A Day in My Life, Part 1 - aka An Answer to the Proverbial "What Do You Do All Day" Question

In line with feeling a bit nostalgic over how quickly Sammy seems to be growing these days, I thought it would be fun to jot down everything I do during the day (along with photographic evidence).  Because as tired as I am right now, I'm sure that won't even compare to how tired I'll feel a few years down the road, once Sammy actually becomes mobile.

While today was a pretty typical day. it definitely isn't how all my days flow.  Some days, we are busier - we'll have play dates, a baby class at the library, we'll visit with friends or run a bunch of errands.  Other days, we're not so busy, and I'll spend the majority of the day attempting to get in a nap.  Some days Sammy naps a ton, other days he barely naps at all.  But anyway, without further ado....

4:30 a.m. - After a few great nights of sleeping, Sammy has slept horribly the past week due to his new love of rolling (and getting stuck), and thus so have James and I.  On this particular morning, I give Sammy a bottle and diaper change, and then attempt to fall back asleep.  But that rarely happens, and this morning was no different.  Instead, I lay awake, check my e-mail, check Facebook, check Pinterest - all on my phone, and make to do lists in my head.

6:35 - Clearly not falling back asleep, I get up for the day.  I'm a morning person, and actually love having a few minutes to myself before the day starts, where I can have a cup of coffee in peace.

Sammy is still sleeping, according to my ears and the monitor.

I love our Keurig. Hazelnut coffee this morning.

We painted our kitchen yesterday.  I can't wait for James to wake up so we can start peeling off the tape and look at the finished product.

6:50 - I watch the local news and write out a grocery list.  (I'm going to made coconut madelines for my mom and sister later this week.) It's going to be sunny and 53 degrees today, according to Bob Maxon.  I then scroll through my blog reader.  Have you heard of the blog, A Country Farmhouse?  It's not updated too too often, but I love when it is as the pictures are gorgeous.  I dream of living in a farmhouse one day.

7:07 - Realize we have no clean bottles, and Sammy will need one soon after he wakes up.  I hate washing bottles.  While doing so, look out window and see teenage neighbor wearing a skirt as she walks to the bus stop.  Clearly she did not watch Bob Maxon's forecast.

I grab a banana for breakfast and watch a few minutes of The Today Show.  Today Charla Nash is revealing her new face after being mauled by Travis the chimp.  This is a story that James won't want to miss.

7:20 - Get dressed in workout clothes / half of outfit I had on yesterday.  It's Monday, so this morning I go to My Fit Mommy.  More about that in a bit.

Meanwhile, I hear the water boiling.  Ever since Sammy came down with a case of thrush the week he came home from the hospital, we boil all our bottles when our dishwasher isn't full.  Never did I imagine my All-Clad dutch oven being used to sterilize bottles.  A week or two ago, we forgot all about the bottles boiling away, and they all melted and fused together.  Luckily, James was able to salvage the All-Clad.

7:28 - Getting antsy to see paint job.  Start peeling tape.  Wonder if I'll be able to continue and document such minute details throughout the rest of the day.

7:40 - Wake James up.  Peer into Sammy's room, and miraculously enough, he's still sleeping.  Rarely does he sleep this late.  More tape peeling ensues.

8:00 - Daily morning call with my mom (aka Queenie).  It gets cut short as Sammy starts making noise.  During the next half hour, I get Sammy up, change his diaper, get him changed, play around a bit, tidy up Sammy's bedroom, make our bed, and throw in a first load of laundry.  Every Monday I clean our kitchen and do James' and my laundry.  As James is getting ready for work, I put Sammy in his jumperoo for a bit.

At 4:30 a.m., Sammy was still on his back.  He must have flipped.  Look at those hair swirls!

Red cheeks, clearly from his face plant into the sheets.

First diaper change of the day.  (Not counting the one at 4:30.)

Daddy says good morning.

Sammy has on a pretty plain outfit today, but it's comfortable and easy to put on him.  He is, however, wearing his new football socks!

Helping me make the bed. 

All done making the bed!

Still a little rosy cheeked!

Daddy says good-bye before departing for work.

I think James and I both would agree that mornings are our favorite time of the day with Sammy.  He almost always wakes up with a big smile on his face (as he did today, though it seems to disappear every time the camera comes out!), and just seems so happy and ready to start the day.

8:30 - James has left for work, and Sammy is bored of the jumperoo.  Time for his first bottle of the day.

8:50 - After his bottle, I make the executive decision to put a bib on Sammy as he's been spitting up a lot lately.  No more than 10 seconds later, he spits up, completely missing his bib, but instead getting his leg.  We move to his activity mat, where, instead of playing, he rolls.

I check my e-mail while Sammy is rolling / playing.  My running partner has e-mailed me saying that she just got in from a six-mile run.  She's down in sunny Florida for the week.  I silently curse her and debate how warm to dress Sammy for a quick trip outside.  I opt for a fleece sweatshirt and his new football hat.

9:15 - We arrive at Westfarms Mall for My Fit Mommy.  Don't be fooled by the name.  MFM is HARD.  It's a bootcamp-style class for moms (obviously).  We work out almost every part of the body, and there isn't one day that I don't leave in a sweat.  I try to go at least twice a week.  In warm weather months, class is held at a nearby recreation area.  In cold weather months, it's at the mall.  Today there are eight moms (and our babies).

Waiting for class to start.  He used to sleep throughout every class, but lately that's no longer the case.

10:15 - Sammy fell asleep halfway through class.  I hate leaving the mall as it always requires us walking by Sbarro.  Though I haven't eaten Sbarro pizza since my high school mall days, after a workout, it smells pretty good.

10:20 - Sammy is awake again, just in time for a stop at the grocery store.  I park obscenely far away from the store in order to grab a close cart.  Prior to having Sammy, I never had to think about things like how far carts are, or worry about leaving a child unattended in my car to grab the cart.

I always have a bit of anxiety when grocery shopping with him, even though he is almost always well behaved.  Today is no exception.  However, by the end of our trip, I'm annoyed and anxious to leave thanks to all the pre-turkey day traffic and a slew of slow-moving individuals.  Inevitably, I hit at least one person with my cart, as I can't see over the cart / car seat combo, and again, today is no exception.

My sentiments exactly.

10:40 - Arrive home, and Sammy has let out a few sleepy cries.  It's no wonder, considering how little he slept last night and how little he napped this morning.

While unloading the groceries, I put him in his Bumbo and he seems happy again.  (Though not so much when he sees me pull out the camera for the umpteenth time.)

10:50 - It's back to the activity mat for Sammy while I change the laundry.  In between flipping him over every time he rolls, I microwave my lunch.  I know - it's horrible, unhealthy and I should know better.  Um, at least it's organic?  I eat it while sitting on the floor next to Sammy's activity mat.

11:12 - Dinosaur-like screams erupt and it's time to move on to the next activity.  I remove the play mat, and Sammy "goes crazy".

11:20 - Time for diaper change and bottle #2.  I draw the shades and put on Sammy's sleep sheep in preparation for laying him down for a nap.  Usually he gets drowsy after his bottle, but today, he's fighting sleep.  I lay him down while he's still awake.  It's not going to go well.  I leave and start cleaning the kitchen.

11:47 - It's not going well.  Binky retrieval #1.  Continue cleaning kitchen.

11:49 - More crying.  Binky retrieval #2. 

11:51 - Again, crying.  I pick Sammy up out of crib and hold him for a few minutes.  Binky retrieval #3, and I reposition Sammy so that he's under his mobile.  This is a tried and true Daddy trick.  

11:57 - Back to the kitchen, though at this point, Sleep Sheep is starting to make ME tired.

12:05 - Cleaning the kitchen didn't take too long today, as we cleaned a lot of it yesterday after painting.  Let's admire our new color!

Benjamin Moore's "Hazy Skies," as enhanced by the lovely Bumbo and Sammy's new high chair.

Sammy is soon crying again - hard.  I resort to my Bad Mom tactic of putting him in his car seat and lug it into the bathroom so that I can (finally) shower.  Hope I don't scar him for life by bringing him into the bathroom with me.  

12:20 - Done with shower.  Someone is still awake.  He's calm though, and watches me put on makeup and blow-dry my hair (which is a rarity these days).  I come dangerously close to wearing leggings for the umpteenth day in a row, but alas, the guilt hits.  It's bad enough that I practically live in my slippers now.  

Those are jeans, not leggings.

12:35 - I decide to take Sammy for a walk.  It's a sunny day out and we won't have too many more opportunities to do so once winter hits.  Besides, it turns out that the weatherman was wrong.  It's nearly 70 degrees in the sun!  Days like this, I do not miss the confines of the cubicle.

12:52 - Halfway through our walk, Sammy has finally fallen asleep.  Look at that little face!

Are you completely bored out of your mind yet?  If not, stay tuned for Part 2....