Day In The Life - Winter Edition

Once again, I'm participating in Navigating the Mothership's quarterly Day In The Life blog session. I chose to document Friday, February 17 but haven't had a chance to write about my day until now.

Friday, February 17

12:05am and 4:22am

I hear Tory cry from her crib in the next room. I roll out of bed, stumble into the nursery and nurse her back to sleep. We're still not sleeping through the night over here - not even close - but we're slowly moving in a positive direction. Last night she slept for a 5 hour stretch from 7:30pm - Midnight and another 4 hour stretch from Midnight - 4:00am. That's pretty good in my book.

6:47am

Tory's crying from her crib. I go into her room to soothe her back to sleep again but of course, she's wide awake. The nanny says she sleeps until 8:30am or so most days, but this almost never happens for me. It's like Tory knows when Friday rolls around and Mommy's home. Anyway, I change her diaper and trim her fingernails. Girlfriend has my nails and they grow so quickly! I usually trim them every Friday morning after she's scratched and pinched my face all week long during her feedings.

7:28am

I bring Tory into my room and we snuggle in bed for a bit. 

I have a lot to accomplish today so I make a list while Tory lays beside me: 

• Trim my fingernails
• Give Tory a bath
• Sweep / mop
• Wipe kitchen counter tops
• Vacuum
• Steam bottles and breast pump parts
• Pack for cabin
• Laundry
• Haircut
• Pay nanny

8:00am

Usually I give Tory a bath at bedtime but since we're heading to the cabin this weekend, I decide to give her one before we go. I gather a baby towel, big bath towel, washcloth, baby lotion, a diaper, a onesie, an outfit - and the baby! -  and carry everything to the bathroom. I feel like Rachel Ray on 30 Minute Meals when she carries all her groceries to the counter at once. Why don't you just make two trips, I always say! (I have no idea why I don't make two trips).

I run water into her pink bathtub and undress her.

Tory loves bath time and she splashes and plays in the water. Usually I let her play as long as she likes, but we've got a lot to do this morning. I wash her, towel her dry and dress her.

8:28am

Tory starts to cry. We sit in the rocking chair together, I nurse her and lay her down for a nap.

8:47am

Ok, she's asleep! Chances are, I have an hour or less to get dressed, brush my teeth, eat breakfast and power-clean the house. I find myself paralyzed in the moment as I assess what to do first. I rush into my bedroom, pick out some clothes and get ready.

After I'm dressed, I make some oatmeal and a cup of coffee. I try to eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast to sustain my milk supply. Oatmeal's not my favorite, but this brand is actually pretty tasty. Abundance - check it out. 

9:00am

Tory's still sleeping. Quick! I bust out the broom and sweep the upstairs wood floors. Andi's family was over last night and I couldn't help but notice (and be completely embarrassed) as we ate dinner and I could see all the crumbs and dirt on my kitchen floor. GAH. Next, I grab some Windex and wipe down kitchen counter tops, the stove top and appliances. I unload the dishwasher and throw in a load of laundry. Sh**! In the mix of my cleaning, I find a card from the DMV tossed with some junk mail on the shelf. My driver's license expired on my birthday WHICH WAS MONDAY. Crap! Crap! Crap! Why do I always lose track of these things? I Google the telephone number to the closest DMV office to see if I have to re-take the driving test, written test or both. Lord, please don't let me have to ...

  

... Phew! I don't have to. The lady on the other end of the line says I can just renew it if I come down to the office right away. I'll have to add this to my "to do" list today.

I swap a few text messages with friends and notice a work email pop up on my Blackberry. It's a message from my boss and she's responding to a request I sent to her on Tuesday. My shoulders weigh down when I realize I'll have to find time to pull out my laptop, locate an email, fix a file and email it back to her by the end of the day. If I don't, I won't meet the Monday deadline (since I won't be back to work until Tuesday). 

10:10am

Work will have to wait because Tory's awake. I go into her nursery, change her pants and lay her on a blanket as I pack up her clothes for the weekend. Then I carry all of her things into my room, set them on the bed and bring her into my room so she can help me pack. A pang of mommy-guilt sweeps over me as I realize Tory and I have yet to play together this morning. I hate days when tasks take over quality time with my baby girl. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind. We chit-chat while we pack clothes for the cabin.

11:00am

Enough busy work; time for playing. I carry Tory into the playroom and we read stories, practice rolling over and play toys.

11:20am

Buzz! Time to change the laundry. I carry Tory downstairs and lay her down on a blanket. I keep a special set of toys in the laundry room just for this occasion and she's happy to wiggle on the floor and play with her rattle while I fold a pile of clothes. While I fold, we talk about how big she's growing. "Time to pack away our favorite fuzzy pink pajamas," I tell her. "Oooh, look at these pretty new jammies from Nana," I say. Tory's very intrigued.

11:50am

Lunch time! I place Tory in her high chair and mix up some rice cereal for her. She doesn't seem very hungry and only finishes half the portion.

Noon

Nap time. Tory and I sit in the nursery and I nurse her to sleep. I'd love to cuddle her and read The Hunger Games on my Kindle, but I have a hair appointment in a half hour. The nanny's coming over to watch Tory for a few hours. I hear her car pull up so I lay Tory down in her crib and run to the door before Chloe has a barking meltdown.

12:15pm

I update the Nanny on Tory's last feeding and sleep schedule and rush out the door.

12:30pm

My ghetto Blackberry doesn't have a map feature, so I fumble to read my chicken-scratch directions on a piece of paper as I make my way to a new salon. It's the first time in 5 years I'm seeing someone new for a haircut and I'm a little nervous. Especially since I'm going to the DMV to get a new driver's license after this. No pressure or anything. 

Im feeling extra frumpy as I wait for my new hairstylist. Is that lady really wearing a leopard-print skirt, black tights and high heels? Yes, yes she is. I'm feeling a little under dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans. Mental note: find some style. 

While I'm waiting, I take a work phone call. I still haven't had a chance to get to a computer to fix the file and send it over to my boss. I'll need to find time this afternoon which upsets me because I don't work Fridays and this will cut into my quality time with Tory this afternoon. Grrrr.

12:45pm

My stylist, Jill, comes over to greet me. We make small talk, I explain how I'd like my hair cut and she gets to work. We talk about work, our families and weekend plans. Et voila! A fresh hair cut and it's exactly what I asked for. I like it, and I like her. I'll definitely come back again.

1:30pm

Next I head to the DMV to renew my driver's license. I put on an extra happy smile and pray the same worker I speak with agrees with the lady I talked to earlier on the phone. I'm really not prepared to take the driver's test today. Please, please, please don't let me have to....

Surprisingly, the line's short and it only takes me 20 minutes to fill out my renewal paperwork and wait for my turn. The DMV worker was nice (I wouldn't say extremely but they're not suppose to be, right?). I hand her my paperwork, bat my eyes and smile and she tells me it'll be $24. Sweet! No testing needed. She snaps my new driver's license picture and I'm on my way out the door. It'll be 3-5 weeks before my new license arrives in the mail so I'll be carrying around a snipped license and papers until then, but whatever. 

2:00pm

Back home, I recap the last two hours with the nanny. Tory's slept most of the time I was away and she's wide awake and ready to play now. The nanny leaves and Tory and I head into the playroom for more toys and books. First though, I've got to fix that file for my boss so I drag my laptop onto the floor next to her and search my email for the document. Of course I can't locate it so I email back and forth with someone in our corporate office to re-send it. Tory's fussing and clearly not happy I'm not paying attention to her. I finally get the file, make the changes and email it to my boss. 

2:30pm

Now it's play time. I read some of Tory's favorite books aloud and we cuddle on the floor together. Andi calls and says he'll be home soon. We decide to leave for the cabin before rush-hour if at all possible.

3:30pm

Daddy's home! Andi and I rush around to pack up our things. I change Tory into some pajamas so she's more comfortable for the drive and we head off to the cabin.

4:00pm

We're finally on the road but stuck in traffic. Thankfully, Tory is asleep in her car seat so Andi and I take a deep breath and catch up on our day. Holy crap, I'm tired. I feel like I've been running around crazy today.

5:00pm

That didn't last long. We made it out of the city limits but Tory's awake and she's getting restless. She still isn't a big fan of her car seat. I throw various toys her way but it's not working. We decide to stop half-way in St. Croix Falls.

5:15pm

Andi runs into Walmart to pick up a few groceries and I move to the backseat to nurse Tory. It's not the first time I've fed my baby in a Walmart parking lot, probably won't be my last. Even though Andi parked waaaay back in the lot so I could have a little privacy, a young guy pulls in next to our car a few minutes later. Why, dude? Out of all the parking spots around here, why must you choose this one directly next to the place where I sit with half my shirt on?   

5:45pm

My sweet, sweet husband finally speaks my language. I see him barreling through the parking lot pushing a shopping cart toward our car. He finally understands time is of the essence when I'm waiting in the car with the baby. He shopped as fast as he could and I'm so grateful. Plus, he even bought me a Boppy pillow to keep at the cabin since I forgot mine at home this trip. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

On the road again.

6:10pm

We're nearing the cabin and Tory's growing increasingly frustrated by her car seat. I throw all my "baby be quiet" tricks at her but they're quickly falling short.

6:30pm

The cabin! I carry Tory inside and Andi unloads all of our stuff into the house. Man, husband of the year over here!

6:45pm

I whip up some rice cereal for Tory and Andi holds her on his lap while I attempt to feed her. It's not the greatest arrangement and I make a mental note to purchase one of the those portable high chair/booster seats for the cabin. Tory's more interested in looking around than eating her dinner so we throw in the towel. I clean her up, take her down to our bedroom and nurse her to sleep. Meanwhile, Andi heats up the Papa Murphy's pizza he bought for dinner.

7:15pm

Andi has a cold beer waiting for me when I return upstairs. I dish up some pizza and fries and take a drink of my ice cold Spotted Cow. Ah, cabin life.

7:45pm

Andi and I laugh and talk. We share some ice cream and read books on our Kindles. This is our heaven.

8:15pm

Our friends Derrick and Ellie arrive. We sit in the living room and talk with them for an hour or so before calling it a night. It's been a busy, exhausting day but we've got a relaxing weekend at the cabin ahead of us.  

9:30pm

As Andi and I crawl into bed, Tory begins to stir in her pack n' play. I decide to get up and feed her because I know she'll cry out just as I fall asleep if I don't. She eats and goes right back to sleep.

10:00pm

Good night!