A Day In The Life: Toddler and a Newborn

Today we’re chatting about the average day with two under two at home. On this particular day the kids are 2 months and 19 months. I am very sleep deprived. 
 
 

Life with two kids under two is never the same and I’m still working on getting on a set schedule.

At this point the kids are just under 2 months and 19 months. I share more day in the life schedule posts you can find linked at the end of this post!

Each day is different right now, but here’s how one day last week went. Right now I love when both kids are awake and happy together and I’m looking forward to when Adelaide’s sleep schedule is a bit more predictable.

A Day in the Life: August 2016

a random day that Ben, my husband, was working

3:13  My very cute and very hungry alarm clock goes off. I hear Adelaide crying from the other room and fall out of bed (literally, our mattress is so high off the ground that I fall a few inches to the floor). I put a pacifier in her mouth before walking to the kitchen to make a bottle. We snuggle, burp, and have a diaper change before she’s back in her mamaRoo (I have grand plans to transition her back to her bassinet soon but when all our company was here, she didn’t have her own room so she ended up sleeping in the mamaRoo a lot and it worked so well I haven’t had the courage to switch back).

3:46 I’m back in bed and quickly fall asleep.

6:38 The alarm clock is at it again and Ben is already at work, so I’m up again to reinsert a pacifier and prep a bottle. While she eats I scroll through instagram and catch up on a bit of scripture reading (I’m trying to be better about getting this in before my day starts).

7:02 Adelaide is back in her mamaRoo but probably not sleeping yet. I switch her noise machine from the womb sounds to the “shhhing” and crawl back into my bed.

7:05 Reinsert pacifier.

7:05 Get back into bed.

7:25 I hear Lincoln start to wake up in his crib. I roll over and catch a few more minutes of sleep.

7:42 I head into Lincoln’s room, turning on the lights, and ask him how his night was, what he dreamt about. We giggle and play peekaboo while I turn off his sound machine and open the curtains (usually while singing “Oh what a beautiful morning!” – Oklahoma anyone?).

7:44 Lincoln gets a diaper change and plays on the floor with cars while I talk to him from the glider.

7:54 Lincoln decides it’s time for breakfast and points eagerly to the hallway. We walk to the kitchen, holding hands, and I help him into his high chair. He starts with a fruit pouch while I figure out what we’re having for breakfast.

7:56 I’m interrupted by an insistent Lincoln pointing down the hall and saying “sish!” “sish!” (sister) and realize Adelaide has woken up for the morning. I attempt to finish the rest of my breakfast one handed while bouncing a baby in my lap.

8:15 I quickly switch into workout clothes and tie Adelaide into the baby wrap. I load Lincoln into the stroller and turn on a podcast (either the BBC world news or the newest Creative Empire episode). After a mile or so I let Lincoln get out and walk and put Adelaide in the stroller (unless she’s fallen asleep). We point out the grass, the cars, the mailboxes, and every single leaf that Lincoln sees on the road.

8:58 We’re home and I put Adelaide down for a nap while Lincoln drinks some water. Lincoln plays on the living room floor while I clean up in the kitchen before helping him “feed” his stuffed animals.

9:45 Adelaide wakes up and Lincoln runs down the hall to help get her. He giggles next to me on the couch while we read a book and feed her a bottle. Then Adelaide has some wiggle time on the floor while we play with cars or work on “writing.”

10:12 Lincoln tries to share his morning snack with Adelaide. I explain for the thirteenth time that he’s being very nice, but babies only drink milk and can’t have crackers or cheerios yet.

11: 13 Lincoln throws a stuffed animal at me (or Adelaide) and spends a few minutes alone in his room (playing happily – I’m still trying to get a handle on any kind of discipline over here).

12:02 Adelaide is back up from another nap and Lincoln eats a sandwich in his high chair. I don’t bother trying to eat but start counting down the minutes till nap time.

12:25 I strap Adelaide back into the mamaRoo and walk with Lincoln down to his room. He drinks his bottle while I change his diaper, close the curtains, straighten up, and turn on his noise machine (“his ocean” as we call it). We finish the bottle in his glider while I sing a song. When he’s done he reaches for his crib and I cover him with a blanket before leaving the room.

12:33 It’s time to get Adelaide down for another nap and I top her off with a few more ounces in hopes that she’ll sleep for a long time.

12:50  Both kids are down and I’m due for a nap myself. I spend a few minutes responding to emails before crawling into bed.

1:20 I curse myself for not putting a sign on the door asking the delivery man to not ring the doorbell. Luckily, I’m the only one who woke up. I go back to sleep.

2:30 I hear someone, and it takes me a sleepy minute to figure out if it’s Lincoln or Adelaide. It’s Lincoln, so I let him play for a few minutes in his crib before getting up.

2:41 Lincoln is up and playing and we build towers, read books, and throw balls while Adelaide naps. Lincoln has just learned how to really jump, getting both feet off the ground, and he practices while I cheer him on.

3:26 Adelaide is up and I connect my phone to our bluetooth speaker and turn up the Taylor Swift. Lincoln giggles as we twirl around the living room and I laugh as he shows off his dance moves on top of the couch. I take a mental picture because these are the moments in motherhood that I want to remember always.

3:50 We need to brave the grocery store this afternoon because we’re almost out of milk and by the time Ben gets home just before 9, I really won’t want to run to the store. We load up both kids and I’m sure to stick my ring sling in the car.

3:56 The “you’ve got your hands full” comments and curious stares are not in short supply as we walk from the car to the store. Adelaide is snuggled up in the sling and Lincoln wants to pause and point out every car in the parking lot.

4:42 We’re home, Adelaide is down for her last nap and Lincoln and I facetime my sister while we kill time before I can start dinner (macaroni and cheese with some frozen veggies for good measure).

5:57 I clean up dinner while Lincoln plays in the living room (the kitchen is separated from the living room by a two-way fireplace) until Adelaide is up again. After a bit of playing with both of them, I change her into pajamas, swaddle her up, and feed her a bottle.

6:47 I put Adelaide down for the night. She isn’t having it.

6:51 I go back in and soothe her, reinserting the pacifier and turning up the volume on her noise machine.

6:55 I try a few more drinks of milk and she’s out. Her eyes flutter open as I lie her down but she goes right back to sleep.

7:02 I start Lincoln’s bath, and he comes running into the bathroom. He plays in the tub, listening to scripture scouts, while I straighten up the house, checking back in every 2 minutes or so.

7:20 I bring his jammies, diaper, and bottle into the bathroom and get him out. He drinks while I dry him off, put on his diaper, and massage a little baby lotion into his legs. When I’m done he asks for more so we spend a few more minutes on the floor of the bathroom. When he’s done with his milk we put his pajamas on and brush his teeth.

7:33 I carry Lincoln into his room where we sing a song before putting him in his crib. He’s not incredibly tired so he stands up quickly but waves goodnight to me as I leave the room. I hear him playing in his crib for at least another fifteen minutes.

7:51 The house is straightened and I sit down with a bag of pretzels at my computer for a little bit more work before Ben gets home. I edit pictures for tomorrow’s blog post and finish up the copy.

8:39 I hear the garage door open and head to the kitchen to meet Benjamin. We grab a snack before curling up for an episode of White Collar on Netflix. Ben tries to get a little work done on applications and I catch up on instagram but by the time the episode is over we’re both ready to sleep.

9:50 We brush our teeth and turn off the lights before falling asleep.

 

Previous “Day in the life” posts: 

 

with a baby and a toddler it can be hard to find a routine so here's a glimpse into the daily schedule of a stay at home mom with two under twowith a baby and a toddler it can be hard to find a routine so here's a glimpse into the daily schedule of a stay at home mom with two under two (newborn + toddler)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Comments

  1. That was so fun to read. I love watching youtube vblogs of a day in a life. Makes me feel I can compare to someone out there in my shoes. Makes me feel better. Although monotonous every single day, its only a season in our lives I remind myself. Today, we braved the mall play area to get out of the house. Too hot outside where I live, and I ended up buying some stuff. Mall=tempation. Nonetheless, we all had fun. Good to get out of house once in awhile and get change of scenery. Grocery shopping often feels like a chore, lol.

  2. I am so impressed that you get tour wee one down for the night as 7pm. Getting my one down before 11pm just doesn't happen yet – she is nearly 13 weeks and daytime naps are still hit and miss as to how and where they happen. I know a routine would work better for her and us but I am really struggling to get one in place!

  3. Pingback: Day in the Life: 2 month old, 3 year old, 4 year old | Elisabeth McKnight
  4. You seriously get your newborn of 2 months to bed until 3am at 7pm!!? What’s your secret..