5:00 am (ish, this is a bit of a blur by now) - Levi wakes up for his breakfast. He has been waking up at around 1 am and again between 4 and 5 am to eat. Not so bad for a 5 week old. I enjoy the morning snuggles and try to close my eyes for a few more minutes knowing that my alarm will go off at 5:30 am. The kids usually wake up at around 6 am and having set my alarm gives me half an hour of much needed time for myself to get dressed and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in silence.
5:15 am - Never mind. Ava is up and wide awake and comes walking into our room. All she wants to do in the morning is cuddle with Levi, but she moves around so much and I have to pay attention to make sure she doesn't accidentally hurt him, so there's no point in even trying to close my eyes for a little bit. In an attempt to let Levi and Tony sleep, I get up with her. Right at that time, Noah comes walking out of their room, carrying his pillow. He's not ready to start the day and lets me know he is crawling in bed with daddy. I try to lay down with Ava in Noah's bed to snuggle, but as soon as we lay down, I hear Levi wide awake and ready for another snack. I bring him to bed with us and I nurse him while reminding Ava to touch his head really gently.
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| hugs and kisses for baby brother |
5:30 am - My alarm goes off.
5:40 am - Noah can't sleep with us being wide awake, so he comes to join us. He lays down next to Levi and talks to him. Those moments are rare, so I capture it with my phone camera.
5:45 am - I hear Tony's alarm go off. It doesn't take long and Ava wants to hop in bed with them to and Noah and Ava start fighting over the spots in Noah's bed. Noah tries to push Ava off, I intervene and pull him off the bed as well. He doesn't like it and hits me in my back with a stuffed animal. I turn around to let him know that was not okay, probably yelling a bit louder than I should have and he ends up crying mainly because he doesn't think it's fair that he got pulled off the bed when he was there first (which he wasn't). Tony comes in to take Levi while I deal with the situation. I let Noah know he needs to come talk to me and apologize when he's ready. Ava and I go to the kitchen.
6:00 am - I give Ava a banana and a bagel to eat and finally make myself a cup of coffee. Noah comes to join us and we sit down on the couch to talk. I let him know that he hurt me and that I'm sad. We talk about what he can do to make me feel better. He gives me a big hug and tells me he's sorry. It's already been a long morning and the fighting had put me in a bad mood, but I decided to brush it off and move on; put a smile on and reset. Time to get the day started.
6:05 am - Tony takes care of Levi who has no interest in being put down while getting ready for work and having a quick breakfast in the kitchen. Ava, Noah, and I sit down for breakfast together. I make the kids' lunches which I forgot to do last night, quickly get dressed, and then we all go to brush our teeth together.
6:20 am - I get Ava dressed while Tony helps Noah pick out his clothes. It's supposed to be sunny today, so Noah is excited that he gets to wear shorts today. By now Tony and I have changed at least one of Levi's diapers each. I've lost track.
6:45 am - Tony is ready to leave and hands Levi back to me. I ask Noah to fill up the kids' water bottles for daycare which he is happy to do. I change one more diaper and get Levi dressed. Ava is ready to go and has put on Noah's shoes. I help her into her shoes while Noah puts on his sandals - the wrong way at first. I help Noah put together their water bottles and put lunch boxes and bottles in their backpacks. I put Levi into his car seat, grab my purse, the kids's backpacks, and the baby carrier in case he wakes up at daycare and wants out of the car seat. We all head downstairs to the car.
7:15 am - We leave the house, in a much better mood than I had expected a couple of hours ago. I call my mom to say good morning. Noah wants to know if she can come back to see us tomorrow.
7:24 am - I give Tony, who left while things were still a bit crazy, a quick call to thank him for his help this morning and that we're all in a better mood. I probably shouldn't have, because right at that moment Ava pinches Noah's arm and they start whining and crying in back. Thankfully, we're already almost to daycare. Tony and I hang up and I hold on tight to Ava's hand so she won't pinch Noah again.
7:30 am - We arrive at daycare. Noah gets out first and we have a quick chat about how he didn't like it that Ava hurt him and how that made him feel. I'm glad I have an opportunity to compare it to how I felt when he hit me earlier this morning. Then I take out Levi who is sound asleep in his car seat and ask Noah to watch him while waiting for me to get Ava. We all walk in together. As we pass the infant room, the teacher opens the door, mentions she only has one baby this morning and asks if I want to leave Levi with her while I drop off the other two. Yes please! I drop Ava off first, who for the first time this week doesn't start crying as I say goodbye. What a relief. Then I drop off Noah who runs in to start playing with his friends without saying goodbye. Works for me. I feel good about the morning besides the rough start. I wave goodbye to the owner and am already halfway out the door when I remember that I should probably take Levi home with me. Oops. I guess I just knew him to be in good hands.
7:45 am - Levi and I head back home. In the car, I listen to today's episode of "Up First", NPR's daily news show.
8:00 am - We're back home. Levi is hungry again, so we sit on the couch and I nurse him while checking in with some folks at work, responding to email, catching up on some blog posts, and browsing on Facebook a bit. I thought I'd be able to lay Levi down right away and have some time for myself, but he is wide awake and can't decide which position is most comfortable or whether to eat or not. I give up and stop trying to get him to sleep and accept that this is just going to take a while. We lay down in bed together and cuddle.
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| feeding the baby selfie |
9:08 am - Levi is finally asleep, I sneak away, grab a chocolate chip cookie and turn on my laptop to start writing this post.
9:17 am - I hear Levi squirming and go to check on him, grabbing another cookie on the way. They might be what gets me through the day today.
9:19 am - I'm back at the dinner table typing away.
10:21 am - Levi wakes up crying. He needs to burp and is fighting gas. I lay down next to him and nurse him back to sleep.
10:26 am - Good timing, I am caught up on today's events and typed out this morning. I know Levi won't stay asleep much longer so I decide to take a break, clean up the kitchen a bit, before he needs my undivided attention again.
10:28 am - I knew it! Levi is awake, fighting some gas and demanding a snack. He falls back asleep after a few minutes and I get up to unload the dishwasher. As soon as I get there, I hear Levi cry again. I give in and lay down with him for a nap.
11:35 am - I wake up. Tony calls to see if I want to meet for a late lunch today. I get out of bed, make a cup of coffee, grab another cookie, and video call my sister. A few minutes into the call, Levi wakes up and I bring him into the living room for yet another snack and to snuggle on me.
12:12 pm - Levi is squirming and I'm not quite sure what he needs. I try tummy time which he usually enjoys when he has gas, but he's not interested. I change his diaper and put him in the Moby wrap. As soon as he is in, he is acting hungry again and whines. I decide he is done snacking, so I lay him down and give him his pacifier, hoping that the next time he is hungry, he'll actually eat a full meal. I finally get a chance to get things done: I turn on some music (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band after I listened to a Fresh Air interview with the producer last night), empty the dishwasher and clean the kitchen, deposit a check, and flip through the local newspaper.
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| Before & After |
1:17 pm - Tony calls, letting me know he won't be able to meet for lunch. I continue cleaning up, picking up diapers and such.
1:28 pm - I change the music and start doing random things like braiding my hair and putting on a bit of make up. Levi is already squirming again so I don't want to start something just to be interrupted right away.
1:35 pm - Levi is half awake, so I decide not to wait any longer for him to wake up, also because he often eats well when he's still half way sleeping. I pick him up from our bed and bring him on the couch in the living room to feed him. He keeps falling asleep so I change is diaper to wake him up. He isn't happy, can't decide if he wants to eat or not, and can't get comfy on me but also doesn't want to lay down. I browse on my phone while trying to keep him happy.
2:00 pm - I am sick of looking at random things on the internet and decide we need to leave the house. We get dressed and ready to go.
2:08 pm - We're in the car on the way to the Outlet Mall. I want to find tennis shoes and sandals for Ava. Levi cries for a bit, but soon falls asleep. It's a beautiful, sunny day and I enjoy the drive. I listen to more Beatles interviews on the way, this time old Fresh Air interviews with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.
2:37 pm - We arrive at the mall and I think Levi is finally hungry, but no, he wants yet another snack. I put the car seat on the stroller and walk through the mall. I grab a cup of coffee, a raspberry loaf, and water at Starbucks. Of course I don't find any shoes for Ava, but end up with a pair of shorts, a hoodie, and a top (which is supposed to be a sports top but works perfectly as a nursing top with its open back) for me. I nurse Levi in the changing room at the Gap.
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| at the mall |
4:11 pm - We are leaving the mall headed straight to daycare to pick up Noah and Ava.
4:45 pm - We arrive at daycare. Again, I misinterpret Levi's crying at think he wants to eat. But no, a snack is all he wants. Since he is already out of his car seat and has been in it for quite some time, I put him in the Ergo carrier. As every day, we pick up Noah first, then Ava.
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| excited to pick up his sister |
5:07 pm - Everyone is packed up in the car and we are on our way home. We listen to Noah's new favorite audio book (Lukas spielt Gitarre) and talk about what we want to eat for dinner. Traffic is terrible, Ava wants her binky and is upset; Levi is done being in the car and cries. A typical drive home. I ask Noah to give Levi his pacifier. He gives him his finger to suck on instead. Me: the binky, not your finger! Noah: why? Me: Because you haven't washed your hands yet! Noah: Bit he is washing my hands now! With his mouth! I let it go, too late now anyway. At least everyone is quiet for a moment. Noah has more questions such as: How can we make dead people become alive again? I explain that we can't, but he insist: well...we can use magic!
5:32 pm - We arrive at home, I leave most things in the car for now and head inside to change diapers. Ava gives Levi lots of love. We take our shoes off and wash hands. I put Levi in his Moses basket, but he only last a few minutes. At least he is finally actually hungry and eats a full meal. Noah plays with his guitar then reads some books and Ava plays with her toys.
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| washing hands |
5:53 pm - I try to lay Levi down again in his Moses basket, but he isn't happy there so I put him in the Ergo. Then I start working on dinner. Noah and Ava play quietly in their room.
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| playing in their room |
6:07 pm - Ava joins me in the kitchen and helps set the table.
6:15 pm - Noah, Ava, and I have dinner. Pasta with pesto for me, with cheese for the kids. Cantaloupe for dessert. Tony has a late appointment today and calls to let me know he's on his way. Levi is hungry too and eats again as well. Noah and I talk about his day at school.
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| a quick and simple dinner |
6:38 pm - We're done eating. I change Levi's diaper, and he is super unhappy. I can tell that things are about to go crazy, so I decide we're all going outside for a walk. We put our shoes back on and head outside at 6:50 pm. We pick strawberries and then walk up and down the street. It's a beautiful evening and the kids are exploring.
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| looking at ants, picking flowers, and pretending to be old |
7:25 pm - We get back home. Tony just got back as well and is starting to mow the lawn. Noah "helps" him while Ava checks on the garden and plays with the sprinklers. She gets upset when she realizes she is soaking wet, so I take her inside and change her into dry clothes. She wants to go right back outside. I lay Levi down and send her back outside. Levi wants another snack and I lay down with him in bed. I realize how exhausted I am and relax for ten minutes.
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| picking radishes |
7:45 pm - I grab Levi and head back outside so I can watch the kids while Tony mows the lawn. I sit on the front steps while the kids are rolling around in the grass. For a moment, the kids and I plus one kitty sit on the front steps together eating cookies and enjoying the evening sun. I'm loving it.
8:07 pm - It's time for everyone to go inside. Levi refuses to lay down so I sit down with him. I'm exhausted. Tony gives Noah and Ava a bath and gets them ready for bed while Levi and I lay down in bed.
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| Moby wrap selfies throughout the day |
8:30 pm - Tony takes Ava to bed. Noah joins Levi and I in our bed and we read a book.
9:00 pm - Ava is asleep and it's time for Noah to go to bed. Then I hand Levi over to Tony and I get in the shower. I enjoy my alone time.
9:30 pm - I feel fresh and I'm ready for bed. I go grab things out of the car and am annoyed that everything is a mess again after I had the kitchen clean just a few hours ago, but I'll deal with that tomorrow. Tony lays Levi down in our bed.
9:41 pm - I feed Luke the fish and go to bed. Levi gets his evening snack and we're both asleep about 20 minutes later.
How do you know if the baby needs a diaper change?.
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