A day in the life of us....

 

First off let me just say what a slacker I am on the blog front these days. Well, maybe not a slacker…but oh so busy and too tired to want to think at night most nights by the time little man is fed, bathed, and in bed to want to do anything more than sit in the recliner with a cup of tea and a mindless tv show.

Yeah, that is life for us right now. A little hectic…a lot slower….and a lot more structure.

Monday through Friday looks a little something like:

- 6am wake up, change a very wet diaper

-Let a whimpering dog out the door to go pee…feed dog.

-Push brew on the Keurig and Jackson and Mommy anxiously await the sweet cup of life that is pouring forth into my cup. Jackson loves watching the coffee come out and all the sounds it makes. I think I am grooming a coffee lover.

-I go put Jackson on top of Wes in bed to wake him up…Now that he is mobile he has to be watched at all times…he is forever getting into everything. SO usually, Wes keeps Jackson entertained whilst I manage to make myself look presentable and work ready in 15 min or less; clothes, hair, make-up…all of it.. (Showers have now been in the evenings when I can get them…)

-I then put Jackson in his highchair, roll him into the kitchen where I am and throw some Gerber puffs in front of him while I fix him and us breakfast. I’m doing a low carb, high protein diet thing trying to drop baby pounds (and it is working), but that usually means cooking eggs most mornings….good thing we have chickens! And lately Jackson has taken a liking to mommy’s scrambled eggs so now he is getting his oatmeal cereal AND an egg. So cooking breakfast is important. If I skip it for me, my day is shot.

-Sit down at the table with my now lukewarm cup of coffee and eggs…turn Wes’s iPad on for Jackson to watch some free episodes of Sesame Street while he eats his breakfast. (yes I know…I swore I would NEVER be one of those moms however I have learned that it is the only way to keep his attention long enough to get him to sit still long enough for me to shove food in him with little mess…So, yes, I have become THAT MOM…but he loves it…and Elmo too…and I love watching him squeal and smile at certain parts in the episode now...so cute.)

-Leave Jackson with daddy so I can gather the rest of his things, and mine and go put them in the car…

-7:30am Jackson and I leave the house and daddy gets himself ready.

-Jackson watches the Ipad to Grandma’s house in the car. Again, yes, I know…swore I would never be that mom BUT you have a child who is a terrible car rider and commute every morning and afternoon during rush hour traffic and you will do almost anything to figure out a more pleasant experience for everyone. Thus far, I think he just gets bored because he loves watching his cartoons all the way to Grandmas.

-Get to Grandmas and get Jackson settled and situated…sometimes I have a little time to play with him before I have to bolt to work. I love that last little bit of 15 min or so I get. Makes leaving him a little easier.

-Go to work. Work hard all morning.

-About noon I usually am able to get away most days and run grab a bite to eat, run back to moms and spend 20 min or so playing with Jackson before I head back to work. Makes my work days SO much better when I get my Jackson fix mid day.

-Go back to work. Work hard all afternoon.

-Leave work promptly at 5 and drive back to moms to pick up Jackson.

-Throw Jackson and his stuff in the car and drive home. Ipad on. Baby content…well, for at least most of the ride.

-Get home around 5:40ish and drag baby and as much as I can carry up three flights of stairs.

-Let dog out…feed dog.

-Promptly start dinner as little guy is starting to get oh so hungry at this point. He’s hit a growth spurt and I can’t seem to keep his tummy full most days. Usually Wes is home at this point and able to watch Jackson while I cook…sometimes he is later and it means watching a very curious crawling little guy who wants everything in the kitchen WHILE I try and cook dinner…its interesting. To say the least.

-I am learning to plan out and prepare a little more my dinners so they are usually no fuss and simple and easy to prepare in 15 min or so but sometimes I have to get really creative.

-Sit down and eat at least by 6:15…Jackson now mooches from my plate…he has become way more interested in my food than his and we are working on transitioning over to some table food for him….

-Then, we leave all the dinner mess alone and go play…on the floor…usually still in my work clothes…Time is so vital and important these days and he is changing so quick.

-By 6:45-7ish he is usually at the end of his rope and getting fussy so we go start the bath….

-Bath time is always fun. Jackson loves water. Mommy loves a clean smelling baby. It relaxes Jackson and mommy.

-And daddy is a super dad. Typically while I am giving Jackson his bath, Wes is cleaning the kitchen for me. All the dishes…And starting laundry. He is amazing. Sometimes he waits till Jackson is in bed before starting them. But HE is the one that always does them. Without me asking.

-By 7:30ish we are snuggled in the recliner upstairs with Jacksons blanket a few books, and a bottle. By 8, he is fast asleep…and sometimes I just sit there and hold him for a little because I am too tired to get up and carry him downstairs to his crib….and holding a sleeping, sweet smelling baby is a great way to unwind after a long day.

-When I get enough effort and energy to get up and put Jackson in his crib, I come upstairs and start making bottles for the night and the next day. Putting together as much as I can so I can get out of the house in the morning with little to no fuss.

-Then, I sit down and crash. Unless I need a shower…then I shower…Or unless I need a cup of tea…well, you get the point.

-Jackson still gets up at night. He is a restless one. Has his fathers bad sleeping habits. And he eats all night long…again. Growth spurt at the moment.

-So I am up and down a bit through the night. Oh don’t worry…I am pretty used to it. And I still manage to wake up feeling somewhat refreshed. It won’t be forever I know.

Let’s just say that come Friday though, we are SO SO SO ready for the weekend.

Ready to just wake up on Sat morning in our PJ’s and drink coffee and play with Jackson on the floor.

Ready to not have to go anywhere or see anyone.  Where the biggest outing is to Target and/or the grocery store.

Ready to go to the pool up the road and take Jackson for a swim. (he loves it!)

Ready to sit on the front porch swing in the afternoon and rock Jackson to sleep for his afternoon nap.

Ready to go fishing if the day and or weather permits.

Ready for a day where we don’t have an agenda…we can just be.

Ready to fix a pizza on Sat night and watch a Redbox.

Sunday is church and usually lunch with family/friends…then home to prepare for another week.

We are learning the value of slowing down since having Jackson. Learning that our nights and days through the week have to have a certain structure for it all to work well. Learning to not push Jackson too far and that our outings will be way more fun if Jackson gets a good nap and we time our errands after he wakes up.

To some it may seem like a boring and monotonous way to do life. But to us, right now, it is fun and exciting to see our life change. To watch us as a couple learn to place value on certain things we never really thought of before. To place an emphasis on our family first and to be ok with it. To turn things (events, invitation’s ect) down because we just need our weekend to us.

Is it hard? Yes, especially through the winter months. The early dark nights and the cold cold mornings. I was a grump most weeks. Being a working mom is tough. It is A LOT of work. Sometimes, a lot of pressure. But we don’t have a choice at the moment. And I know that I know that this is right for us at the moment.

AND now that Spring is here and I look out the window and see flowers blooming in the morning…and can take my baby out in bare feet and his onsie sans a blanket or jacket that he hates having on him, it makes it a little easier. I can sit out on the front porch swing with him at night and rock him to the sound of the creek across the way and daddy building something in his man cave. Peaceful.

We love our little family. I love the family we are morphing in to. The things we are learning to do as a family. It is a fun new journey. And one that I am eternally grateful I get to experience.