Friday, June 15, 2012

my life

I love when other people do "a day in the life" posts. Its fun to catch a glimpse into everyday, ordinary life for other people. And I will admit, when I was working full time and just dreaming about a baby of my own, I would sometimes get jealous of the lives of moms. Did the job seem hard? Yes. But so fulfilling. I was longing for that life. And now I cant believe I have it. Pinch me.

It may be mundane or boring for some. And it can be for me at times too. But I love my days. More than I ever have before. I am so thankful I get to spend my day at home with Kate. For a long time (like everyday for the past three months) I couldn't even imagine starting work again. How would I get things done? Would the baby nap? Would I still be able to make dinner every night? But like everything, God seems to work it all out. I only have two weeks under my belt, but so far I am enjoying being a work at home mom. I am able to take a few hours each day and think about something other than cleaning the house, diapers, nursing, etc. I feel part of a team again, talk with adults, and try to produce thoughtful work. It may not be the best for everyone, but its good for me.

So here is my typical day:

3:30 am - I can hear Kate on the monitor. Something I am thankful for - Kate never wakes up crying. She usually just grunts or makes little noises. I realize this will probably change, so I am very thankful for it now. Helps make these early, early nursing sessions much more enjoyable.

6:30 or 7:00 - Baby wakes up and Peter goes in to get her. She is so happy and smiley in the morning and I know he treasures these moments. He brings her in to me and I nurse her in bed. Some mornings we play in bed for a little bit. Other mornings, she is ready to go go go and wants nothing to do with lounging around in bed.

7:00-8:00 - I fix coffee (essential, currently with Almond Joy creamer) and some breakfast while Kate plays on her activity mat. Playing involves rolling over, chewing on her toes, and sucking on her hands. I check my work email now too.

8:30 - Nurse her again if she needs it, get dressed and ready to go for a walk. I love these morning walks and if we miss one for some reason I feel like my whole day is off. Sometimes I walk, sometimes I jog (more like wog), but I always take my coffee. If I time it right, Kate takes about a 45 minute nap, which is great. If I time it wrong, she cries and tries to launch herself out of the stroller. One these days, we make it to the end of the street and then come back home.

9:30/10:00 - Come home, nurse baby, shower, play. This is usually when I strap Kate in the Bjorn and pick up the house and do laundry. I also try to make my lunch now, so its ready to go after I put her down for a nap.

12:00 - Kate starts to get a little bored of our housework and gets restless. I can usually get a few more minutes out of her by playing with her on the floor. But things tend to go downhill quickly. This means one thing. Nap time. Finally.


12:30 - 4:00 - I close the blinds, turn the noise machine on, and swaddle Kate from the chest down (arms out since she is rolling over in her sleep). I nurse Kate and put her in her crib, usually not quite fully asleep, and head straight to my office. After reading a few articles about working from home I decided to follow a common suggestion - have a separate office space. This means I do all of my work in there. Not on the couch, not in my bed. It works for me. Usually during her nap, Kate is visited by the 45 minute intruder. Almost like clockwork, 45 minutes after she falls asleep, she starts crying. She is not really awake, so I check on her and just let her cry it out. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes. But she always falls back asleep eventually. And she averages about 3-3.5 hours. This is wonderful for my work schedule and I am so very thankful. When her naps change, I will have to do some adjusting as well.


4:00 - Baby wakes up all smiles. She moves around in her sleep alot, so its always fun to see where she wakes up. Nurse, play, and wait for Daddy to come home.

5:30 - Peter gets home and plays with the baby while I make dinner. She loves to be in the Bjorn with him so he either takes her and Scully for a walk now, or waits till after dinner and we all go together. I nurse her again and we play till the witching hour hits.


8:00 - Things start to get a bit more hairy around here. We can usually squeeze a few more minutes of happiness out of Kate by playing with Scully in the backyard. Then its bathtime and our bedtime routine.

8:30 - I nurse her before bed and lay her down in her crib. Some nights she doesnt make a peep. Other nights, she promptly wakes up and proceeds to roll around her crib for a while. Peter and I (he is better than me) goes in and tries to calm her down. This usually works (that and letting her cry it out) and she falls asleep, waking up once around 3:00 am for a little snack. I feel a little worried sharing this. Like I am going to jinx it or something. But right now, Kate is a pretty good sleeper and we are very thankful. I know once she hits a growth spurt or starts teething things will probably change. But for right now, this is typical. And I want to remember this :) (you all have permission to laugh at me when this all changes in a month and I am up every hour)

9:00 - I finish up any work, check emails, and watch tv with Peter. Then I usually pass out on the couch, only to have to drag my exhausted self to bed.

 I hope to record more of my days. As our life evolves I think it will fun to look back and see what my typical day was like as a work from home mom of a 3.5 month old.



2 comments:

Sra. Brooks said...

Fun! I love reading these too.

Olive Oyl said...

Love this! So glad she is taking a longer nap for you in the afternoon so you can work.