a day in the life

If you're looking for a picture-heavy post with all kinds of mundane details about our day-to-day life, then this is the post for you!

We try pretty hard to stick with a routine around here, but, really, every day is different. Weekends (when Moo and I are both home) are the easiest to keep on schedule, followed by the days when my mom watches Natalie. When it's just me on my own I do my best but generally end up giving in to extra naps or changing mealtimes, and daycare days are definitely the least structured for the budgie-boo. We're lucky if she gets even one nap in on days we send her to daycare, but I figure we're mostly paying them to keep her alive, right? She seems to love daycare, and we know it's a safe environment--a little exhaustion and the crankies on Friday afternoons are small prices to pay for the service of qualified professionals caring for our baby.

Despite the disruptions to our routine, we do try to keep things reasonably structured. Here's what a typical day looks like around here.


5:30am wake-up call from the Screeching One, who will only be appeased by a bottle, some snuggling, and then breakfast. We split a banana (her half mashed, mine straight up) while I get cereal together for both of us, and, if I'm lucky, a cup of coffee.

We stick to the no TV rule as recommended by the AAP as much as possible, but the morning news is our daily exception. We can't reasonably be expected to go without hearing the local stories, and Natalie has become quite enamored with the weatherman.


On mornings when it's just us two girls we usually crank up the tunes and do some dancing around the living room. Yesterday's music selection was one of my labor & delivery playlists, which I had foolishly forgotten about over the past 7 months.

After Natalie's morning nap (the easiest to get her down for), we usually go on a little outing. A walk by the water, a stroll through Planet Toys, an errand run to the grocery store, Atlantic Baking Company for coffee and a scone, or, for the first time yesterday, the Coastal Children's Museum. Natalie loved all the underwater-themed stuff, and was transfixed by the aquarium in particular. We had the whole place to ourselves, so the Fussifuss got to crawl her way from room to room and enjoy slobbering on all of the toys without anyone judging her.

After lunch and before her afternoon nap we usually have to get a bit creative with playtime. She's generally had it with all of her usual toys and mostly wants to be banging cd's together, chewing on electrical cords, or pulling breakables down on top of her. To avoid these situations it's up to whoever is watching her to attempt various interceptions and distractions. Yesterday we spent a fair amount of time playing with the new red cube ottoman that will eventually be a makeshift toybox in Natalie's playroom. Climbing in and out of it, banging the cover with her fists, and chewing on it's corners were all fair game.

Late afternoon when Mikey gets home we sometimes (like yesterday) just pile into the living room together and try to keep the budge happy until dinnertime, or, more likely, we go for a walk. Strolling on the boardwalk or stopping by the playground for some swing-time have been the most likely afternoon walks on warm-enough afternoons. I'm going to miss those afternoons fiercely this winter when it's icy and cold and windy.

Evenings include supper for the budgie first, usually while ours is in the oven or on the stovetop. She chows down and then gets her favorite treat of the day: naked time. Quiet playtime until bath commences, and this is normally the point in the day when Mike and I both really start looking the new-parent part. We're exhausted, hungry (if we haven't had a chance to have our own supper yet), and ready to just veg.

Lucky for us, bathtime is the highlight of our day. No matter how bad the day has been, when Natalie is in the bath tub she is happy, splashing, sweet, and entertained. We can't help to turn our tired frowns upside down and fall in love with our baby all over again.

I'd say we take turns at bedtime putting Natalie down, but usually Mike gets slammed with that job. I get her lotioned up, diapered, double-pajama-layered, and kiss her goodnight for Mike to read her a story, give her a bottle, sing her a lullaby, and put her down for the night. Have I mentioned that he's a saint?

And that's our day. Natalie's bedtime means we crash on the couch to catch up on the previous day's television, play on facebook, read a page or two of a book or magazine, and then tuck in early to get ready for the next round.