A day in the life

About a month ago, a dear friend of mine asked me to write this post.  Having two little ones close in age comes with lots of challenges, and being in a position to soon experience this herself, she wanted to know what an average day in the Shea house looks like. 

I was inspired by the series of posts HERE on Annalea Hart’s blog.  I find it so refreshing to read other mama’s daily experiences and to discover that it isn’t all roses and sunshine on the other side of their computer screen either.  I am going to give you an honest to goodness look at how things go and I won’t be sugar-coating anything.  Too my own detriment and impending horror and to your total boredom I’m sure.

My tinies are Mason, 7 months, and Amelia, 18 months, born just 11 months and 1 week apart.  My husband goes to school full-time and works part-time, so parenting duties are largely up to me.  My days are long and full and rarely ever the same despite my constant striving for routine.   The day I documented was actually about three weeks ago, but after you read it, I think you'll understand why it took me so long to sit down and actually write this.

 
That said, here’s a day in the life of little ol’ me…

6:10 AM

Mason’s insistent whimpers are about to become full-fledged “FEED ME” wails, and I drag myself out of bed to get him up for his first feeding of the day.  I bring him back to my bed for nursing and snuggles.  I love this part of the morning actually.  I never mastered side-lying nursing with Amelia, and I love being able to get back into bed to nurse.  What can I say, getting OUT of bed is not really my favorite thing.

6:35 AM

Mason is fast asleep again and I pick up his limp, sleepy body and cuddle him all the way back to his bedroom, burping him along the way.  I give him an extra squeeze and stand and rock with him beside his crib, knowing that the peace that pervades this moment will not last long.  I traipse back to my room, my shoulder still warm, and crawl back into bed for “just a few more minutes”, swearing that I WILL get up and shower today before Amelia wakes up.

7:05 AM

Ok, ok… OK!  I’ll get up.  I’m yelling at myself here, trying to convince myself it will be worth it when 10am rolls around and I’m not still trying to figure out how to squeeze in a shower.  I trudge into the bathroom and stand in the hot water a tad longer than I probably ought to, willing myself to wake up.

7:40 AM

Still no sound from the babies!   Amelia, and sometimes Mason, is usually up by 7:30am, so, this is GREAT!  I start my coffee and heave an inner sigh at the dirty, nasty stove burners left soaking in the sink from last night.  

Well, guess I should clean those puppies if we’re going to have eggs this morning.  The pile that has grown on my counter ledge glares at me while I scrub, and I make a mental note to clear it off before the day is over.  Oh yeah… and that other pile on my dresser that hasn’t been put away since I “unpacked” from our trip last week.  Can I get BOTH cleared off before bed tonight?  Challenge issued and accepted.

8:00 AM

I finish putting in the last stove burner just as Amelia wakes up.  We always start with a fresh diaper and a sippy cup of milk.  About 10 minutes later, Mason decides he’s ready to get up, too.  Amelia likes to crawl in bed with him and give him kisses first thing.  I love it!  

I get him out of bed, change him, and pop him in the swing while I finish making our breakfast.  I sit down to eat around 8:30am and it already feels good to be off my feet for a minute.  I usually check my email while I eat, but today it’s enough just to keep tabs on Mia, keep the dog from eating food off of the highchair tray, and pick up Mason’s toy for the millionth time.  

9:00 AM

Handsome hubby heads to school with hugs and a wave.  After clearing the table I sit down to nurse while Amelia entertains herself with toys and blankets.

I dress both kids for the day, and Mason looks ready for a nap around 9:30am.  Amelia and I have some one-on-one play time in the living room.  She decides that she would like Mommy to play her Playskool piano for her while she dances.  She makes it quite clear that no intermissions have been scheduled in this performance, and my playing goes on until she’s tired and ready to build block towers.  Not that I mind, her blossoming communication skills and new-found interest in music and dance have been so much fun to watch lately.

10:00 AM

Amelia has “quiet time” alone in her room.  I put her in her crib and give her 6 or so books and a couple of dolls or stuffed animals for company.  Most days she will read quietly for 30-45 minutes.  It’s a welcome break for me and an opportunity to get started on some housework or finish getting myself dressed for the day.   I sit down to check email and Facebook and polish off my coffee, promising myself to not sit for too long.  I still have not done anything with my hair, and this is my ideal time to do it.

10:40 AM

WHAT!?  It’s been half an hour already?  Ugh…. Sucked into internet land again.  I mentally beat myself up a bit for not “using my time more wisely”, but then… it was SO nice to just relax a little.  Oh well, here we go.  Mason is awake and Amelia is ready to get up and play again, too.  Another round of diaper changes, and I lay Mason on my bed with a toy and hand Amelia a toothbrush while I finally tend to the now-frizzy mop of hair on my head.

11:00 AM

Mason is throwing me strangely timed tired signals, so I lay him on my bed for a little peace and quiet.  I sit Amelia in her high chair in the kitchen with crayons and paper while I unload the dishwasher. 

She decided that today crayons make a better snack than artistic medium, so it doesn’t last long.  Mason isn’t falling asleep or settling down, and I begin to feel a bit flustered and frantic.  It’s back to the swing for him while I try to finish in the kitchen.  I swap Amelia’s crayons for playdoh, wipe the wax out of her mouth, then transfer a still fussy Mason to his excersaucer to give him a chance to work out those little leg muscles.

11:30  AM

 Handsome hubby calls to say he’s coming home for lunch today!  I decide to find something more “interesting” to eat since I’ll have company, so I make hot beef and swiss sandwiches with caramelized onions.  Mmmm…     

After lunch Amelia “helps” Daddy play his NCAA football video game and I snag the opportunity to straighten their room and vacuum a little. 

Cleaning is usually a nap time activity for me, but since both kids are awake and I have someone to keep an eye on them I seize the moment.  Then it’s time for stories and a nap for Amelia.

1:00 PM 

I sit down to nurse and snuggle with Mason, and twenty minutes later he’s out.  Amelia however is NOT asleep, yet, and I’m wondering what the problem is.  She typically goes down so easily.  I sit down to check my email and Facebook hoping she’ll settle down and I can have some quiet “Mommy time” before I do the rest of today’s chores.  

2:30 PM

Amelia is drifting in and out of uneasy sleep, so I go in to check on her.  She’s hot and sweaty so I give her Tylenol for her teething, and resettle her in a cooler spot in the crib without the blanket this time. 

2:50 PM

I start some dough for French bread to have with dinner and make a smoothie for myself.   Today is the second day I am trying a “Green Monster” smoothie as an afternoon snack.  Yesterday’s recipe was not-so-hot, so I think I’ll try something different today.  

Now THAT’s more like it!  I clean the kitchen again, finishing up the lunch-time mess from earlier and putting away bread and smoothie ingredients.

3:20 PM

Mason wakes up and I can't resist snapping a few photos of that sweet face!  

I situate him on a blanket with some toys while I do a bit more housework.  There is always something to wash, wipe, or pick up around here and of course I’ve got those two piles to put away!  At 4pm I feed Mason and he goes down for a third nap around 4:30pm.

Amelia wakes up shortly after still fussy and irritable.  I pick her up and set her on my lap in the glider in their room.  She lays her head on my shoulder and we rock in sweet silence for about ten minutes.  I marvel at how simple and yet profound it is to offer motherly comfort simply by holding her close and letting her just be.

4:45 PM

Amelia is feeling more like herself now so we go to the kitchen for a snack and cup of milk.  Brian comes home at 5pm, and having an extra set of hands lets me focus on starting dinner.  A phone call from my momma lifts my spirit, gives me perspective, and helps me charge on a bit more cheerfully with my evening.

6:00 PM

Mason wakes up from his nap.  I change him, cuddle him, and get him situated with a toy or two.  Dinner goes in the oven to bake and I find another moment to sit down and check my email.  Um… ok fine, I mean check Facebook in an attempt to connect with the outside world by seeing what my far away pals are doing today.

7:10 PM

We sit down to dinner as a family.  A little late tonight, but this is one of my favorite parts of the day.  It’s so fun now that both kids are big enough to sit at the table with us.   Mason usually gnaws on rice rusks while the rest of us chow down on “big people” food.  Tonight Amelia gets to practice using a big girl cup.

Daddy makes funny faces and Amelia tries to copy him.

7:40 PM

Time for Amelia’s nightly bedtime ritual.  Bath, jammies, stories, songs, snuggles, and kisses.  Works like a charm every time!  Brian clears the table for me, and helps put dinner things away.  

Mason gets a bath in the kitchen sink, followed by another feeding and goes down around 8:45pm.

9:00 PM

The house is quiet and hubby and I get a little snuggle time in front of the TV.  Around 10:30 or so I get ready for bed and finally call it a day.  The hubs often has homework, so I go to bed alone usually.  It’s been a fairly average up-and-down day and I am wiped out as usual.  

So there you have it!  A day in the life of me.  Every day I have to do a little battle with my perfectionism and try not to feel like not “doing it all” isn’t failure.  I try to squeeze in more love and play than fretting over cleaning, and I don’t always win that one.  It’s a crazy, full life right now for me, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!  Someday when I have time to write more and sew more I’ll miss these crazy days filled with the incessant sound of “mama?”.