack pump bag with supplies. I've totally consolidated this prep time and it's not such a time sucker anymore.

(bottle stuff on a light day)


8:00-9:00 Free time!! Some on computer, some with party crafts, some time knitting. Sometimes I have to be a grown-up and do more paperwork for my actual job during this time, too, but tonight it's all funsies.

(did I tell you I took a knitting class in December? I did and obviously I'm a pro now)


9:00-9:30 Last pumping session of the night, done in front of the computer. Get about 3 ounces while surfing the next, contemplating blog posts, and returning numerous emails.

9:30-9:45 Wash pump parts, brush teeth, wash face.

9:45-10:00 Waste time on the internets some more. Or maybe pull out the old paper journal.

10:00 Hit the sack after saying prayers, thanking Him for a good day and a blessed life.


So when you compare my days now to back in June, I'm 'sleeping in' a little more these days if you can call it that, until 5:30 instead of 5:15. There really was a nice chunk of time in the recent past when Truman slept until 6:30 or 7 every day. THAT was heaven and I'm hoping it's his norm, that this earlier time is just a phase. I leave for work at 7:30 now instead of 7:00. I get off work at 3:30 or so now, instead of 5:00. I get home with Truman at about 4:20 instead of 5:30. And the biggest difference? Truman goes to bed at 7:30 instead of 9:00 which means a LOT more free time before I go to bed myself. Oh, and he sleeps through the night now which is pretty much The Bomb, and it means he is still in his crib in the mornings instead of being in our bed as we get ready. And we don't nurse for 30 minutes at a time (ha!) multiple times per day but I do have a lot more bottles to clean instead.

Overall I'd say I have more time at home with baby boy because of my new job in home care, and with Truman's earlier bedtime and more restful nights we all have more time to just chill out. Less hectic then the early months as a working mom although it's still pretty crazy around here in the mornings and evenings.

My biggest tip for any working mom out there is to prep all that you can the night before. Yes, I spend a big chunk of my evenings getting ready for the next day but it's so worth it to have less stress in the morning as we try to get out the door in one piece. You have to be organized or you will certainly feel like you are drowning.

Also, my husband is amazing and without him I'd be a total disaster. This statement fits well into this post because there were a few nights when Nate had to work late and go to work early. So I was basically a single mom in the mornings and evenings and let me tell you, I missed my teammate like crazy. Single working moms are truly rock stars for managing it all solo. I cannot imagine that I would remain sane without Nate as my partner.

There you have it---a day in the life of a working mom to an 11 month old boy. A little different than our life at 3.5 months, and dare I say even more fun?

And with that....since it is Superbowl Sunday in Wisconsin----GO PACK GO!!