Day in the Life Update

Another update for posterity's sake a little record of what a typical work day is like at this point in time. It's certainly a lot easier than the routine I posted in November. I liked re-reading that one so much I thought I'd post another. After all, this is for me not you! ;-)

6:00 - Mya wakes. Alex or I will trudge upstairs and bring Mya and a bottle downstairs to bed with us. Alex begins getting ready in the bathroom while Mya lies with me, drinking her bottle. As soon as she’s done she begins mauling me, grabbing for items on the nightstands.

6:15 - Time to get up. Mya alternates between playing the family room and helping me to get ready. She’s especially skilled at emptying drawers and chasing kitties.

6:30 - My time is up and Alex heads out the door. Bye, honey! Mya and I head upstairs to get her changed and ready. Mya sits down for her breakfast snack and I prepare a waffle for Max to eat.

6:40 - Wakey, wakey Mr. Max! Mya and I attempt to wake the sleeping bear. It works best if I come armed with his PB&J waffle folded in half. He lies in bed while I change his diaper and dress him. He’s become picky lately about what he wears. Not so much for appearance as much as what’s on his shirt. Balls, dinosaurs and stripes seem to go over well.

7:00 – I load up the car while Max rushes back to his room insisting “I stay here. No school today.” He's not sad, just matter of fact. I tell Max that’s fine and that I’ll see him around dinner time. Out the door Mya and I go. Suddenly Max appears at the door having decided that he might like to join us. (This doesn’t always work. Sometimes he calls my bluff and I have to go back in and drag him out.)

7:10 – The kids are buckled in, the bag is packed and away we go! As we pull onto the street we say goodbye to the house, the cats, Elaine and everyone else we can think of. On the car ride there Max and I talk about the sights along the way - fast cars, busses, cement trucks, stuck cars, the Max train, you name it. We exit off the freeway and Max calls out, "Bye, cars. See you later!" All part of the routine!

7:30 - We arrive at daycare, spill out of the car with one bag, one toddler, and one baby in arms. Max has become fairly reasonable about agreeing to hold my hand instead of demanding to be carried as well. First we drop off Mya in the Dragonfly Room. Belongings in the cubby, write a "story" about when she last slept. She is usually at the top of the practice stairs at this point, surveying her kingdom. Max is thrilled to play with the baby toys without competition from kids his size. Loves to Mya and we're off to the Twig Room. Once again it's belongings in the cubby, write a story about when Max slept and into the classroom we go. Lately we kiss under the wooden rainbow and then he pushes me out the door. The “push-mama-out-the-door” is a Twig Room favorite invented by Landon’s mom, Lori. The kids think it’s super silly to push their parents out the door. Don't forget to log the kids into the computer on your way out!

7:50/8:00 – Lately I actually make it to work by 8:00. Early even! My big excitement is to grab a caramel latte from the coffee cart a few days per week. I’ve become so use to decaf through 2 pregnancies and nursing that I now prefer it over regular.

4:30 - The best part of the day. Time to head out the door and pick up the kiddos.

4:45 - I arrive at daycare, log the kids out, gather them and their belongings up and we head home. Max likes to play a game where I turn on the intermittent wipers, we declare that they're done, I react in surprise when they swipe across the windshield and he laughs hysterically.

5:15 – Arrive home. Alex is in a different role so it’s hit or miss whether he’s home or not. Either way dinner gets prepared and the kids eat up.

6:00 – Family time! Depending on the weather we play outside, maybe walk to the gelato shop or play downstairs in the family room.

6:45 - Mya is getting fussy. Into jammies and it's time for a bottle in her crib. I tuck her in with her blankies, rub her forehead, tell her goodnight and she's asleep by 7:00.

7:30 - Time to tuck Max in. We carry him upstairs and he plants himself in our laps in the chair next to his bed. He selects a few books from the pile next to his bed. How many Curious George books can he convince Mommy or Daddy to read tonight? Then it’s off to bed (a toddler bed these days) where we help him sort his blankets just so and read ‘Goodnight Moon’ followed by ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear’. “Good night, Max. Mommy will see you in the morning for waffles. I love you!”

Ahhhh, a little time for Alex and I to catch up.

9:00 - Usually we're in bed and relaxing. Lights go off at 9:30 and we're asleep by 10.

6:00 - Mya wakes and we start the cycle all over again.