A Day In the Life

Sometimes I feel like life is going by too fast, and I'm not going to be able to remember these sweet baby days. Life couldn't be more busy right now. Cody is working full-time and going to seminary full-time, and I'm staying home with both boys full-time and working part-time from home (my time is split between Dallas Moms Blog and City Moms Blog Network). We both LOVE all the things we are involved in, but it sure does make for busy, tired, and crazy schedules. I want to be able to document these days of diapers and tantrums before they are gone, so I can look back and remember the little details.

This is a typical day with Hayes (7 months) still not sleeping through the night and Kyler (2 yrs) not really close to potty training, but so sweet and so spicy.


6:45- Hayes is up for the day so we are too. Because Hayes still wakes up at least once (but 3 times tonight because of a lingering cold), I can't bring myself to start my day before he wakes up, but I so desperately want to. I long for the days of a full night of sleep and waking up 1.5 hour before the boys so I can have a peaceful quiet time, get an hour of work done, and enjoy every last drop of a warm cup of coffee.

7:15- Kyler is now awake and immediately asking for either barley or honey bunches of oats. We all eat breakfast together and I'm trying to clean up the kitchen as we go. Kyler asks for "cran-raisins" in his cereal and asks for mommy and daddy's cereal. The kid loves to mooch. Cody is home until about 8:30 so I get showered and ready for the day.

8:00- I respond to a few emails and get a good idea of what the work load will look like today. Kyler plays with his trains, I put Hayes down for a nap, get Kyler dressed, and pack up the diaper bag. I throw together something for dinner in the crock pot and set it on low. Hayes wakes up an hour later, I feed him, and we all load up in the car to go to a music class at Kidville.

9:30- Both boys sit in my lap and enjoy the music class. Kyler lights up at the part with the bubbles and dances around. After the music class is over, we walk over the gym area with some friends and Kyler plays with the kids while us mamas chat. Hayes is scooting everywhere and is determined to play, too.

11:00- We head home and Hayes falls asleep in the car. I carry him in and transfer him to the crib, success! I fix Kyler lunch and scrounge up some left-overs for me to eat. Kyler reminds me for the 3rd time already, "Kyler no nappin'".

12:00- Kyler starts to throw a fit after I change his diaper because he wants to put his pants on. I calm him down, and let him put his pants on. I assist him in pulling his pants over his diaper (cloth diapers are quite pouffy). Kyler picks out 3 books for us to read. He is trying to stall nap time by pointing to everything on every page and asking "what's dat?" in his sweet little high-pitched voice. After we read, I sing him his songs and before I can even start to talk about his day, he is reminding me "talk bout day!". We talk about his day, then he's demanding "pray" so we do and he lays down. He's not attached to any specific blanket or animal, so today he asks to sleep with "baby Duma" and turns over up against his crib. Don't be fooled, he's not napping yet.

12:30- I scram to my computer and start responding to emails and getting work done. After about 15 minutes of listening to Kyler talk and play, I go back into his room and sit with him and scratch his back. He settles down and falls asleep in his crib. Back to work for me.

1:30- Hayes is up and hungry. He nurses and is still hungry for food. I grab some frozen baby food that I made last week and throw it into a pot because our microwave is broken. Boo! Today he is eating butternut squash, green beans, and peaches....all combined. Good thing he is not picky...yet. I dance in the kitchen to make him laugh. Clapping is his favorite. After I feed him, I clean up the kitchen from Kyler's and my lunch earlier. Dinner is smelling good, I set out the rice I will have to cook later.

2:00- Hayes and I are playing on the floor and I'm running back and forth working on laundry, stuffing cloth diapers, and attempting to clean the bathroom. Hayes is having fun, but he doesn't like to do anything for too long. He kinda misses Kyler since he is his favorite entertainment.

2:30- Kyler is calling me and letting me know he needs his diaper changed. First thing he says when I walk into his room is "I get a chocolate cookie". Yes, I bribe him with cookies to take naps. He gets his diaper changed, savors his cookie, and plays with Hayes in his room. Everything that Hayes touches, Kyler immediately wants to play with. Oh the joys of teaching a 2 yr old to share.

3:00- Hayes is rubbing those little eyes, so I know it's time for a nap. The last afternoon nap is tricky, he always needs it, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Because it is usually the hardest, I put a video on for Kyler so he can sit (read: be safe) while I get Hayes down. I read Hayes 2 books and sing his songs. He just wants to play with my face and tug on my hair. I lay him down and after a few tries, he finally falls asleep. Maybe I leave the video on for 5 more minutes to check my email and get a quick task done. Then it's off and Kyler's running around.

4:00- Hayes is back up after a short cat-nap. The weather is nice so we al head outside to play. I push Hayes in the swing, which he loves, and Kyler is pretending to clean up after Duma like daddy does. He throws the ball for Duma and then asks to go for a wagon ride. He wants Hayes to go, too. Hayes struggles to sit still in the wagon but enjoys a slow ride around the backyard.

5:00- Cody is done and Kyler is running into the garage as soon as he hears him pull up. Both boys light up when they see him walk in. Cody takes the boys outside and I get some work done inside and finish up dinner.

5:30- Kyler sets the table (and insists on putting a placemat under Duma's bowls) and we all eat. Kyler eats about 1/3 of his dinner, which has been the norm for the last few months. I can't eat enough. Breastfeeding makes me hungry like none other!

6:00- We bathe the boys and Kyler sings his ABCs in the bath. He helps "wash" Hayes by pouring water on him. We get both boys in their jammies, read books, sing songs, talk about our day, and pray. Cody lays Kyler down and I take Hayes into his room to give him one last feeding. If we are really lucky, he'll go to bed easily.

7:00- On a perfect day, both boys are asleep. Some days, it takes a little more work on Hayes. Today is one of the days DTS students and spouses are allowed to work out at the Baylor Fitness Center, so I drive up to Baylor and get a quick work out in. I'm determined to get some sort of tone or muscle built back up. I'm around normal people, not just moms, this is weird. ;)

8:00- I'm back home....I meant it when I said quick work out. Cody's writing a paper so I sit down and get some work done. Before we know it, it's 10pm. After some Ben & Jerry's, we head to bed but are interrupted by Hayes. I feed him in hopes it will hold him off til morning. Ha.

11:00- We're in bed and chatting about our days. We could talk forever but we go to sleep knowing Hayes will be up soon. And he is, at 3am. We are so exhausted, but so so full of love and joy.


Sleep a few hours and wake up to do it all again. I definitely miss sleeping through the night, especially since Kyler spoiled us by sleeping through the night on his own at 11 weeks! That's okay, we know all babies are different and what worked for Kyler doesn't always work for Hayes. Our days are busy, but I honestly wouldn't want them any other way. I love these boys and all the opportunities God has given us.