A Day in the Life, Summer 2013

It's that time again! Although I swore to myself I would be less crazy about recording specific details and better about taking 'nice' pictures, I did not change at all. Still psycho-detailed in text and still just used my iPhone for the hundreds of pics I snapped this date. I can't help it. Change is hard.

I did, however, attempt to copy and paste my notes from my phone into this post, then cleaned it up a bit. This resulted in a weird font when I put it in Blogger but it saved some time, and maybe I even fixed the font-issues.

Friday, August 2 | Truman will be 3.5 in one more month (hate to say 3 years + 5 months), and Cecelia is 14 months old

4:50 am | A little boy ends up in our bed. No clue why. It happens 50% of the time in last two weeks all of a sudden. Nate is usually the lucky one to be called into T's room and I think he's been too tired to put up a fight. Truman says something about how I need to scoot over to give him more room. Please, child. It's not even 5 am and this is not your bed. We are all snoring in no time.

5:40 am | Nate's alarm goes off. The sound of it makes me brim with rage each morning because I think he takes way too long to hit the snooze button. Also, it seems like he hits snooze approximately four times every day. Sigh.



5:50 am | Yep, CC is awake. I wait until 6 to go in because I'm hard like that. She pats my chest to nurse. I oblige. Think she cried at 11 last night too but I didn't wake up enough to even consider getting out of bed. Check my phone but I usually charge it downstairs over night and only have it now because I knew I'd be taking notes for this post. I text mom, check IG , email, FB, time hop, feedly. Start a diptic collage or two. Gotta be on top of the game!







6:20 am | She is done. Asking for 'dada' and 'Tru Tru'. Nate is just out of the shower. Truman is asking to check if his clock turned yellow (it always does at 6:15 am, but seems to work a little better when he actually sleeps in his room all night. Duh). CC is  very exited to see Henry sleeping on Truman's chair. Go downstairs with kids. C is really mad I took a penny away from her.  She requests her 'ahhhh' so I get her some milk. Love having some actual communication with her these days. 



6:30 am | Make kids breakfast. Kitchen sort of stressful-messy. Nate makes the coffee. Truman eats a graham cracker and PB to save room for his breakfast at Lori's. He hasn't been eating the best there so this light meal at home is one thing we are trying. Sister is getting fussy so I put her in the high chair, give her a banana, blueberries, and a  graham with PB. Also demands to hold her froggy blanket, so whatever. It will get some of her breakfast too, I suppose.



6:40 am | My turn to shower. Debate about drying and straightening my hair. It's raining, so no. Makeup. Find a boring work outfit. Very 'PT' of me, and this would be why I haven't submitted anything for Work Your Wardrobe lately. Brush teeth (before breakfast, I know, gross). Make bed. Grab clothes for the kids, which I set out last night. All about saving time in the morning of work days.





7:00 am | Come downstairs to my family eating breakfast. Nate is convincing Truman to dress himself. I help T a bit to speed up the process. He isn't happy about having to brush his teeth before the TV goes on. Cecelia is fussing in highchair. Oh boy, this is when daycare mornings are so much fun. I make my lunch and simultaneously make my breakfast because my coffee is kicking in by now.





7:15 am | Eat my eggs and share with CC. Truman finally brushed his teeth after putting up quite the fight. Cecelia looks me in the eye and says, 'Poo Poo.' I swear to you. This has been happening for a few days now and I'm still shocked. Sure enough, the diaper has been dirtied. Nate leaves for work as we fist pump about it being FRIDAY. 







7:25 am | Weird, but Cecelia is patting my chest. Should probably not oblige if ever want her to wean, so I dress her instead. Turn on Arthur for Truman, which is a totally random choice as I don't think we've ever watched this before.  Set shoes out and start to gather our bags. CC gets mad when I take away my phone. Go pick out a hair bow for her as another distraction.





7:35 am | Cave and nurse her. Truman plays trains on the floor and halfway watches weird Arthur.  Cecelia is done in a few minutes and plays floppy on couch. Then she marvels over my watch and a random rock she found outside one day. Babies are funny sometimes. 







7:45 am | It's time to go, folks. Heard the masses and drape numerous bags around my arms, staggering out the door for the day. Tell Truman I have six patients today and he approves of my busy day. Strap 'em in. 





7:58 am | 'See you, new house!' I'm not sure how long Truman will call our house 'new' but whatever. Discuss colors of garbage trucks along our way, note that it's really 'cloudy and rainy', and we look for the white bus parked at the daycare we pass.  It's there! So much construction in this city right now, which is annoying for adults but awesome for Truman because there's always a working truck in eyesight. Discuss the route to the pool versus the route to Lori's house. I think this kid seriously knows his way around our city sometimes.





8:07 am | At Lori's and Truman is super happy to be back after a two week break (Lori's vacation, mom here). Cecelia is indifferent at first but then wants her mommy because I talked to Lori too long. Have to book it out of there pretty quickly...haven't seen her cry it drop off in months. She looks tired, Lori yells that she will be happy soon as I scurry out the door.

8:17 am | Park at my first patient's assisted living apartment. Have 30 minutes to kill and I cannot tell you how happy I am NOT to pump like I was in Spring. I'm not going home because I'm super close to Lori's, so I prep some forms I will need for work. Return email. Delete some pics on my phone from the morning. Lori calls at 8:30, I worry Cecelia is freaking out or something. But no, both kids are fine. She just called about next week's schedule and mostly she just loves to talk! 



8:45 am | Patient 1.

9:45 am | Done. Ouch. My back and shoulders hurt from this physically demanding one. Document in the car quickly, then drive to patient 2. Hey, my car just hit 120,000 miles! Good old gal is twelve years old and still kicking.



10:00 am | Patient 2. 

10:55 am | Done. Emotionally drained from this one, but I document in my car again. My next one is only a block away, thankfully.

11:00 am |  Patient 3.

11:40  am | Done. Fine, not too draining for once. Check my work voicemail and they are asking me to take one on Monday that I had in 2011. Call office, call patient, all set for Monday. Have to pee and eat lunch but document first.  Next one is three miles away--far for me! Find a McDonald's for a good bathroom option, since I don't need a key (like some gas stations) and don't have to be let in (like some Walgreens).  Eat my lunch in parking lot and sort of want some fries, but don't feel like dealing with it. I have 10 free minutes to eat, which is awesome! Check email, approve comments from blog, diptic a little more. Drive to next patient. Gas light comes on. Great.





12: 30 pm | Patient 4.

1: 20 pm | Done with another emotionally draining patient, one that has me a little flustered. Document in my car, but I know I'm going to be late to my fifth patient who is 5 miles away. Check voicemail from a nurse while driving, return her call. Call a doctor about my last patient. 

1:45 pm | Patient 5. 

2:15 pm | Done with an easy one, finally, since it was his last day with me. Document in my car and feel more caught up now, still more paperwork to do later though. Hate paperwork on Friday nights, man. Drive to last patient. Suddenly feel parched because my 24 oz water bottle is long gone (along with my coffee travel mug). I think I drink a lot of water during the day and have a bladder of steel. I stop for gas and want a soda but don't. Too much effort to walk inside and I'm not in the best area of town, either. Some really cute houses always end up being in run down neighborhoods, you know? 

(this isn't my patient's house, but I love it. And the walkway to his apartment freaks me out a bit---all open holes next to the basement windows?)


2:40 pm | Patient 6.

3:15 pm | Done, because he didn't want to do much in therapy today. No air conditioner at all in this last place, not even window units, so I'm literally sweating and cannot wait to go home and change my clothes. Annoyed by the paperwork I have hanging over my head. If mom was still here watching my kids I'd just go to Starbucks and knock it all out right now, but I like to get my kids at 4pm each day from Lori's. 

3:25 pm | Home and I have 20 minutes before I have to leave.  Chug water, hunt for a sleepy Henry upstairs, change clothes, take Henry out. Pull in garbage carts just to make Nate happy. Admire our flowers. Put away breakfast dishes. Check email--see Andrea tagged me on a Facebook picture. Eek! Must be a 'four generations' shot she's working on editing! Grab a handful of the most amazing dark chocolate almonds you will ever try. I promise you that they will rock your world, and I don't even like dark chocolate that much. Sea salt for the win!!











3:45 pm | I'm off to get my kids. It's Friday evening and glorious outside now. Pump myself up to take a few pictures at Lori's today, since I never get pictures with my kids and their daycare provider. She might be a little curious about this request and I don't think she knows about my blog, so I can just play it off. But I must do it!

4:00 pm | Lori and the kids oblige me  for pics. Truman and Cecelia are the ones who are annoyed with me, not Lori. Wow, Lori really loves to style CC's hair in odd ways with a lot of water/product. Today's style pick? A twisted ponytail really far back on her head. Interesting. Lori says something about how her grandson, Kaydin, must be about 50 pounds now and he was so excited to have Truman back she was worried Kaydin would crush Truman as they laid on top of each other to play. Um, he is one week older than Truman and I tell her there is no freaking way. I say that Truman was 35 pounds at his three year appointment and I'm sure he weighs less than Kaydin, but Truman is also a lot taller. So in typical Lori fashion, she grabs the scale and tells Kaydin to come into the kitchen (she's not mad, but she is just curious). The verdict? Kaydin is actually 43 pounds and Truman is 37 pounds. Also we assess their heights and Truman is quite a bit taller, as I predicted. My kid is getting long and lean! Both kids had excellent days there considering it was the first day back. Both ate well, napped well, and played well. Makes this momma super proud to hear that report!







4:15 pm | Leave and Truman is mad at my new way home but then he decides he is into getting pizza with me because he wants a sticker from Papa Murphy's. This makes Friday nights a lot easier: going straight from Lori's to get the pizza we can bake whenever Nate is on his way home. Lots of traffic though, annoying. Truman says, 'I missed you, mommy,' and asks me 'How many patients did you see?" We talk a lot about his day at Lori's and apparently there are new Legos there and he approves. Cecelia slams some water in the back seat to pass the time.





4:30 pm | Pizza pick up! 







4:45 pm | Home, and this is later than usual. CC is mad about our choice of a take-n-bake pizza because she wants to eat ASAP. Let Truman watch the rest of Arthur. Cecelia wants to nurse, so whatever. Love our summer-matching toenails. Another sneak by Andrea is on FB!







5:00 pm | She's done nursing and then promptly throws a tantrum over not getting TV remote. Distract her with getting our mail. Fix her hair. Preheat the oven. 





5:15 pm | Head outside to kill time with these hungry kids.  Feel the need to IG a shot and pick one showing the wide variety of Cecelia's mood swings.







5:35 pm | Nate calls and on way home. Cecelia's fussiness is back to critical status so we go in to start the pizza. She's smacking me to nurse again. Put her in the high chair instead gibing her some fruit and turkey meat, avocado and sunflower seeds. Truman is happily playing with trains in the kitchen with us. I decide to make a salad while Cecelia is fake laughing at throwing food on ground for Henry. Her sense of humor never fails to amaze me.



6:00 pm | The pizza is done but Nate just texted to say traffic is bad. Curses. Eat my salad over the counter while the kids chase each other around the house. This is one of those sweet/happy moments that's a stand-out from our day.





6:15 pm | Nate is home! Just in time because the 'za is getting lukewarm. T wants to finish his puzzle first but CC is simply melting down. Gather everyone to eat. Truman is very particular about the size of his pizza bites. I am over it and let Nate take over the parenting decisions/battles for now. Dessert is a surprise bag of cookies from Great Harvest that one of Nate's patients brought him. Mmmmm, don't mind if I do!











7:00 pm | Done with dinner and Truman is playing make believe with his toys, Nate is emailing, while CC is finishing her cookie. I start to clean up and Nate helps, too. Cecelia is now climbing onto the dishwasher when I realize that our new dish soap smells god-awful. It totally reminds me of a dirty gas station bathroom with strong/cheap air freshener and I can practically picture which station uses this scent.  Cecelia keeps saying 'poo poo' again, but Nate checked and she's clean. Then minutes later I smell it. She totally called it again. If changing dirty diapers wasn't so disgusting I would be really into this 'milestone.' Who am I kidding? I'm still obviously really into it.

7:10 pm | Upstairs for bath time. My phone is nearly dead from all of this note taking today so details diminish around this time. Photos do not.



Had to IG, couldn't resist.





(note how long her hair is when wet)




Old man belly


7:25 pm | I get Cecelia out, brush her teeth, jammies on. Nate gets Truman out, they put on his jams, and I read the kids a few books. 









7:50 pm | Goodnight, Cecelia! She says goodnight to the boys, Truman helps give her Ibuprofen because her teeth seem to be bugging her big time today. Nurse my baby to sleep while I make a few more Diptic collages for this post.





8:05 pm | Done. Go downstairs and I have a really bad attitude about doing my paperwork, but I know I should get it finished now while the patient's are still fresh on my mind. Truman and Nate are doing a puzzle and T is also eating some yogurt in a bowl. 



8:45 pm | The boys go upstairs for bed while I keep working. Must.prop.eyelids.open.

9:05 pm | My turn for Truman's three made-up stories. We snap a few pictures and he is in a spectacular mood. Keeps kissing my eyelids saying, 'I kissed your eye, mommy.' We need to work on an earlier bedtime for him but sometimes he's so sweet I don't even care that he's a night owl. Love my boy.





9:15 pm | Downstairs again, Nate has to go up and sing his songs to Truman. Wow, I'm tired. Finish up my work stuff which means it only took me a bit over an hour tonight. But still, barf. 'Have to' blog tonight since I just declared I'm doing a daily blogging challenge this month, and I have emails and then this blasted post to compose. Prioritize. New post, it is. Nate makes us a  "Lake effect" drink and it's amazing. Gin, lemonade, and ginger ale...mmmmm. Truman calls out for a Super Special Tuck In, which is all daddy. 



9:35 pm | Work on Diptic collages and uploading pics to Flickr because my new post is done.  Respond to emails and chat with Nate on the couch. Ah, Friday night.

10:15 pm | The pics are done but I can't get motivated to do anything else, so I just hang with Nate on the couch. Start typing this post on the laptop and give it about 2 minutes before I'm over it.

10:50 pm | That's enough of that! Upstairs to bed. Whoops, bathwater still in the tub. I'm ridiculous, but things like that make me smile and feel blessed to have kids in this house. Sleeping kids, none the less. GOODNIGHT, my loves. Never mind that my son is sleeping on his floor.





4:15 am | 'Yoo Hoo! Daddy!' I hear from Truman's room. Did he seriously just say, 'Yoo Hoo?' Yes. And I hear him ask Nate for another Super Special Tuck In (SSTI). Glad he isn't asking to come into our bed.

5:15 am | Nooooooooooooo. Cecelia is crying. I'm in the middle of an awesome dream that has something to do with high school and pregnant friends, but not teenage pregnancy somehow. I go into her room and she is still obviously tired. Smacks my chest as soon as I pick her up so I nurse her and try not to break my neck in the rocker while I close my eyes and try to get back to that dream.

5:40 am | The early bird is done with her nursing sesh and still seems tired, but is pointing to the door and getting really irritable. I take her into our bedroom and pray she will snuggle with me and fall asleep there. I can tell there is no hope for a crib sleep right now. We do snuggle and she loves laying on my chest. I think we might possibly have it made with another hour or so for sleep. And then she notices Nate in bed and makes it her mission to mess with him. Sigh.









I IG'd this one, too.






6:15 am | Truman's clock turns yellow so he is up now, too. I give up all hope on returning to sleep and resign myself to starting this day at 5:15 am. But it's Saturday and therefore not so horrible.

And thus concludes another DiTL. Glad these are only done every three months. I need that long to recover and I'm sure your eyes do, too.