A day in the life of...

People often ask what my life looks like now that I am spending three days a week alone with the kids while I'm still on maternity leave. So I thought I'd document what a typical day for us looks like. This day was almost four weeks ago when Ava was 2 months old. While this was a typical day in many ways, Ava now is awake a lot longer during the day, doesn't nearly eat as many snacks as she used to (mainly because I put a stop to it because it made neither of us happy), and she goes to sleep at a reasonable time. 

7:00 am: Noah who came into bed with us last night wakes up, so our day begins. Tony has already left for work. Ava (also in bed with me) starts to wiggle too so I feed her hoping she'll stay asleep a bit longer. Noah and I talk and cuddle in bed. 

7:20 am: Noah and I get up, Noah opens his advent calendar and I start making breakfast. Noah eats. 

Noah's breakfast: bagel with cream cheese, grapes, and a banana

7:30 am: Ava wakes up. I can hear her talking and making noises in the bedroom but she seems happy for the time being so I finish making breakfast. 

7:37 am: I go get Ava, change her diaper and put her in her swing. I feed the cats, then eat breakfast myself. Ava isn't happy in her swing this morning. 

7:50 am: Noah is done eating and wants to be entertained. I ask him to draw, read, or play on his own. He plays with his animals at his art desk and with Ava's baby gym. Ava settled down in the swing next to me and I have a quiet moment. I finish my breakfast and coffee and think about what we're going to do on this rainy day.

my breakfast: bagel with cream cheese, grapefruit, coffee

8:02 am: Noah is done entertaining himself and wants my attention, so I put dishes away. 

8:05 am: Noah and I play with his touch and feel box. 

8:20 am: We're done playing and Ava is unhappy. I think she might be hungry again, so she gets a "snack". I see a bit of blue sky; there's hope the sun might be coming out. Noah plays with the items we used in his box, then opens the pellet stove and makes a mess. I clean it up. Ava is still unhappy, not sure why. I decide: we need to go outside. 

8:30 am: Ava falls asleep. Noah and I get ready: we brush our teeth and put clothes on. 

8:45 am: Ava is still sleeping and Noah starts to draw, so I use the moment to clean up the kitchen and living room a bit and empty the dishwasher. 

9:00 am: Noah says he wants to talk to Opa, so we try to skype, but he doesn't answer. We try Oma instead and have more luck. Before anyone gets a chance to say hi, Noah exclaims: I want a book! So Oma gets a book and reads it to Noah via Skype. Ava cries. I'm hungry again. Ava wants to be held and cuddled and played with. While Noah and Oma skype, I get comfy with Ava, browse the internet, send off a couple emails and texts, and relax. 

10:08 am: We say goodbye to Oma. It's still raining, but I decide we're going for a walk anyway. We put our rain gear on. Ava is getting sleepy again. 

10:18 am: we go for a walk. The moment we get outside it stops raining and the sun comes out. 

Running to the next puddle. So thankful for rain gear. 

First time wearing my new rain boots. Love them. 

11:03 am: We're back at the house. I put Ava back in her swing and start preparing lunch for Noah and myself. I turn on Tumble Leaf for Noah downstairs. I pump, knowing that Ava will be hungry again soon, and it's easier to eat and bottle feed at the same time. 

11:35 am: I head downstairs with lunch. We watch Tumble Leaf together and eat (we don't normally eat watching TV but I really felt like it today, so I'm making an exception). 

Broccoli salad, ham/cheese wrap, leftover pasta, and carrots

11:50 am: Ava is hungry and gets her bottle. 

12:05 pm: Tumble Leaf is over. Noah, as always, wants to watch another episode and cries when I let him know we're done watching TV. He finds some puzzles downstairs and we play together for a bit. 

12:15 pm: I go upstairs, Noah stays downstairs, saying he's taking a nap, which I know he won't. He's tired, but not tired enough to go to sleep. 

12:17 pm: I hear Noah come up the stairs whining. I suggest we dance. He doesn't want to and cries, clearly being tired. He lays down on our sheepskin rug in the living room, crying. I turn on my good night playlist and lie down next to him. 

12:29 pm: Before the first song is over, he's asleep. I didn't expect that! I go to fold laundry in the bedroom which has been waiting for several days. I take Ava with me who is happy laying in bed watching the fan slowly turn. 

1:00 pm: Ava is hungry again; I feed her in the rocker, then change her. We play, giggle, and smile and talk for a bit; I browse around on the internet some more, as I'm rocking her to sleep. 

1:30 pm: Ava is asleep. Noah waked up for a minute, but says he wants to sleep more. I rub his back while still holding and rocking Ava. He falls back asleep (I can't believe it!); Ava goes back into her swing, sleeping; I continue doing laundry. 

1:37 pm: Ava is wide awake. I bring the baby activity gym in the bedroom so I can keep folding clothes while keeping her quiet so she doesn't wake Noah up. 

1:51 pm: Noah wakes up and comes into the bedroom. We climb into bed together and the three of us snuggle for 5 minutes, then I go back to doing laundry while the kids hang out on the bed. 

2:20 pm: Noah wants to cuddle some more so the three of us hang out in bed together, playing, talking, cuddling. Ava gets another snack. 

2:38 pm: It's time for more action. I decide to go to the post office which I've been putting off for days. We swing past Starbucks on the way home. 

3:40 pm: We get back home. Ava eats again. Noah and I cuddle, I enjoy my flat white, and Noah has my water. 

4:10 pm: Ava is cranky again and Noah is done cuddling. He sits happily in his chair with his water while Ava gets another snack and some cuddles. 

4:22 pm: Noah gets up and says: let's play! so we draw together. 

Noah

a ladybug

a cow

4:40 pm: Tony gets home. Ava is still asleep. I clean up while Noah and Tony play. 

5:10 pm: Ava is awake again. 

5:25 pm: We eat dinner (leftovers). 

5:50 pm: Ava is acting hungry but doesn't really want to eat. She's upset and crying, I think her tummy is bothering her. For the first time today, I am focused just on her. Tony takes Noah downstairs to watch some nature shows because Noah is still in a funky mood and just wants to cuddle and do nothing. 

6:30 pm: I take Ava downstairs too, so I can clean up dinner and prepare Noah's lunch for the next day. I take my time, enjoy having some me time, browse through the local newspaper and eat a piece of cake. 

turkey sandwich, grapes, carrots, bell pepper

7:00 pm: It's time to start Noah's bedtime routine by taking a bath or shower, so I go downstairs to grab him, only to find out he fell asleep about 10 minutes ago. I take Ava instead who just woke up and must be hungry. She finally eats a full meal instead of just snacking which feels great. 

7:30 pm: Because it's early and Noah is asleep already I decide it's a good time to give Ava a bath. 

7:45 pm: Tony takes Noah to bed. 

8:00 pm: Tony and I are excited to be getting some time without the kids so early and head back downstairs to watch some TV. I'm happy to get some time to knit. I need to finish this baby blanket!

9:10 pm: We just started the second episode of Game of Thrones when Noah wakes up crying. I go upstairs, but he wants his daddy instead. Fine by me. We decide to give up on our show for tonight. 

9:15 pm: I take Ava upstairs so we can go to bed, She ears throws up a little, and is unhappy. I go back downstairs with her not to wake up Noah again. 

9:45 pm: I brush teeth and get ready for bed. Ava is still wide awake, there's no point in trying to get her to go to sleep now, so: more TV for us after all (it's almost sad how excited we get). Tony watches for a while, then goes to bed upstairs.  

11:10 pm: I head back upstairs as well. Ava is still awake and unhappy, but I REALLY want to just go to sleep. I try my best to keep her quiet. 

11:30 pm: Ava eats again and we turn lights off. I doze off, but Ava isn't quite ready to sleep yet and keeps wiggling and talking. 

12:30 am: Ava finally settles down and I look at the clock one last time before drifting off to sleep. 

Looking back at this at the end of the day really made me realize how much I was able to get done here and there throughout the day in a few minutes. I also noticed more than ever that I'm constantly thinking about my next move, trying to anticipate my kids' needs while being flexible and just going along with it. That's definitely a challenge.