A day in the life: 8 months and 25 months
Here’s another “day in the life” post to document life right now with Ben’s bizarre schedule and an 8 and 25 month old. It’s fun to go back and look at the same post from almost exactly one year ago, when it was just Lincoln and Ben was working regular hours. I can’t say we’ve settled into a routine over here but we have found a bit more of a rhythm and I love to see how far we’ve come from the last “day in the life” post I did in August when Adelaide was just two months.
7:21 I hear Adelaide stir and notice their is light streaming in through the windows. She didn’t wake up last night! She has a cold so I was convinced we wouldn’t be sleeping through the night this week.
7:22 I nudge Ben and ask if he’ll go get her. I let him know she’ll need a diaper change and a bottle ( in part because I don’t expect him to remember these things when he’s half asleep, but mostly because I often get up with her around 5 or so and he gets up with her when she wakes up for the day– If she’s eaten or been changed within the last hour and a half he doesn’t have to worry about that right away).
7:23 I listen to make sure she stops fussing and then roll over and go back to sleep.
7:55 She’s fussing again and I can’t figure out why Ben isn’t doing anything. And then I hear Lincoln. I think a few thoughts of gratitude (as a shortened version of this morning routine) and get up.
7:56 Adelaide is in the living room (no longer fussing) and Lincoln if finished with his diaper change and eating a pouch in his high chair. I grab some blocks from Lincoln’s room and build towers with her while Ben helps Lincoln with breakfast.
8:11 Lincoln joins in on the tower building fun on the floor.
8:14 Lincoln tries to push Adelaide over.
8:14 I carry Lincoln to his room. He squirms. He asks for Dad (but he doesn’t cry, because he knows the typical outcome of trying to push his sister — it happens once or twice a day now).
8:14 I shut the door, Lincoln in his room alone, and continue building towers with Adelaide.
8:16 I walk back down the hall to Lincoln’s room. He’s sitting in his glider holding a plane. I explain to him that it’s important that Adelaide feel safe and loved in our home. He says, “YES!” I ask if he can be kind and gentle with her. Another, “YES!” I ask him to go say sorry to Adelaide and give her a kiss.
8:17 Lincoln hurries out to the living room where, using his very high pitched voice he reserves only for Adelaide and dogs, says “Sowwy sis! Sowwy sis.” and gives the air an inch above her head a kiss.
8:17 The tower building continues. But Lincoln’s into throwing the blocks now. And I play blocker as I protect Adelaide’s face from the wood.
8:22 Lincoln has wandered off to find a book, or a car, or something else.
8:25 Adelaide is fussing again, so we work on her standing and sign a few songs. Lincoln joins in.
8:42 She’s only been awake for an hour and a half but she’s sick, so I take Adelaide back to her room for a nap.
8:43 I zip her into her sleep sack, close her curtains, and turn on her white noise. She’s not thrilled. I bounce her on the exercise ball for a minute or two before lying her down. She’s still not thrilled but I leave anyway.
8:44 I set the stopwatch on my phone and sit on the couch with Lincoln. He asks to see pictures of Mom & Dad so I pull up my instagram and instead scroll through pictures of baby Lincoln with him.
8:47 I check the stopwatch. Adelaide is still fussing but it’s been three minutes so I go back to instagram with Lincoln.
8:51 I notice she’s stopped fussing and I presume she’s fallen asleep. I make a mental note to set up the video monitor that we haven’t used in our house since Lincoln.
9:02 Lincoln and I read another story on the couch.
9:15 I put on gym clothes while Ben wrangles Lincoln into something, despite his repeated request for “Jammies gym.”
9:16 I ponder Lincoln’s response of, “why” and try to articulate just why I won’t let my toddler rock the footie pajamas to the gym today (because, I’m not sure he can remember, but he used to wear them to the gym all the time).
9:27 I pull the trigger and purchase plane tickets for a trip within a trip we’re taking next month.
10:02 I think I hear Adelaide and I walk in to find a very happy baby just waking up.
10:21 After diaper changes, a bottle, and a quick restock of the diaper bag, we load up everyone for the gym.
10:38 We close the door of the gym daycare behind us, Lincoln happily playing with cars and Adelaide smiling in the bouncer. Freedom.
11:40 We pick up the babies and swing by Lowes for a few clear totes on our way home.
11:57 Ben jumps on a call and I feed the kids lunch (leftovers from dinner last night).
12:03 Lincoln asks for more hexagons (pecans).
12:03 Adelaide politely reminds me she would like some more sweet potato by squawking.
12:24 Lincoln rolls trains around the kitchen floor while I stack dishes in the sink.
12:38 Adelaide sits in the glider in Lincoln’s room while I rub his back and sign a short song as he drifts off in his crib. He’s selected a toy car and a level to sleep with this afternoon.
12:45 I bounce Adelaide on the exercise ball before putting her down. She still isn’t thrilled but she isn’t crying so I leave.
12:58 I notice Adelaide has stopped talking to herself as I’m eating my lunch (that is now cold, because I heated it up at 12:03 to eat with the kids).
1:10 I sit down at the computer to catch up on a few things while Ben works on the first coat of paint in the bathroom. I get distracted looking up potential tours for a trip within a trip I booked earlier this morning.
1:50 I retrieve Lincoln’s sheep for him. He’s awake but still lying in his crib so I leave him be.
2:20 I hear Adelaide talking again. Another nap cut short by a dirty diaper. At least she’s in a good mood.
2:23 I sneak into Lincoln’s room for wipes. He’s still playing in his crib in the mostly dark room. I leave him be.
2:31 I leave Adelaide with Ben and head to get dressed when I hear Lincoln calling out. I get him out of his crib and we build towers with him in my lap with Adelaide for a few minutes.
2:40 I throw on jeans and a tee shirt, put pants on Lincoln, and grab a few things we need to mail to my sister.
2:43 I pull out of the garage with only one carseat full to run errands.
2: 51 We pull into the post office and Lincoln insists on walking up the stairs by himself. A kind man holds open the door for us and with only one child in tow, I wonder why I ever let having one baby keep me from doing things (but I did, I did).
2:53 We wait in line at the post office. And by we I mean me, Lincoln is running around the whole room checking out all the PO boxes and naming them something unintelligible.
3:03 Our package is mailed and we’re walking back to the car, talking about the “small mail boxes” and the place where the mail truck gets all the mail.
3:58 The wind blows a bag out of our grocery cart and into the parking lot. I ask a stranger to hold my cart (the cart with a big yellow car on the front that Lincoln is driving) so it doesn’t also blow away as I grab the little easter decorations off the ground (they blew right up to someone’s tire). The wind today is no joke.
3:58 Lincoln starts crying because he’s scared of the wind.
4:04 We pull back into the garage, happy to be able to close the door behind us before unloading all of the groceries. The wind is crazy.
4:05 Ben hands off the baby who is very excited to see me (ever since I left for a week in Palm Springs at the end of January she has been increasingly clingy).
4:20 I read books to Lincoln, with Adelaide on my lap, while he plays on the floor of his room.
4:41 Ben and I commit to a “cleaning party.” We set a timer and I start on the living room and he takes the kitchen.
4:43 I strap Adelaide into the Ergo and switch Ben for the kitchen.
5:02 Lincoln asks for a granola bar and bursts into tears when I say no. It’s time to start dinner.
5:03 Ben plays with both kids in the living room while I roast broccoli in the oven and cut up onion and sausage to go over our pasta.
5:24 We sit down to dinner, and Lincoln names each item we are eating three or four times.
5:43 I brush on a little bit of mascara and powder before zipping up booties and running out the door.
5:57 I pull into the church parking lot. First time I’ve been three minutes EARLY to this weekly meeting in awhile.
7:01 I get youth group started (at home Ben is probably playing with Lincoln after Adelaide has gone to sleep).
7:38 I perform the Hoedown Throw Down with one of the girls. We didn’t have anything prepared but I still know all those dance moves.
8:43 I pull back into the garage and find Ben back at work in the bathroom.
8:52 I sit down to make a little more progress on this post and get distracted checking email, facebook, and pinterest.
9:46 I push publish before heading off to do the dishes.
10:04 I’ll curl up in bed with a bowl of Lucky Charms and convince Ben we should watch a show, even though we should really just go to sleep. I’ll scroll instagram through half of it and then remember I’m trying to be more intentional about using my phone and put it away.
10:57 I’ll check my phone one last time before climbing into bed, praying Adelaide sleeps just as well tonight as she did last night.
Notes: Today is a Wednesday but Ben worked full shifts on Monday and Tuesday and he’s on all weekend so he has two days off in the middle of the week. If Adelaide wasn’t sick I would have put her down for her nap a little bit later and woken her up after only half an hour so we could still make it to the gym and be home for lunch by 11:45. I also had grand plans for us to go to the library this afternoon. Clearly that didn’t happen. All photos are from Sunday afternoon — but if you want a few videos from today, they’ll be on my instastory for another few hours.
P.S. Adelaide’s little jumper and Lincoln’s jacket were a sweet gift from Blu & Blue (adorable and the quality is fantastic).
