DITL: Fall 2012

Oh, Day In The Life posts, how I love you.

It's 7:36pm and I'm snuggled into bed. It's finally time to relax and reflect on the day. Andi's gone tonight so I shall drink my glass of wine (okay fine, my second glass of wine) and relive my day through photos.

Wednesday, October 17 
 - Working Mom Day -

5:02am
My day started like most do, with an alarm buzzing and a swift tap to cancel the noise. I showered last night because I had a sneaking suspicion I wouldn't be very interested in waking up before dawn to get ready for work. I was right, how insightful.

5:42am
Snooze, snooze, snooze again. I drift in and out of consciousness. I force myself out of bed because I know the sounds of stirring baby aren't far into the future. I tiptoe around the bedroom, making the bed and opening the closet door quietly to pick out something to wear today.

5:52am
... and right on cue, my little Tory Bean cries out from her bedroom next door. I hurry to finish dressing and putting on makeup before I greet her good morning.

5:58am
I bring Tory over to her changing table and begin to discard her 17 pound nighttime diaper when I hear Andi walking down the hall. He comes into kiss us good-bye as he's leaving for a boy's trip to Canada today. Tory's still not fully awake and grunts at the feeling of Daddy's whiskers against her soft cheek.

6:07am
Andi leaves for work and Tory and I walk out into the kitchen to let Chloe outside to use the doggie facilities. I notice Chloe's dog bowls are empty again and Tory and I work together to feed her. Tory gets a big kick out of pouring the dog food into Chloe's bowl and for the most part, she's a pretty good aim. I'm waiting for the day she attempts to sample a piece of dog food but so far, so good.

6:15am
I spend the next 10 minutes or so frantically cleaning up the kitchen before the nanny arrives. I have this weird panic-attack phobia about people visiting my house when it's dirty. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't share the same feelings and there are last night's dishes on the counter, an empty soda bottle and sippy cups waiting to be washed next to the sink. I worked late last night and Andi was on daddy duty so that explains the chaos.

6:30am
I begin to make Tory breakfast - butter toast and a banana - when the nanny arrives. We recap yesterday's events since Andi relieved her yesterday afternoon and chat for a bit before I head off to work. Tory's starting to become more aware of her surroundings now, and cries when I put on my shoes and head out the door. It breaks my heart when I leave her like that, but I know she's in good hands and it only makes it worse if I hang around longer.

6:42am
Off to work. During my commute, I listen to the news on satellite radio. We cut out cable last year, so my commute time is my chance to catch up on the day's news. Today's mostly about last night's presidential debate which I didn't watch so I'm learning about for the first time.

7:00am
My work desk. The observant reader will note the new office chair and carpet which was recently installed. Really moving up in the world, aren't I?

7:15am
I kind of fall down a rabbit hole of web browsing for the first few minutes at my desk. It always takes my brain a few minutes to adjust to critical thinking before I'm ready to tackle email and the like. I *may* have freaked out a bit on my student intern yesterday for adjusting my office chair without my permission. It's the little things in life, you know? I can let a lot of things slide, but there's nothing that gets me fired up more than coming back to work on Tuesday and having my office chair all jacked up. I don't care if people use my desk while I'm out of the office, but at least they can have the courtesy to leave my desk and chair as they found it, right? Okay, end rant. I may have labeled my chair with a sticky note to reiterate my earlier point. I'm serious about this, it's annoying.

9:00am
Oh, thank goodness! My office buddy sends me a text message and asked if I'd like a Starbucks beverage on her way into the office. YES PLEASE! Free Starbucks may be the best thing about my current job. That, and the warm private bathroom at our main office. It's heavenly in there.

9:38am
My day of shuffling crap around campus begins. I rush over to one of our food courts to deliver survey materials to one of the interns. While I'm there, I mail Halloween cards to all my nieces and little cousins. One major benefit of working on a large college campus is the city-like atmosphere. I love having a few post offices (with no lines!) within walking distance of my work space.

10:30am
I arrive at another food court and set up a marketing table for surveying. I'm not jazzed about standing around at a table for the next hour or so, asking people to take a customer satisfaction survey but you do what you gotta do.

12:00pm
After the student intern arrives, I grab lunch for my co-workers and I, then drive back to my office. I have lunch at my desk - an asiago cheese bagel and broccoli cheese soup -  while I read a few blogs and check my email.

1:00pm
I gear up to take an online wage and hour training course for work. It's boring as all get out, but the quizzes are getting so tricky as of late, I have to pay attention or I'll be forced to take it all over again. It should be noted, I'm basically a superstar because my picture appears in this corporate training. No idea how they got my photo, but nonetheless - famous.

2:03pm
I make the rounds to pick up all the intern survey materials I distributed on campus earlier in the day. Stops at both student unions, then a c-store to help a new manager with ordering and merchandising.

4:00pm
I call it a day and head home. Missing my girl something fierce today. Lots of hugs and kisses from Tory as we recap the day with the nanny and send her on her way. I change out of my work clothes, which is a bit challenging while holding a toddler. Tory is ultra-clingy when I get home from work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays so I struggle to pull on pajamas pants and a t-shirt while holding her in my arms.

4:15pm
I dig out some plastic Easter eggs and an empty egg carton for her to play with and she's in heaven. The little eggs fit perfectly into the palm of her hand and she's having a ball carrying them all around the kitchen.

4:30pm
I spread a plastic trash bag onto the kitchen floor, pour some washable paint into a disposable pan and draw a few Halloween pictures for Tory to paint. She dives right in and finger paints a lovely ghost and pumpkin. This lasts about 6 minutes before she signs "all done."

I wipe paint off her hands and body and clean up the mess. It hardly seems worth the trouble until I catch a glance of my refrigerator door and then I melt from the cute. I love being a mom so much!

4:45pm
Meanwhile, Tory is tugging at my pant leg and begging to be held. Silly girl. How I can refuse this adorable face?

4:54pm
I pour myself a glass of wine and start dinner. Since Andi's gone, I make an Amy's Organic box meal for Tory and I to share. While dinner's on the stove, we change a load of laundry and chase each other around the living room.

5:25pm
Dinner time! Beef strognoff (from a box - not recommended), steamed broccoli and carrots and peaches. Tory eats the carrots and peaches. I eat a few bites of noodles - blegh!

5:45pm
Bath time for Tory! Lotion, jammies, brush teeth. The works.

6:00pm
My girl and I. I love her so much I could squeeze her! In fact, I do just that ...

6:30pm
Another load of laundry, then books before bed. For as engaged in reading as she's been all her life, lately Tory is more interested in crawling around and bringing me books to read than she is in actually listening. I suspect it's because walking and climbing have given her a newfound freedom and it's hard to sit still for long. Tonight, Curious George at the Zoo holds her attention for a minute before she's scaling the rocking chair ottoman and climbing all over me.

6:45pm
Milk for Tory and a snuggle session in her rocking chair before I lay her down to sleep. The ease in putting her to bed these days makes me forget those long, exhausting nights of holding my breath as I tiptoed out of her bedroom.

7:00pm
I pick up toys, sweep and mop the floor and wipe down the kitchen countertops and appliances before turning in for the night. I flip open my laptop, type up this post and enjoy the remainder of my quiet evening.