Yesterday was kind of crummy. Noah and I had lots of meltdowns, so I intentionally set out to make today awesome! I'm learning that there are 3 ingredients to a good day, but it takes time and energy to make the effort:
1. Start with quiet time
2. Get out of the house
3. Get to bed early
This doesn't happen every day, but when it does... we have way more fun!
0615: Noah is awake, babbling in his crib. I turn the volume down on the monitor and roll over for a few more minutes.
0630: Time to get up! Ross gets Noah and gives him a sippy cup of hemp milk while I assemble breakfasts (banana + homemade muffin for Noah).
0645-0715: I retreat to the office/playroom to have some quiet time with the Bible and my Armor of God workbook for the Bible Study that started this week. Ross and Noah play and read books and eat breakfast in the kitchen and living room.
0730-0815: Noah and I take a morning walk. One of my favorite traditions, and I'm so excited it's walking season again!
0830: Drive to a coffee shop in Lenexa to sell some cloth diapers to a fellow mama. Noah starts pointing to the coffee shop and crying, "muppy!" I haven't been to this coffee shop since I was pregnant, but somehow he knows there are delicious things inside. I realize it's been way too long since our last muppy date, so we go inside to enjoy some wheat-free treats (for both of us) and some iced coffee (for me).
0915: Pool time! We driving back to our part of town to go to Kiddie Pool Playtime at out local pool. I made the mistake of telling Noah we were going to walk, then sell diapers, then swim this morning, and he's been pretty insistent on "swimming" for the last two hours.
0930-1115: So much fun at the pool.
1130-1200: Home for lunch. Super proud of Noah for leaving the pool like a big kid without crying. We were hungry for lunch! He ate some roast beef, gluten-free toast, and carrots (with dairy-free Ranch to dip, because everything's better when you can dip it).
1210-1245: I nurse Noah for 15 minutes and he falls asleep in my arms, which is my fave. I snuggle with him, filled with gratitude for our adventures today and in the past two years. We've come a long way.
(picture: 2 weeks into out breastfeeding journey // 2 weeks before weaning)
1315: I put him in his crib and sit down to start this post, eat a snack, and catch up on older blog posts.
1415: Noah is awake and singing, "Rain, rain, go away" to himself. Not gonna lie, I was REALLY hoping for an epic nap after the busy morning we had!
1430: Noah eats some of his lunch leftovers while I try to brainstorm what the heck we are going to do for the next 4 hours until Ross gets home! I decide to head to the diaper store to get a few things I've been needing.
1525: Finally leave the house 1 handful of GF pretzels, 1 apple, 1 sippy cup of hemp milk, 1 dirty diaper, 1 tantrum, and 3 rounds of a Clifford board book later.
1600-1700: We socialize, play, and shop at the diaper store, enjoying the change of scenery.
1730: Leftovers for everyone for dinner! Dinners I don't have to make are the best :-)
1845: Bath, story, snuggles, and bed for Noah. A little early because we had such a busy day.
1900-2115: Small group with friends! Love this girl time.
2230: Read in bed for a bit, and then sleep!
Showing posts with label a day in the life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a day in the life. Show all posts
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
Life with a 20 Month Old
I've been starting and stopping one of these every few months, and when the narrative starts to get so absurdly long, I quit halfway through the day. However, today I'm committing to embracing the crazy and documenting it in my meticulously sentimental way, because somehow Noah is on the downhill to two. Like C.S. Lewis says, "Isn't it funny how day to day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?" I can't believe my last day-in-the-life post was in June! So much has changed since then.
0536: Noah is awake. I turn the volume off on the baby monitor and Ross and I pretend to get a bit more sleep before our alarm goes off (we have literally never ever ever woken up to an alarm for the past 20.5 months. It was wishful thinking to set one last night!)
0600: Alarm beeps and Ross gets Noah. Since we dropped morning nursing a few weeks ago, we've been trying to find a new morning rhythm. I miss staying in the warm bed and snuggling a baby while Ross did his quiet time, and then handing Noah off while I did my own quiet time! This morning, Ross gives Noah some hemp milk, changes his diaper, and offers him breakfast while I do some personal Bible study and read a parenting essay (I need to remember why it's so important to be concise, direct, and loving with my boundaries when I'm picking up a boneless child mid-meltdown and all I really want to do is scream). Noah used to be on a muffin, smoothie, AND banana kick at breakfast, but now he's down to just the banana. Who knows.
0630: We trade off. I hang out with Noah and warm up my own breakfast and coffee while Ross has some quiet time.
0700: I run to the bathroom really quick and come back to Ross vacuuming up the dried thyme from the bottle that Noah swiped from the pantry, unscrewed, and dumped out.
0730: I throw the cloth diapers in the washer to start a load. Noah keeps begging for a popsicle from the freezer, so I distract him by letting him play with pots and pans while I attempt to eat a warm breakfast. Ross leaves for work. I give Noah a Larabar because he's acting hungry now.
0800: I finally finish the last of my coffee and breakfast, read to Noah, and browse for couches on the NFM Leap Day sale website.
0830: Pack to go to the gym. Noah immediately finds his applesauce pouch in the gym back and wants to eat it. I open it and he slurps it down.
0840: We leave for the gym.
0900: I check Noah into childcare and breathe. Whew! Joining the community center last month and going twice a week was seriously the best thing we ever did with Christmas money. Since we don't have family in town, 3 hours/week of gym childcare is literally my only respite when I might otherwise have a meltdown of my own some weeks. I love Noah, and I'm a much better mom when I get a tiny breather. I still feel a little guilty, but I also feel a whole lot more relieved and energized on the days we manage to get out of the house to get to the community center. Noah always says, "'rains and nunnels! Oh my!" (aka "trains and tunnels") and runs to the childcare room when we arrive, so I know it's hardly a chore for him. He likes the change of scenery, too!
0905: I sit in the hot tub (my aching back is a huge fan), go through my email, and study a bit for the IBCLC exam.
0930: I jump in the cold pool really quick and see Noah running around in the childcare area. He seems me, and a look of total delight and surprise crosses his face as he pounds the glass and shouts, "Mama!" I wave and blow him a kiss, and the older kids in the crowd Noah quickly gathers around him blow kisses back at me. Thankfully the childcare lady ushers the kids away from the window, and she later reassured me that no meltdowns were involved after the Mama sighting. Goober!
0945: I've changed into gym clothes and I do a quick workout.
1015: I get Noah out of childcare quickly because we have to rush to the chiropractor to make it to our 1030 appointment. On the way out, Noah tries to escape, runs into the garden, trips, and very narrowly averts a more serious kind of doctor's visit. Thankfully instead of smacking his head on the rock wall he tripped on, he twists at the last minute and manages to only scrape his cheek and get woodchips everywhere. We say thank you to Jesus, and hustle to the car.
1033: We made it! Noah plays with the toy kitchen at the chiropractor's office while I get adjusted. Then it's Noah's turn. Man he loves the chiro. Today he so sweetly climbs right up on the table, facedown, and so docile-ly lays his head down and waits for his adjustment. He must know he needs it! Last week he fell 4 feet down head-first onto tile and earned a lovely goose egg. He's been running diagonally ever since! He's full speed (straight) ahead after his adjustment.
1130: We are home for lunch and we obviously crammed too much into our morning, because it's meltdown city for my tired, hungry toddler. I change him into his naptime diaper and then put him in his high chair for lunch. He inhales gluten-free chicken nuggets, gluten-free pretzels, and plantain chips, all dipped into either salsa or almond butter. He loves dipping things! He totally discards the roasted butternut squash. I thought he would love it since it's so similar to his beloved sweet potatoes!
1200: I move the diapers to the dryer and take a quick shower. Can't handle gym germs.
1220: I have no one to blame but myself for the fact that the house is in total disarray now. Noah has also wiggled enough to make another stinky diaper, so I change it and rinse it out while more chaos ensues.
1230: Noah is shouting "nuk and 'nuggles!" and I'm finally able to acquiesce since we're all cleaned and fed.
1245: Noah is asleep. He almost NEVER used to fall asleep in my arms until he dropped to 1 nap at 15 months. Now this is my favorite part of the day.
1310: Noah wiggles and wakes up briefly, so I put him in his crib and he drowsily curls up to resume his nap. I love it.
1330: I eat lunch and watch 2 episodes of the Mindy Show on Hulu. I would love to say that I'm a productivity wizard during naptime, but that's SO not the case. I need a break, too! Every now and then I'm 100% lazy or 100% productive, but it's usually a mix of the two.
1415: I text with a friend a bit, look up two recipes online, and then sit down to start typing this epic novel. I'm hoping Noah takes a delightfully long post-chiropractor nap (like, the elusive 3 hour nap I always dream of).
1520: I close the laptop and start to tidy my perpetually messy desk. I literally have nowhere else to place paperwork, so it piles up quickly. #smallhouseproblems
1521: Just kidding. Noah's up.
1530: Noah runs straight to the freezer asking for a Pedialyte popsicle. I have no doubt he remembers me telling him this morning that he could have one after his nap, so I give him one while I get the diapers out of the dryer and throw some laundry in the washer (THANK GOD for modern appliances)!
1600: Noah and I bake some granola bars for a friend. He simultaneously drinks coconut yogurt out of a cookie cup and adds pepper to the yogurt dregs so he can cook, too.
1615: Change Noah's diaper and clothes.
1630: Play outside! We noticed the first robin of the year in our yard yesterday, and when Noah went outside today, he just stood and looked up in amazement and said, "bird tweet tweet... in the tree!" I love his little voice. And that "tweet" is the cutest!
1705: Head back inside (to Noah's chagrin) to start dinner. Noah and I sample one of the homemade granola bars we made and I start dinner (Mel Joulwan's salmon cakes and Trader Joe's broccoli and kale salad).
1740: "Yay Papa back!" Ross takes Noah back outside while I finish dinner and start tidying up.
1810: We all eat. Noah took one bite of salmon cake, and kept trying to eat the kale but couldn't chew it. Ross deemed the salmon acceptable enough to eat sans modifications, so yay! The recipe is a keeper.
1835: Ross takes Noah to shower while I do the dishes.
1845: We tag-team diaper, Aquaphor application, and pajamas. Noah insists on wearing PJs that are a size too big, but they have trucks on them so they win (and I'm shocked that they're really not that big on my baby!)
1855: Nursing session.
1910: Brush teeth, read stories, put Noah down in his crib. He sits and drinks water for a bit but lays down pretty quickly. Today wore both of us out!
1920: Sadly, Ross had to go back to work for a bit, so I grab a snack, catch up on texts, add to this post, etc. I know that today isn't anything special to other moms of toddlers, and heck it's probably calm compared to moms with multiples! But dang even reading through this makes me tired. Perspective is always good for me: instead of focusing on everything that I DON'T do, or don't do right, or don't do well, I get a glimpse of what I DO do, which is love this silly goose.
2100: Dude I didn't mean to waste so much time. I'm so tired! I always have grand plans of being productive once Noah's asleep, but I'm always too wiped out. (But too cute... He's asleep with his bear, puppy, quilt, water, and one of his books tonight!) I do physical therapy and then get ready for bed.
2145: Ross is home again, poor guy.
2245: I finally go to bed. Why do I do this to myself?! It's like I'm so tired by the end of the day I can't even do what I need to do to go to bed on time. Whew!
0536: Noah is awake. I turn the volume off on the baby monitor and Ross and I pretend to get a bit more sleep before our alarm goes off (we have literally never ever ever woken up to an alarm for the past 20.5 months. It was wishful thinking to set one last night!)
0600: Alarm beeps and Ross gets Noah. Since we dropped morning nursing a few weeks ago, we've been trying to find a new morning rhythm. I miss staying in the warm bed and snuggling a baby while Ross did his quiet time, and then handing Noah off while I did my own quiet time! This morning, Ross gives Noah some hemp milk, changes his diaper, and offers him breakfast while I do some personal Bible study and read a parenting essay (I need to remember why it's so important to be concise, direct, and loving with my boundaries when I'm picking up a boneless child mid-meltdown and all I really want to do is scream). Noah used to be on a muffin, smoothie, AND banana kick at breakfast, but now he's down to just the banana. Who knows.
0630: We trade off. I hang out with Noah and warm up my own breakfast and coffee while Ross has some quiet time.
0700: I run to the bathroom really quick and come back to Ross vacuuming up the dried thyme from the bottle that Noah swiped from the pantry, unscrewed, and dumped out.
0730: I throw the cloth diapers in the washer to start a load. Noah keeps begging for a popsicle from the freezer, so I distract him by letting him play with pots and pans while I attempt to eat a warm breakfast. Ross leaves for work. I give Noah a Larabar because he's acting hungry now.
0800: I finally finish the last of my coffee and breakfast, read to Noah, and browse for couches on the NFM Leap Day sale website.
0830: Pack to go to the gym. Noah immediately finds his applesauce pouch in the gym back and wants to eat it. I open it and he slurps it down.
0840: We leave for the gym.
0900: I check Noah into childcare and breathe. Whew! Joining the community center last month and going twice a week was seriously the best thing we ever did with Christmas money. Since we don't have family in town, 3 hours/week of gym childcare is literally my only respite when I might otherwise have a meltdown of my own some weeks. I love Noah, and I'm a much better mom when I get a tiny breather. I still feel a little guilty, but I also feel a whole lot more relieved and energized on the days we manage to get out of the house to get to the community center. Noah always says, "'rains and nunnels! Oh my!" (aka "trains and tunnels") and runs to the childcare room when we arrive, so I know it's hardly a chore for him. He likes the change of scenery, too!
0905: I sit in the hot tub (my aching back is a huge fan), go through my email, and study a bit for the IBCLC exam.
0930: I jump in the cold pool really quick and see Noah running around in the childcare area. He seems me, and a look of total delight and surprise crosses his face as he pounds the glass and shouts, "Mama!" I wave and blow him a kiss, and the older kids in the crowd Noah quickly gathers around him blow kisses back at me. Thankfully the childcare lady ushers the kids away from the window, and she later reassured me that no meltdowns were involved after the Mama sighting. Goober!
0945: I've changed into gym clothes and I do a quick workout.
1015: I get Noah out of childcare quickly because we have to rush to the chiropractor to make it to our 1030 appointment. On the way out, Noah tries to escape, runs into the garden, trips, and very narrowly averts a more serious kind of doctor's visit. Thankfully instead of smacking his head on the rock wall he tripped on, he twists at the last minute and manages to only scrape his cheek and get woodchips everywhere. We say thank you to Jesus, and hustle to the car.
1033: We made it! Noah plays with the toy kitchen at the chiropractor's office while I get adjusted. Then it's Noah's turn. Man he loves the chiro. Today he so sweetly climbs right up on the table, facedown, and so docile-ly lays his head down and waits for his adjustment. He must know he needs it! Last week he fell 4 feet down head-first onto tile and earned a lovely goose egg. He's been running diagonally ever since! He's full speed (straight) ahead after his adjustment.
1130: We are home for lunch and we obviously crammed too much into our morning, because it's meltdown city for my tired, hungry toddler. I change him into his naptime diaper and then put him in his high chair for lunch. He inhales gluten-free chicken nuggets, gluten-free pretzels, and plantain chips, all dipped into either salsa or almond butter. He loves dipping things! He totally discards the roasted butternut squash. I thought he would love it since it's so similar to his beloved sweet potatoes!
1200: I move the diapers to the dryer and take a quick shower. Can't handle gym germs.
1220: I have no one to blame but myself for the fact that the house is in total disarray now. Noah has also wiggled enough to make another stinky diaper, so I change it and rinse it out while more chaos ensues.
1230: Noah is shouting "nuk and 'nuggles!" and I'm finally able to acquiesce since we're all cleaned and fed.
1245: Noah is asleep. He almost NEVER used to fall asleep in my arms until he dropped to 1 nap at 15 months. Now this is my favorite part of the day.
1310: Noah wiggles and wakes up briefly, so I put him in his crib and he drowsily curls up to resume his nap. I love it.
1330: I eat lunch and watch 2 episodes of the Mindy Show on Hulu. I would love to say that I'm a productivity wizard during naptime, but that's SO not the case. I need a break, too! Every now and then I'm 100% lazy or 100% productive, but it's usually a mix of the two.
1415: I text with a friend a bit, look up two recipes online, and then sit down to start typing this epic novel. I'm hoping Noah takes a delightfully long post-chiropractor nap (like, the elusive 3 hour nap I always dream of).
1520: I close the laptop and start to tidy my perpetually messy desk. I literally have nowhere else to place paperwork, so it piles up quickly. #smallhouseproblems
1521: Just kidding. Noah's up.
1530: Noah runs straight to the freezer asking for a Pedialyte popsicle. I have no doubt he remembers me telling him this morning that he could have one after his nap, so I give him one while I get the diapers out of the dryer and throw some laundry in the washer (THANK GOD for modern appliances)!
1600: Noah and I bake some granola bars for a friend. He simultaneously drinks coconut yogurt out of a cookie cup and adds pepper to the yogurt dregs so he can cook, too.
1615: Change Noah's diaper and clothes.
1630: Play outside! We noticed the first robin of the year in our yard yesterday, and when Noah went outside today, he just stood and looked up in amazement and said, "bird tweet tweet... in the tree!" I love his little voice. And that "tweet" is the cutest!
1705: Head back inside (to Noah's chagrin) to start dinner. Noah and I sample one of the homemade granola bars we made and I start dinner (Mel Joulwan's salmon cakes and Trader Joe's broccoli and kale salad).
1740: "Yay Papa back!" Ross takes Noah back outside while I finish dinner and start tidying up.
1810: We all eat. Noah took one bite of salmon cake, and kept trying to eat the kale but couldn't chew it. Ross deemed the salmon acceptable enough to eat sans modifications, so yay! The recipe is a keeper.
1835: Ross takes Noah to shower while I do the dishes.
1845: We tag-team diaper, Aquaphor application, and pajamas. Noah insists on wearing PJs that are a size too big, but they have trucks on them so they win (and I'm shocked that they're really not that big on my baby!)
1855: Nursing session.
1910: Brush teeth, read stories, put Noah down in his crib. He sits and drinks water for a bit but lays down pretty quickly. Today wore both of us out!
1920: Sadly, Ross had to go back to work for a bit, so I grab a snack, catch up on texts, add to this post, etc. I know that today isn't anything special to other moms of toddlers, and heck it's probably calm compared to moms with multiples! But dang even reading through this makes me tired. Perspective is always good for me: instead of focusing on everything that I DON'T do, or don't do right, or don't do well, I get a glimpse of what I DO do, which is love this silly goose.
2100: Dude I didn't mean to waste so much time. I'm so tired! I always have grand plans of being productive once Noah's asleep, but I'm always too wiped out. (But too cute... He's asleep with his bear, puppy, quilt, water, and one of his books tonight!) I do physical therapy and then get ready for bed.
2145: Ross is home again, poor guy.
2245: I finally go to bed. Why do I do this to myself?! It's like I'm so tired by the end of the day I can't even do what I need to do to go to bed on time. Whew!
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Life with a One Year Old
Here's a snapshot of one of our days, so I can remember what this fleeting time looks like. We were in a routine for about two months there, but in the last week, Noah has showed signs of being ready to change again, especially in regards to napping.
0515: Noah is up! I let him talk in his crib for 5 minutes, but then he starts to fuss and it's clear he isn't going back to sleep. I go get him and nurse him.
0545: Put baby back in the crib to see if he will fall asleep. He acts like he wants to, but never does.
0615: Ross finally gets Noah and feeds him breakfast and I get to go back to sleep!!! Noah's breakfast has been pretty consistent the past two months, and it's huge:
-1 banana (yup, the whole thing disappears so quickly)
-1 Paleo muffin (I try to change up flavors, but I always go with a Paleo recipe because they're higher in fat and lower in sugar)
-1/4 cup thawed smoothie of pureed mango, pineapple, coconut, and strawberry (organic tropical fruit mix from Target with 1/4 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut added in. I make two weeks' worth at a time, and I add spinach, too, if I remember) + 1/4 cup baby oatmeal
0730: I wake up to Noah crawling around like a madman. I love that pitter patter. He's always so happy to be awake in the morning! I get up and Ross leaves for work. That extra sleep was a luxury today!
0745: Noah very intentionally crawls over to his stroller, stands up, puts a hand on the seat, and looks at me. Kid is a creature of habit, just like his mom! Time for our morning walk. I transfer my mueslix to a coffee mug so I can eat while we walk.
0845: 2 miles down. I love the golden, quiet coolness of summer mornings! And we now have a very sleepy baby on our hands. I nurse him quickly, and put him in his crib super drowsy.
0900-1000: Noah falls asleep after about 10 minutes, but only sleeps for 10 minutes! I leave him in his crib for the allotted hour, but he never does fall back asleep, so I get him up and he nurses again.
1015: First lunch! Noah eats some puffs and a pouch of pureed salmon, quinoa, and veggies.
1030: Some friends invited us to the pool, and I guess the perk of no nap is that we get to go! Time for swim diapers and (torture) sunscreen.
1050-noon: Noah splashes around in the baby pool, perfectly content to play with a shovel and bucket with occasional crawling or walking breaks to find a new spot to sit. At one point, he found a water jet, but it was a little to strong to keep him interested. He also played in the nearby sand. Looks like he's not afraid of it like he was in Hawaii!
1215: Home again, home again. I nurse Noah and he falls asleep in my arms while I'm taking him to his room! Almost never happens, so I sit for a bit and snuggle until he's fast asleep. I cherish those sweet little snores, and I'm sad my back hurt too much to hold him for his whole nap.
1245: I finally lay him in his crib. He wakes up briefly, but falls back asleep while I'm warming up my lunch.
1415: Noah is up after 1.5-2 hours. Not exactly the epic nap I was hoping for, given his lack of a real morning nap.
1420: Nurse
1445: Second lunch. Noah has one toddler cookie with some peanut butter on it and a few green beans. After lunch, he plays for a bit.
1515: Leave for the chiropractor. Noah pulls all the books off the shelf while I get adjusted. We stay for a while afterwards because Noah LOVES to play with their play kitchen.
1700: Arrive home with a VERY cranky baby. He's moaning and groaning with one side of his mouth held shut. Poor teething baby.
1720: Noah gets dinner: a meatloaf muffin, some olives, some hemp milk, and a few strawberry slices.
1740: Dad's home! And Noah is still cranky. He has a temp of 101.8, so he gets some Advil and then it's bath time. So much splashing and talking!
1800: Out of the tub. Diapering and pajama-ing is a two person job these days.
1815: Nurse
1845: Ross reads Noah a story and puts him in bed.
1900: Baby is asleep!
0515: Noah is up! I let him talk in his crib for 5 minutes, but then he starts to fuss and it's clear he isn't going back to sleep. I go get him and nurse him.
0545: Put baby back in the crib to see if he will fall asleep. He acts like he wants to, but never does.
0615: Ross finally gets Noah and feeds him breakfast and I get to go back to sleep!!! Noah's breakfast has been pretty consistent the past two months, and it's huge:
-1 banana (yup, the whole thing disappears so quickly)
-1 Paleo muffin (I try to change up flavors, but I always go with a Paleo recipe because they're higher in fat and lower in sugar)
-1/4 cup thawed smoothie of pureed mango, pineapple, coconut, and strawberry (organic tropical fruit mix from Target with 1/4 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut added in. I make two weeks' worth at a time, and I add spinach, too, if I remember) + 1/4 cup baby oatmeal
0730: I wake up to Noah crawling around like a madman. I love that pitter patter. He's always so happy to be awake in the morning! I get up and Ross leaves for work. That extra sleep was a luxury today!
0745: Noah very intentionally crawls over to his stroller, stands up, puts a hand on the seat, and looks at me. Kid is a creature of habit, just like his mom! Time for our morning walk. I transfer my mueslix to a coffee mug so I can eat while we walk.
0845: 2 miles down. I love the golden, quiet coolness of summer mornings! And we now have a very sleepy baby on our hands. I nurse him quickly, and put him in his crib super drowsy.
0900-1000: Noah falls asleep after about 10 minutes, but only sleeps for 10 minutes! I leave him in his crib for the allotted hour, but he never does fall back asleep, so I get him up and he nurses again.
1015: First lunch! Noah eats some puffs and a pouch of pureed salmon, quinoa, and veggies.
1030: Some friends invited us to the pool, and I guess the perk of no nap is that we get to go! Time for swim diapers and (torture) sunscreen.
1050-noon: Noah splashes around in the baby pool, perfectly content to play with a shovel and bucket with occasional crawling or walking breaks to find a new spot to sit. At one point, he found a water jet, but it was a little to strong to keep him interested. He also played in the nearby sand. Looks like he's not afraid of it like he was in Hawaii!
1215: Home again, home again. I nurse Noah and he falls asleep in my arms while I'm taking him to his room! Almost never happens, so I sit for a bit and snuggle until he's fast asleep. I cherish those sweet little snores, and I'm sad my back hurt too much to hold him for his whole nap.
1245: I finally lay him in his crib. He wakes up briefly, but falls back asleep while I'm warming up my lunch.
1415: Noah is up after 1.5-2 hours. Not exactly the epic nap I was hoping for, given his lack of a real morning nap.
1420: Nurse
1445: Second lunch. Noah has one toddler cookie with some peanut butter on it and a few green beans. After lunch, he plays for a bit.
1515: Leave for the chiropractor. Noah pulls all the books off the shelf while I get adjusted. We stay for a while afterwards because Noah LOVES to play with their play kitchen.
1700: Arrive home with a VERY cranky baby. He's moaning and groaning with one side of his mouth held shut. Poor teething baby.
1720: Noah gets dinner: a meatloaf muffin, some olives, some hemp milk, and a few strawberry slices.
1740: Dad's home! And Noah is still cranky. He has a temp of 101.8, so he gets some Advil and then it's bath time. So much splashing and talking!
1800: Out of the tub. Diapering and pajama-ing is a two person job these days.
1815: Nurse
1845: Ross reads Noah a story and puts him in bed.
1900: Baby is asleep!
Monday, January 19, 2015
A Day of Life with a 7 Month Old
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about resting while I had the chance. I don't regret a second of it! Life has been full speed ahead since Christmas. I had hospital orientation the first week of January, then we all got influenza, and this past weekend I worked all weekend orienting to my new unit.
In the meantime, Noah has NOT been napping. Honestly, it's so small in the scheme of things, but I can't help but feel like I'm letting him down when he doesn't sleep well. In the 7.5 months that Noah has been here, I'd say we've had a total of 1.5 months of textbook naps (at this point that means two naps a day, for a total of 2-4 hours of daytime sleep).
Last week, I spent entire days struggling to get one 45 minute nap in (thankfully we had a bit of a thaw and Noah did get a good stroller nap!). This kid needs sleep, but he has SUCH a hard time shutting down! He's always GO GO GO TALK TALK TALK WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE. I LOVE it overall, but I wish I knew how to get him to turn it off. He needs rest, and I feel like it's up to me to coax him into it, but I cannot figure him out! I read all the books. I've tried all the tricks. Honestly, I think self-soothing is a developmental milestone that he hasn't reached because he's too busy with anything and everything else.
That being said, here's a fairly typical day for us since we're all still recovering from Influenza A: clear the schedule and get the kid to sleep at all costs!
0110: Noah wakes up. I get him and see that he threw up the avocado he ate for dinner. I change his sleep sack and feed him while Ross changes his sheets. Poor buddy!
0140: Ross puts Noah back in his crib and we all go back to sleep.
0430: Noah is up. I feed him.
0450: Ross takes a very wiggly baby back to his crib again. He doesn't fuss, but he also does NOT fall back asleep.
0530: Noah starts crying, so I feed him again thinking maybe it'll make him drowsy. Note to self: it never does!
0550: I put Noah back in his crib, where he proceeds to babble, whine, and practice balancing on all fours.
0630: He's obviously not falling back asleep. Ross gets him out of his room.
0700: I turn on the solar lamp in the kitchen to wake us all up and feed Noah some big kid food for breakfast-- strawberry applesauce with oatmeal. Yum!
0730: Play play play. This kid is on the move! He can scoot backwards, roll everywhere, and army crawl. Be still my heart :-)
0800: I dress and swaddle Noah, and then feed him. He's slowing down, so I'm hoping he will fall asleep after eating. Lay him in his crib "drowsy but awake" like all the books and well-meaning friends say to. He proceeds to whine, wiggle, and fuss for 45 minutes.
0900: I take him out of his crib and we play some more.
1000: Try to get him to nap again. Come up with some convoluted combination of rocking, feeding, listening to Gregorian chants, and putting a vibrating disc from the Rock 'n' Play on Noah's back. Whatever the magic is, it produces heavy eyelids which I haven't seen in ages! He also lets me give him the pacifier, which he rejects 99.5% of the time.
1020: Noah falls asleep in my arms (this NEVER happens). I hold him for 20 more minutes until he stops wiggling, and my arm goes numb.
1045: Successful transfer to the crib!
1100: I eat lunch. I'm famished! Also move laundry and do PT exercises.
1200: Marvel that Noah is still asleep. Watch an episode of the Mindy Project.
1245: Holy crap. If I'd know this was going to be a legit nap, I would've started on my to-do list right away! Feel like it's too late now. Move laundry again. Eat a bowl of cereal. Pick up the book I'm reading.
1315: Noah is up. I feed him.
1430: Give Noah some pureed green beans. He's happy to be eating solids after stopping for a week when he was so sick!
1445: Nurse him again in hopes of another nap.
1520: Rock him again. He just takes a 15 minute catnap in my arms this time.
1600: Play inside, and then outside for a bit. Noah isn't so sure about the wind and the bright sun!
1710: Baby bath, aka water aerobics. Took this picture in the 0.5 seconds it felt safe to not have my hands on this wild monkey, lest he submerge himself!
1730: Nurse
1800: Rock a very overtired baby until Ross comes home and takes over.
1900: Baby is asleep! I eat dinner, shower, and pump.
2020: Ross and I are in bed, exhausted. We watch an episode of Downton Abbey before going to bed.
2100: Lights out!
2240: Noah is awake. Feed him. We all go back to sleep until 0230 when it starts all over again...
In the meantime, Noah has NOT been napping. Honestly, it's so small in the scheme of things, but I can't help but feel like I'm letting him down when he doesn't sleep well. In the 7.5 months that Noah has been here, I'd say we've had a total of 1.5 months of textbook naps (at this point that means two naps a day, for a total of 2-4 hours of daytime sleep).
Last week, I spent entire days struggling to get one 45 minute nap in (thankfully we had a bit of a thaw and Noah did get a good stroller nap!). This kid needs sleep, but he has SUCH a hard time shutting down! He's always GO GO GO TALK TALK TALK WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE. I LOVE it overall, but I wish I knew how to get him to turn it off. He needs rest, and I feel like it's up to me to coax him into it, but I cannot figure him out! I read all the books. I've tried all the tricks. Honestly, I think self-soothing is a developmental milestone that he hasn't reached because he's too busy with anything and everything else.
That being said, here's a fairly typical day for us since we're all still recovering from Influenza A: clear the schedule and get the kid to sleep at all costs!
0110: Noah wakes up. I get him and see that he threw up the avocado he ate for dinner. I change his sleep sack and feed him while Ross changes his sheets. Poor buddy!
0140: Ross puts Noah back in his crib and we all go back to sleep.
0430: Noah is up. I feed him.
0450: Ross takes a very wiggly baby back to his crib again. He doesn't fuss, but he also does NOT fall back asleep.
0530: Noah starts crying, so I feed him again thinking maybe it'll make him drowsy. Note to self: it never does!
0550: I put Noah back in his crib, where he proceeds to babble, whine, and practice balancing on all fours.
0630: He's obviously not falling back asleep. Ross gets him out of his room.
0700: I turn on the solar lamp in the kitchen to wake us all up and feed Noah some big kid food for breakfast-- strawberry applesauce with oatmeal. Yum!
0730: Play play play. This kid is on the move! He can scoot backwards, roll everywhere, and army crawl. Be still my heart :-)
0800: I dress and swaddle Noah, and then feed him. He's slowing down, so I'm hoping he will fall asleep after eating. Lay him in his crib "drowsy but awake" like all the books and well-meaning friends say to. He proceeds to whine, wiggle, and fuss for 45 minutes.
0900: I take him out of his crib and we play some more.
1000: Try to get him to nap again. Come up with some convoluted combination of rocking, feeding, listening to Gregorian chants, and putting a vibrating disc from the Rock 'n' Play on Noah's back. Whatever the magic is, it produces heavy eyelids which I haven't seen in ages! He also lets me give him the pacifier, which he rejects 99.5% of the time.
1020: Noah falls asleep in my arms (this NEVER happens). I hold him for 20 more minutes until he stops wiggling, and my arm goes numb.
1045: Successful transfer to the crib!
1100: I eat lunch. I'm famished! Also move laundry and do PT exercises.
1200: Marvel that Noah is still asleep. Watch an episode of the Mindy Project.
1245: Holy crap. If I'd know this was going to be a legit nap, I would've started on my to-do list right away! Feel like it's too late now. Move laundry again. Eat a bowl of cereal. Pick up the book I'm reading.
1315: Noah is up. I feed him.
1430: Give Noah some pureed green beans. He's happy to be eating solids after stopping for a week when he was so sick!
1445: Nurse him again in hopes of another nap.
1520: Rock him again. He just takes a 15 minute catnap in my arms this time.
1600: Play inside, and then outside for a bit. Noah isn't so sure about the wind and the bright sun!
1710: Baby bath, aka water aerobics. Took this picture in the 0.5 seconds it felt safe to not have my hands on this wild monkey, lest he submerge himself!
1730: Nurse
1800: Rock a very overtired baby until Ross comes home and takes over.
1900: Baby is asleep! I eat dinner, shower, and pump.
2020: Ross and I are in bed, exhausted. We watch an episode of Downton Abbey before going to bed.
2100: Lights out!
2240: Noah is awake. Feed him. We all go back to sleep until 0230 when it starts all over again...
Friday, October 17, 2014
A Day of Life with a 4 Month Old
Yesterday, Noah learned to roll from back to front! He's done it once or twice before on accident, but yesterday it really clicked. As he kept repeating his new trick, I realized my days with an immobile baby are limited! I wanted to do a post like this ages ago, but honestly pre-Zantac all of my energy went into trying to get Noah to stop crying and sleep.
That's not to say that every day is rainbows and butterflies now, but honestly the majority of our day is quite happy. This little guy is a joy to be around. Earlier this week, I was at the park with a friend who hadn't seen me since the Day Before Zantac. (AKA Noah cried all day, I cried all day, I finally had to lay him in the crib and walk away for an hour because I couldn't handle it, and he cried the whole time.) My friend said my whole countenance is different now, and I agree. I'm a much more patient mom now that my baby and my lower back aren't screaming at me all day long. Thank God for modern medicine!
Anyway, here's a much lower-stress day in our lives now. I'm so thankful that I get to spend most of the week at home with him. He's the cutest boss!
[Note: Just because I note multiple "events" an hour, don't think I'm trying to make myself sound busier than I am. Chill days like this are an absolute delight and they allow both of us to settle into a rhythm and find a good "normal" for us. I can think of 1,000 scenarios that are more hectic than this one, which is why I'm so thankful for today!]
0110: Noah is awake. Ross brings him to the bedroom and I feed him.
0145: Noah is done eating. The past week or two, he has been good about falling right back to sleep after his middle of the night feeding. But tonight, it's clear that isn't going to be the case. He's not fussy, but he's most definitely awake. Ross finally goes to the nursery to rock him while I eat a Larabar and chug some water.
0210: Noah is asleep. Ross and I aren't far behind.
0501: (seriously, this kid's internal clock for the 5 o'clock hour is astounding) Noah is awake again. Ross brings him to the bedroom and I give him his Zantac and feed him.
0530: Ross gets ready to go for a run with a neighbor. Noah is still eating.
0600: Noah's done eating, but he's WIDE awake.
0630: More often than not, he goes back to sleep by 6:30 or 7 and sleeps until 8:30, but that's not happening. He's all riled up and happy-shouting and smiling and babbling.
0700: I give up trying to quiet him down, and get up and change his diaper. Ross leaves for work and I put Noah down on his playmat while I get dressed and make oatmeal for myself.
0705: We almost never leave the house when it's dark, but I realize I'm out of coffee and I have a Groupon for my favorite coffee shop 20 minutes away. I bundle Noah up and head out to get caffeine for me, but also in hopes that Noah will fall asleep in the car.
0745: Noah puts up a valiant fight and stays wide-eyed until we turn onto our street on the way home! I miraculously transfer him into the house in his carseat and he stays asleep. I put the carseat on the floor of our bedroom because the trashmen are super loud from his bedroom on Friday mornings.
0800: I slip back into bed, hoping to catch a short nap.
0830: Noah is awake and he wakes me up from my 15 minute catnap, too.
0840: Feed Noah.
0915: Change his diaper (which was dangerously close to a blowout) and get him dressed.
0930: I put Noah on his playmat in the kitchen while I start this post and eat my gluten-free brownie from the coffee shop. I also take my vitamin and probiotic to balance it out :-)
0945: I watch him play while I pump. He's practicing rolling the other way! I wonder what makes their little brain decide to just do these things one day seemingly out of the blue.
1000: I waited a little too long for naptime, and Noah starts to fuss. We hightail it to the nursery where I put him in his sleepsuit and start rocking.
1015: He put up a decent fight, but sleep won in the end. And this fussing is NOTHING compared to months 2-4 when he would scream for about 45 minutes before finally taking a 20 minute nap. Poor guy!
1030: I drink about 1/3 of my coconut milk cafe au lait from this morning after debating taking a nap as well, and deciding I will try to take one this afternoon instead.
1040: I do a quick 18 minute Piyo workout.
1100: Pretty much right on cue, Noah wakes up. I rush to the nursery to rock him back to sleep before he gets too riled up. He's definitely still tired and I really try to get him to take at least one nap a day that's more than an hour long, even though he almost always wakes up 45 minutes after laying down. He falls asleep quickly, but I rock him for a few more minutes until I feel like it's safe to put him back down.
1115: I quietly warm up some leftover fajita filling to eat alongside corn chips, carrot sticks, and guacamole for lunch.
1140: Do my deep breathing and a few Physical Therapy exercises while I scroll through Instagram and wait for Noah to wake up again. I love and hate that our house is so tiny, you can't do anything remotely noisy during naptime.
1207: Baby's awake!
1210-1240: Feed and burp Noah.
1250: Clean diaper and playtime! I set Noah down on his playmat to kick around and I talk to him while I unload the dishwasher and quickly make a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip bars.
1315: Hearing aid time! I make sure he's upright so he doesn't get feedback ringing in his ears, and we sing songs, read a book, and play patty cake. The minute he becomes disinterested, I take them out. The goal is to only have positive associations with his hearing aids!
1335: Move toward nap.
1355: He's asleep!
1400: I eat a pumpkin bar and applesauce for a snack.
1425: I lay down in hopes of a nap.
1430: Baby wakes up instead, and this time he won't be rocked back to sleep. Should've taken advantage of the morning nap!
1440: Spend 40 minutes feeding a fussy, overtired, squirmy baby and wonder if he's actually eating anything or just wiggling. Then he spits up in my hair and I figure he must've eaten something.
1520: Eat another pumpkin bar + some salt and pepper potato chips (darn you for buying these, Ross!) Play with Noah on the floor for a while.
1545: Change diaper. Go on a 1 hour walk. Noah probably sleeps for 40 minutes of it. He's so tired today.
1700: Put pork loin in the oven for dinner.
1715: Wait for Dad and greet him with a smile when he comes home!
1740: Noah gets a 20 minute bath. He splashes and shouts much less than usual. So tired today!
1800: Give Noah his Zantac and feed him for hopefully the last time today. [We've been putting him down after this feeding and doing a "dream feed" around 9:30-10pm for a week or two, but the last few days we'd wake him out of a good sleep to eat and he was so fussy, barely ate anything, and took an hour to settle back down. So last night we just let him sleep and he slept until 1am. He used to eat at 10pm and then again at 2-3am and 5-6am, so we essentially dropped a feeding in the hopes of all of us getting a tad more sleep*. We kept pushing him, hoping he'd give us that long stretch from like 10pm-5am like adults sleep. Alas, he has not taken that opportunity. So if he's going to get his long stretch earlier in the night, I guess we need to, too :-/ ]
1830: Ross rocks Noah to sleep while I finish up with dinner and take a shower.
1900: I eat dinner with Ross. Nothing fancy: pork and roasted sweet potatoes.
1945: Do physical therapy exercises, talk with Ross, go over our budget.
2030: Pump.
2115: Grownups in bed, lights out!
I cannot believe I just wrote our entire day out in such mundane detail. Today was actually a fairly indulgent day, to boot, since we didn't have any errands to run or appointments to be at or night shift to prepare for. It feels silly to document this, but I already wonder what the heck my days look liked at 2 months (I do know this: a very tired blur).
I know it'll be fun to look back at our happy days at 4 months. And when I'm tempted to feed like all we do is eat, play, and sleep (well, some of us sleep more than others haha) I remember: "It's never mundane to them. Not to their brains which measures your mundane as safety, as meeting their needs, helping their brain literally explode in connections. Relish the "mundane" because to them it's the essence of life and the building block of a future." And really, these tiny, everyday moments are what I'm going to want to remember most about this blur of new baby-hood and new parent-hood.
One of my friends recently posted a picture of her smiling baby on Facebook and basically said, "I didn't get anything done today because this guy started smiling!" One of her friends responded, "Getting nothing done? You just helped create hundreds of new brain connections, decreased his cortisol levels so his brain develops in a calm environment, and helped him begin to trust that God loves him unconditionally because he's seen that in his mama's eyes. In fact, come to think of it, you deserve a nap!" I love that. And I love this job. And I love my sweet little family.
*Edited to add: Noah slept from 1900 to 0400 that night!!!! That's the longest he's EVER slept. I woke up about every 90 minutes to look at him on the video monitor, but almost always fell right back asleep after I saw him breathing, which means I got about 6 hours of more-or-less uninterrupted sleep. Yay! I think he's coming off of a major growth spurt and more tired than normal. (I always know it's a growth spurt because I am ravenous and super thirsty. And craving chocolate cake. Seriously.)
That's not to say that every day is rainbows and butterflies now, but honestly the majority of our day is quite happy. This little guy is a joy to be around. Earlier this week, I was at the park with a friend who hadn't seen me since the Day Before Zantac. (AKA Noah cried all day, I cried all day, I finally had to lay him in the crib and walk away for an hour because I couldn't handle it, and he cried the whole time.) My friend said my whole countenance is different now, and I agree. I'm a much more patient mom now that my baby and my lower back aren't screaming at me all day long. Thank God for modern medicine!
Anyway, here's a much lower-stress day in our lives now. I'm so thankful that I get to spend most of the week at home with him. He's the cutest boss!
[Note: Just because I note multiple "events" an hour, don't think I'm trying to make myself sound busier than I am. Chill days like this are an absolute delight and they allow both of us to settle into a rhythm and find a good "normal" for us. I can think of 1,000 scenarios that are more hectic than this one, which is why I'm so thankful for today!]
0110: Noah is awake. Ross brings him to the bedroom and I feed him.
0145: Noah is done eating. The past week or two, he has been good about falling right back to sleep after his middle of the night feeding. But tonight, it's clear that isn't going to be the case. He's not fussy, but he's most definitely awake. Ross finally goes to the nursery to rock him while I eat a Larabar and chug some water.
0210: Noah is asleep. Ross and I aren't far behind.
0501: (seriously, this kid's internal clock for the 5 o'clock hour is astounding) Noah is awake again. Ross brings him to the bedroom and I give him his Zantac and feed him.
0530: Ross gets ready to go for a run with a neighbor. Noah is still eating.
0600: Noah's done eating, but he's WIDE awake.
0630: More often than not, he goes back to sleep by 6:30 or 7 and sleeps until 8:30, but that's not happening. He's all riled up and happy-shouting and smiling and babbling.
0700: I give up trying to quiet him down, and get up and change his diaper. Ross leaves for work and I put Noah down on his playmat while I get dressed and make oatmeal for myself.
0705: We almost never leave the house when it's dark, but I realize I'm out of coffee and I have a Groupon for my favorite coffee shop 20 minutes away. I bundle Noah up and head out to get caffeine for me, but also in hopes that Noah will fall asleep in the car.
0745: Noah puts up a valiant fight and stays wide-eyed until we turn onto our street on the way home! I miraculously transfer him into the house in his carseat and he stays asleep. I put the carseat on the floor of our bedroom because the trashmen are super loud from his bedroom on Friday mornings.
0800: I slip back into bed, hoping to catch a short nap.
0830: Noah is awake and he wakes me up from my 15 minute catnap, too.
0840: Feed Noah.
0915: Change his diaper (which was dangerously close to a blowout) and get him dressed.
0930: I put Noah on his playmat in the kitchen while I start this post and eat my gluten-free brownie from the coffee shop. I also take my vitamin and probiotic to balance it out :-)
0945: I watch him play while I pump. He's practicing rolling the other way! I wonder what makes their little brain decide to just do these things one day seemingly out of the blue.
1000: I waited a little too long for naptime, and Noah starts to fuss. We hightail it to the nursery where I put him in his sleepsuit and start rocking.
1015: He put up a decent fight, but sleep won in the end. And this fussing is NOTHING compared to months 2-4 when he would scream for about 45 minutes before finally taking a 20 minute nap. Poor guy!
1030: I drink about 1/3 of my coconut milk cafe au lait from this morning after debating taking a nap as well, and deciding I will try to take one this afternoon instead.
1040: I do a quick 18 minute Piyo workout.
1100: Pretty much right on cue, Noah wakes up. I rush to the nursery to rock him back to sleep before he gets too riled up. He's definitely still tired and I really try to get him to take at least one nap a day that's more than an hour long, even though he almost always wakes up 45 minutes after laying down. He falls asleep quickly, but I rock him for a few more minutes until I feel like it's safe to put him back down.
1115: I quietly warm up some leftover fajita filling to eat alongside corn chips, carrot sticks, and guacamole for lunch.
1140: Do my deep breathing and a few Physical Therapy exercises while I scroll through Instagram and wait for Noah to wake up again. I love and hate that our house is so tiny, you can't do anything remotely noisy during naptime.
1207: Baby's awake!
1210-1240: Feed and burp Noah.
1250: Clean diaper and playtime! I set Noah down on his playmat to kick around and I talk to him while I unload the dishwasher and quickly make a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip bars.
1315: Hearing aid time! I make sure he's upright so he doesn't get feedback ringing in his ears, and we sing songs, read a book, and play patty cake. The minute he becomes disinterested, I take them out. The goal is to only have positive associations with his hearing aids!
1335: Move toward nap.
1355: He's asleep!
1400: I eat a pumpkin bar and applesauce for a snack.
1425: I lay down in hopes of a nap.
1430: Baby wakes up instead, and this time he won't be rocked back to sleep. Should've taken advantage of the morning nap!
1440: Spend 40 minutes feeding a fussy, overtired, squirmy baby and wonder if he's actually eating anything or just wiggling. Then he spits up in my hair and I figure he must've eaten something.
1520: Eat another pumpkin bar + some salt and pepper potato chips (darn you for buying these, Ross!) Play with Noah on the floor for a while.
1545: Change diaper. Go on a 1 hour walk. Noah probably sleeps for 40 minutes of it. He's so tired today.
1700: Put pork loin in the oven for dinner.
1715: Wait for Dad and greet him with a smile when he comes home!
1740: Noah gets a 20 minute bath. He splashes and shouts much less than usual. So tired today!
1800: Give Noah his Zantac and feed him for hopefully the last time today. [We've been putting him down after this feeding and doing a "dream feed" around 9:30-10pm for a week or two, but the last few days we'd wake him out of a good sleep to eat and he was so fussy, barely ate anything, and took an hour to settle back down. So last night we just let him sleep and he slept until 1am. He used to eat at 10pm and then again at 2-3am and 5-6am, so we essentially dropped a feeding in the hopes of all of us getting a tad more sleep*. We kept pushing him, hoping he'd give us that long stretch from like 10pm-5am like adults sleep. Alas, he has not taken that opportunity. So if he's going to get his long stretch earlier in the night, I guess we need to, too :-/ ]
1830: Ross rocks Noah to sleep while I finish up with dinner and take a shower.
1900: I eat dinner with Ross. Nothing fancy: pork and roasted sweet potatoes.
1945: Do physical therapy exercises, talk with Ross, go over our budget.
2030: Pump.
2115: Grownups in bed, lights out!
I cannot believe I just wrote our entire day out in such mundane detail. Today was actually a fairly indulgent day, to boot, since we didn't have any errands to run or appointments to be at or night shift to prepare for. It feels silly to document this, but I already wonder what the heck my days look liked at 2 months (I do know this: a very tired blur).
I know it'll be fun to look back at our happy days at 4 months. And when I'm tempted to feed like all we do is eat, play, and sleep (well, some of us sleep more than others haha) I remember: "It's never mundane to them. Not to their brains which measures your mundane as safety, as meeting their needs, helping their brain literally explode in connections. Relish the "mundane" because to them it's the essence of life and the building block of a future." And really, these tiny, everyday moments are what I'm going to want to remember most about this blur of new baby-hood and new parent-hood.
One of my friends recently posted a picture of her smiling baby on Facebook and basically said, "I didn't get anything done today because this guy started smiling!" One of her friends responded, "Getting nothing done? You just helped create hundreds of new brain connections, decreased his cortisol levels so his brain develops in a calm environment, and helped him begin to trust that God loves him unconditionally because he's seen that in his mama's eyes. In fact, come to think of it, you deserve a nap!" I love that. And I love this job. And I love my sweet little family.
*Edited to add: Noah slept from 1900 to 0400 that night!!!! That's the longest he's EVER slept. I woke up about every 90 minutes to look at him on the video monitor, but almost always fell right back asleep after I saw him breathing, which means I got about 6 hours of more-or-less uninterrupted sleep. Yay! I think he's coming off of a major growth spurt and more tired than normal. (I always know it's a growth spurt because I am ravenous and super thirsty. And craving chocolate cake. Seriously.)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Life on a day off
Nurses are lucky. Really. Regardless of how your 12 or 13 hour shift goes, you typically only work 3 of those shifts a week and you have the other 4 days to recover. Now, it's often not so neat and tidy. The weeks blend together, you work overtime, you may have kids and a husband at home, or another job, or you do something silly like start grad school and that eats up your free time...
But by and large, four days a week, I don't have to hear my alarm go off at 5am. The tradeoff for sometimes not working weekdays is that I do have to work weekends and holidays and evenings. But it's still a fairly decent trade. As these weekdays off draw all-too-rapidly to an end, I find myself cherishing every last minute. The fact of the matter is, I haven't worked just 3 days a week since July!
I was scheduled to work 6 days in a row this week between all the jobs I've picked up, but praise the Lord I got voluntarily cancelled from the NICU today! So this last, precious weekday off is like a ridiculously elusive snow day. It's shining and golden and I just want to eat it up.
So I thought I'd record it, lest any of it go to waste.
Around 0500, in the midst of a dream that work never called and I had to go in, I got the phone call saying I could take the day off in 4 hour blocks. I had a fleeting thought of regret that it was one less day to work with the babies before I'm done with that, too, but my eyelids sank closed again quickly and I slept on an off until 0815.
I leisurely rolled out of bed, started breakfast, got dressed, and then ate breakfast (a warm bowl of creamy raspberry buckwheat).
By 0905 I made a cup of green tea and started my quiet time, determined to make the most of not having to rush it. Also, I eat the last cookie out of the freezer. Because apparently I've decided breakfast deserves dessert too?
Oh, but then I remember I need to take my medicine and when I do, I find that my pill divider is empty, so I fill that. (You know, if you give a mouse a cookie...) I currently take accutane, Allegra, and a multivitamin in the morning. In the evening, I take another accutane, a calcium + vitamin D supplement, a vitamin B complex supplement, and a probiotic. I also take my Advair inhaler twice a day.
Now it's 0930. Back to the space heater and my quiet time on the couch. I do get distracted a few times. For example, while catching up on my SheReadsTruth Bible study, I want to bookmark this page. I also remember to download a few sermons while I'm reading and writing.
At 1030, I'm getting more fidgety even though I'm not nearly as caught up on journaling and reading as I would like to be. It's now above freezing outside instead of the sunny but frigid 19 degrees I saw when I woke up, so I decided this was a good a time as any to run errands and get grocery shopping out of the way in case I did get called in later. I'm not sure what we would've done if I had to work today. Probably go to the store hungry, tired, and cranky tonight. That's the only bad thing about leaving town for the holidays-- unpacking and settling in at home on Sunday evening, only to realize your fridge is bare.
I ended up checking e-mail, reading some blogs, doing some online shopping, and meal planning, and then left the house at 1115.
My heart was happy as I headed down the stairs and saw all the empty parking spots at our apartment complex. I would never pretend I know what it's like to have agoraphobia or anthrophobia, but I do know that I'm so so so much less anxious running errands with the leisurely weekday shoppers than I am running errands with the masses on Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. I'm going to miss this.
It's been quite a while since I had time or money for dual-store grocery shopping, but since the weather was cool (stuff can stay in the car longer) and I had time for once, I went to Hy-Vee and Whole Foods. At Whole Foods, I put about a dozen novelty items in my cart, as one does in Whole Foods, only to take them back out because they weren't on the list. To reward myself for this discipline, I bought vegetables from the salad bar to add to my lunch. Logical, right?!
When I got home around 1330, I carried all the bags up three flights of stairs in one trip, put the groceries away, and ate my salad bar treats. Then I checked my e-mail and remembered how much homework I needed to get done today. I warmed up some mint chocolate coconut milk ("so delicious" is right!), and answered some classmate e-mails. I finally started working on our ridiculous discussion board "classroom activity" around 1400 and finished at 1450.
I ate a homemade Runza (thanks Mom) and got started on pre-making dinner while I listened to a sermon I downloaded this morning (one of my favorite things to do this summer, that has definitely taken a back-burner this fall!) I miss leisurely cooking and cleaning while listening to sermons.
I was done making a mess in the kitchen around 1600 but then ended up wasting time until 1700. Oops! I kept meaning to get to work on my paper, but I ended up putzing around, fixing my eyebrows, reading blogs, and sending some e-mails. I finally got my rear in gear again and tidied up before Ross came home.
When he walked in the door at 1745 we headed out for a short run (despite it being cold and dark already). We got back and ate dinner around 1830. I kind of lost track of time after this, but I know that from 2000-2100 I was glued to the TV. Tuesday is the only night I really turn the TV on, but I've come to love New Girl and The Mindy Project.
I never did finish my homework, but there's always tomorrow! My day seemed to go all too quickly. Au reviour, weekdays off. I'll miss you more than you know.
{Before grad school, my days definitely looked different. In Texas I was better about getting out, meeting up with friends, going to the library, reading all day long (ahhh I miss that), working out in the morning, going to the farmer's market, and/or making a nice dinner for Ross to come home to. When we moved to Kansas City, I wasted a lot of time on the internet when I was on the night shift schedule. When I moved to days, that habit stuck. Blog reading, facebook, and baking unnecessary batches of sweets filled my days. No bueno. Grad school and now a clinic job are an attempt to get rid of those bad habits. But they come with a lot of their own pros and cons as well.}
But by and large, four days a week, I don't have to hear my alarm go off at 5am. The tradeoff for sometimes not working weekdays is that I do have to work weekends and holidays and evenings. But it's still a fairly decent trade. As these weekdays off draw all-too-rapidly to an end, I find myself cherishing every last minute. The fact of the matter is, I haven't worked just 3 days a week since July!
I was scheduled to work 6 days in a row this week between all the jobs I've picked up, but praise the Lord I got voluntarily cancelled from the NICU today! So this last, precious weekday off is like a ridiculously elusive snow day. It's shining and golden and I just want to eat it up.
So I thought I'd record it, lest any of it go to waste.
Around 0500, in the midst of a dream that work never called and I had to go in, I got the phone call saying I could take the day off in 4 hour blocks. I had a fleeting thought of regret that it was one less day to work with the babies before I'm done with that, too, but my eyelids sank closed again quickly and I slept on an off until 0815.
I leisurely rolled out of bed, started breakfast, got dressed, and then ate breakfast (a warm bowl of creamy raspberry buckwheat).
By 0905 I made a cup of green tea and started my quiet time, determined to make the most of not having to rush it. Also, I eat the last cookie out of the freezer. Because apparently I've decided breakfast deserves dessert too?
Oh, but then I remember I need to take my medicine and when I do, I find that my pill divider is empty, so I fill that. (You know, if you give a mouse a cookie...) I currently take accutane, Allegra, and a multivitamin in the morning. In the evening, I take another accutane, a calcium + vitamin D supplement, a vitamin B complex supplement, and a probiotic. I also take my Advair inhaler twice a day.
Now it's 0930. Back to the space heater and my quiet time on the couch. I do get distracted a few times. For example, while catching up on my SheReadsTruth Bible study, I want to bookmark this page. I also remember to download a few sermons while I'm reading and writing.
At 1030, I'm getting more fidgety even though I'm not nearly as caught up on journaling and reading as I would like to be. It's now above freezing outside instead of the sunny but frigid 19 degrees I saw when I woke up, so I decided this was a good a time as any to run errands and get grocery shopping out of the way in case I did get called in later. I'm not sure what we would've done if I had to work today. Probably go to the store hungry, tired, and cranky tonight. That's the only bad thing about leaving town for the holidays-- unpacking and settling in at home on Sunday evening, only to realize your fridge is bare.
I ended up checking e-mail, reading some blogs, doing some online shopping, and meal planning, and then left the house at 1115.
My heart was happy as I headed down the stairs and saw all the empty parking spots at our apartment complex. I would never pretend I know what it's like to have agoraphobia or anthrophobia, but I do know that I'm so so so much less anxious running errands with the leisurely weekday shoppers than I am running errands with the masses on Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. I'm going to miss this.
It's been quite a while since I had time or money for dual-store grocery shopping, but since the weather was cool (stuff can stay in the car longer) and I had time for once, I went to Hy-Vee and Whole Foods. At Whole Foods, I put about a dozen novelty items in my cart, as one does in Whole Foods, only to take them back out because they weren't on the list. To reward myself for this discipline, I bought vegetables from the salad bar to add to my lunch. Logical, right?!
When I got home around 1330, I carried all the bags up three flights of stairs in one trip, put the groceries away, and ate my salad bar treats. Then I checked my e-mail and remembered how much homework I needed to get done today. I warmed up some mint chocolate coconut milk ("so delicious" is right!), and answered some classmate e-mails. I finally started working on our ridiculous discussion board "classroom activity" around 1400 and finished at 1450.
I ate a homemade Runza (thanks Mom) and got started on pre-making dinner while I listened to a sermon I downloaded this morning (one of my favorite things to do this summer, that has definitely taken a back-burner this fall!) I miss leisurely cooking and cleaning while listening to sermons.
I was done making a mess in the kitchen around 1600 but then ended up wasting time until 1700. Oops! I kept meaning to get to work on my paper, but I ended up putzing around, fixing my eyebrows, reading blogs, and sending some e-mails. I finally got my rear in gear again and tidied up before Ross came home.
When he walked in the door at 1745 we headed out for a short run (despite it being cold and dark already). We got back and ate dinner around 1830. I kind of lost track of time after this, but I know that from 2000-2100 I was glued to the TV. Tuesday is the only night I really turn the TV on, but I've come to love New Girl and The Mindy Project.
I never did finish my homework, but there's always tomorrow! My day seemed to go all too quickly. Au reviour, weekdays off. I'll miss you more than you know.
{Before grad school, my days definitely looked different. In Texas I was better about getting out, meeting up with friends, going to the library, reading all day long (ahhh I miss that), working out in the morning, going to the farmer's market, and/or making a nice dinner for Ross to come home to. When we moved to Kansas City, I wasted a lot of time on the internet when I was on the night shift schedule. When I moved to days, that habit stuck. Blog reading, facebook, and baking unnecessary batches of sweets filled my days. No bueno. Grad school and now a clinic job are an attempt to get rid of those bad habits. But they come with a lot of their own pros and cons as well.}
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