Day in the Life - Spring 2017
Time for another "Day in the Life!" I was excited to do this now, as a family of 4, as I know our days will never be the same again. I barely remember 2 weeks ago, so being able to look back years from now on this one particular day will be so much fun.
This is a long one, with lots of photos and details...both of which I love about this "project." But yeah, a day with two little kids that don't have long attention spans? There's lots of action and details to document. No surprise it has taken me almost a week to get it all written and assembled.
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Sunday, April 9, 2017
Jon 38, Lisa 36, Carter 28 months, Annabel 6 weeks
2:00am | I wake to hear crying and take a second to register which kid it is. (Still mind boggling I have two kids). Once I realize it's Annabel, I grab my phone and glasses, knocking over her monitor in the process, and race down the hall to her room to grab her before her cries wake up Carter. (For the record, I don't know that he could even hear her cries, as his door is closed and fan on. But still, I don't want to risk it, not when he's been under the weather).
I settle into the rocker with Annabel and nurse her, using an app to track it as there is no way I'll remember anything by morning. I change her diaper after she finishes on one side, so she stays awake long enough to get a full feeding. I put her on the other side and browse Facebook and BabyCenter Feb 2017 birth board while she eats. Drinks. Whatever. I note all sorts of crazy people on the birth board talking about their same-aged babies; the whole reason I read them - entertainment. When I notice Annabel is using me as a pacifier and is sleeping, I hold her for awhile to ensure she's really sleeping and then lay her ever-so-carefully in her bassinet. I pause to see if she stirs or remains asleep. Then I anxiously return to bed for some more zzz's.
5:20am | I awake to more cries - this time Carter. But first, I cheer that Annabel stayed asleep when I laid her down! He calls for me, and says he wants milk. I give him some water instead and tell him it's still "night night." He nestles into my lap and falls back asleep. I linger a bit before putting him back, soaking in the sweet, heavy toddler on my lap. I hope he sleeps at least another 45 minutes.
Returning to bed, Jon is snoring so I smack his arm (I'm sweet) and tell him to turn onto his stomach. He replies, "You turn on your stomach" but then does as directed. I fall asleep quickly I believe (a perk to being sleep deprived).
6:10am | Carter starts calling for me again, and based on the hour I know we are up for good. The moment I enter his room he requests, "Milk, foo foo (Paw Patrol), muffins." The same thing every single day. He also comments on his lost pacifier, which takes me a while to understand.
He climbs out of his sleep sack and I carry him downstairs. He asks where Baby is, and I point to her closed door and tell him to shhhh. When we get downstairs, he requests Dora (a nice change from only Paw Patrol) and climbs into his chair on his own. So excited for his muffins, even though eats them every single day of his life. I grab some water and park myself on the couch under a blanket and browse social media while listening to Carter talk about Dora.
6:25am | I hear Annabel cry and decide to go grab her instead of waiting for Jon to roll out of bed to bring her down. She greets me with giant smiles as I say good morning to her. I tell Jon I have her and head downstairs. Lucky him, he goes back to sleep for a bit. I would demand we trade spots, but Carter is so attached to me he would freak out if I wasn't up with him, and in the end, would wake me up anyway.
Downstairs, Carter insists on saying good morning to her, which makes me smile. He really does love her. Then she and I settle on the couch to nurse. Carter doesn't seem to mind since he has TV to watch. He giggles that Boots the monkey has a tail on his butt, and gets really into the show's dance at the end.
I let him watch one more show, which he partially watches as he runs around the room playing. He tries to make a fort, and I do my best to help from the couch. He replies, "Like this? OH, OK!" which is a new response that he now uses all the time and I just adore it.
7:15am | I put Annabel in the bouncer and ask Carter if he wants to help me make coffee. He enthusiastically agrees and I put him on the counter (the only time he gets to be on it). He helps me restock pods in our holder, and then grabs a mug, loads the pod, and starts my coffee. Then he grabs a cup for his juice. This exact routine never falters.
Annabel fusses so I put her on the playmat. She seems content looking around so I pour myself a bowl of cereal and scarf it down, feeling like my time is limited. Sure enough, she starts crying during my 3rd spoonful, so I move her to the swing and turn it on. She's tired, so I hope she falls asleep. She does! And I can finish my cereal before it gets super soggy. (That's the worst). Carter, meanwhile, is playing with our salad spinner, and thinks it's the greatest thing ever. I show him how to push the center wand down to make it spin and he replies, "OH, OK!" But he can't push hard enough to do it himself.
Then he demands I sit next to him (in a 3-inch space) on the bottom stair. I tell him to move over as Mama has a big butt - he replies, "Yeah!" Eesh.
8:00am | Carter and I go upstairs and see that Jon is awake. I hand over the baton for kid-duty to him and hop in the shower. Carter barges in halfway through, per usual, but this time naked, so I know Jon is having a fun time getting him dressed. Annabel sleeps through it all in the swing downstairs.
As I finish getting ready, Carter watches me put on moisturizer and make-up and insists he wants some "pake-up." I explain this is only for Mommy, and pick him up. He examines my face and points to my eyes and tells me I have blueberries (in my eyes). It isn't the first time he's said this, and it's adorable every time. I finally give him a smidgen of hand lotion and he happily smears it on his face.
8:25am | I wake up Annabel and bring her upstairs to change. We don't have a ton of time before we have to leave for church. I check the weather and find an adorable little corduroy dress at the bottom of her drawer that should be perfect for today. I am proud I only spent a minute picking out her outfit, as it usually takes me much longer. She hates the dressing process, but is a good trooper about it today. She must be showing off for this DITL. Carter is dismantling her bassinet.
Downstairs again, Carter insists on saying hi to Annabel. Again. He gets down into her face and says, "Hi! I'm Carter!" and giggles, and I just about die from the cuteness. I nurse Annabel for a few minutes to tide her over during church. Meanwhile Jon is chasing Carter to put socks and shoes on. Always an Olympic task. Carter insists on doing it himself, and tries to put both socks on the same foot. I use my stern voice that he'd better let Daddy help so we can get going, and threaten not going to church. This works. He loooves church (aka nursery).
9:10am | Off we go! Carter is upset because I'm not driving. We point out some golfers as we drive by the course and he replied "hockey?" He also asks to listen to his "ducky" music, which is really just children's nursery rhymes/songs. Baa Baa Black Sheep plays, and we have to repeat it over and over.
At church, Carter runs in happily, hitting the handicapped buttons to open the doors. He is hesitant to go into the nursery, per usual. I bring him in and try to get him interested in some toys. He grips onto me and makes it apparent today won't be quite so easy, so I give him a quick hug and hand him over to one of the volunteer teenagers. He looks at me longingly but doesn't cry. I don't dare turn to look back.
It's Palm Sunday, so the place is packed. Annabel sleeps through the first 15 minutes but then starts fussing so I take her out and hold her. She fights sleep in my arms during the sermon so I leave and go walk her around in the Family/Crying room at the back. I see Carter happily playing with a little girl in the nursery as I walk by. Annabel and I return to our seats once she's out. After the service, we pick up Carter, who is so excited to see us but clearly has had a wonderful time. He waves at every volunteer and says thank you, and runs out. When we get outdoors he runs like wild on the church lawn. This kid and his energy.
10:45am | We make a quick stop at Target for some Coke that's on sale. Plus we need to waste a little time before Jimmy Johns opens. (We often grab sandwiches after church, as they are Carter's absolute favorite. Carter has to help with the self-checkout, so I give him our gift card to scan. Afterward, Jon and Carter walk across the street to Jimmy Johns while I drive the car over. Carter cries for me the whole way - poor kid. I take him in to get the sandwiches and he cries, "I need my Daddy now!" Sigh. I ask them to cut part of my sandwich and wrap it separately, which we've learned avoids at least one tantrum at lunch. Carter insists on holding HIS sandwich on the drive home and I watch him fight the temptation to open it in the rear view mirror. Annabel screams her head off briefly, and then falls asleep. Carter tells us not to sing along to his music. Fine.
11:25am | We get out some fruit and chips and the boys eat while I nurse Annabel. (Story of my life these days, on the couch while they eat meals). Carter keeps saying, "I love you Mama." with a grin when Jon asks him if he loves Daddy. Carter declares he is done, climbs out of his chair and takes off his shirt. (This is a new phase). He climbs on the couch while I'm nursing and gets in Annabel's face. Then he grabs my phone and takes some photos of my leg, disables my lock pin, and finally plays with toys quietly on his own.
After Annabel is done, I remember we need to take her weekly photo. We all go upstairs to do that, and Carter insists on getting in on the photo. I catch all three in Annabel's room and think to myself how crazy blessed I am.
Jon and Annabel start cooing and smiling at each other on the floor so I convince Carter to try on a bunch of his 18-24-mo shorts from last summer to see where he's lacking for his summer wardrobe. I am shocked that he is cooperating so well! Also shocked that so many 18-mo shorts still fit him, albeit a bit short.
Back downstairs, I rock Annabel to sleep and put her in the swing. Jon watches a special on Phil Mickelson while I finally sit down to eat my sandwich. Carter joins me to eat more of his lunch. He insists on more cheese for his bread so I grab a slice from the fridge. He breaks it into pieces on his plate, tells me he breaks it, and doesn't eat a single bite of cheese or bread. Toddlers.
12:45pm | Nap time! Jon leaves to bring the car in for a car wash and detailing. Carter requests "mama sit" so I oblige and cuddle my sweet boy for a few minutes. Then hoist his 30-some pounds off my lap and into crib. He doesn't even move - he must be exhausted. Annabel is still sleeping in the swing, so I take the opportunity to pump. I like to pump once a day to start building an extra supply, but usually do it in the mornings. Fortunately, this time of day I still yield a decent 3ish ounces. Then I grab a handful of jelly beans and my water, and plop down on the couch to watch some TV and relax. I don't feel too excited about any of my viewing options, so I turn on The Amazing Race and start filling in more notes from the day. Annabel cries shortly after I sit down, so I pick her up and walk/bounce her around the room. Her body relaxes immediately and is sound asleep within a minute, but I wait at least 5 minutes before laying her down again.
Jon returns home and tells me the longest story ever about his experience at the car wash. I pay super close attention (read: take photos).
2:20pm | Carter wakes crying for me. A nap short of 2 hours is not good, so I go in to hopefully snuggle him back to sleep. He is burning up. Uh oh. I sit with him until he falls asleep and wonder what kind of virus he has picked up. Once he's back in his crib, I put some eggs in oven for us to color eggs later, marinade chicken for dinner, clean up kitchen a bit, and Jon and I discuss what might be going on with him. Carter wakes shortly after, sobbing. I take his temperature, with much resistance. It is 100 degrees under the arm, so I believe that's 101. Great.
I carry him downstairs and tell Jon about his temp. He begs for Paw Patrol, which we don't usually do in the middle of the afternoon, but since he isn't feeling well and Annabel is now screaming to eat, I give in. He sits on a blanket to watch his tablet, and throws a fit when I offer him some goldfish and water as a snack. I finally nurse Annabel, and feel really guilty I made her wait so long. Granted, it was only minutes, but based on her screams she felt it was way worse.
Half way through, he cries to be carried and that I have to set down Baby. Sigh. The worst part of this stage for sure. Fortunately, Annabel is done nursing, so I hand her to Jon to be burped and I sit with Carter. He stops whining immediately. I now feel guilty that I've ignored him. Mom guilt is real.
3:45pm | I suggest we go for a walk, and Carter starts jumping with glee. I should have looked out the window before suggesting this plan, as it looks like rain. Rookie mistake. I check the radar, and there is rain indeed on the way, but it appears we have an hour or so. And since there's no turning back now that I brought it up, we load up the stroller and go. Jon stays back with Annabel. We run into the neighbor returning from a walk, who tells us it started sprinkling on him. But again, turning back is not an option I want deal with, so we continue on to the park closest to us. I figure a little rain won't hurt. Carter has a blast climbing the ladder and going down the slide, and I feel so relieved we are there. He also follows a little girl around, but calls her a little boy.
Ten minutes in, it starts sprinkling, and shortly after gets much stronger, so I put him in the stroller and start half jogging/walking fast. We make it home with literally a minute to spare before it starts pouring hard. Carter is intrigued by the rain so we stand in the garage for another 10 minutes watching the rain. It's rather peaceful.
I finally convince him to come in to make Easter eggs. He has no idea what this means but I can tell he is intrigued. He patiently waits as I make the colors and has fun dropping them in. The little wire egg holder is a favorite item. We do 5 of the 6 eggs, as Carter banged one of them on the table in excitement and broke it. They start out beautifully bright until Carter insists on dropped each egg into multiple colors - they turn pukey green. I hide my disappointment. All the while Jon is watching the Masters and dealing with Annabel.
5:00pm | Annabel acts hungry again, and to no surprise Carter throws a fit that I'm going to nurse her. A big fit, tears and all. Jon tries to calm him down and distract him but it doesn't work. I tell him he can come sit next to me, but that isn't good enough. I finally tell Carter he can have his pacifier (something he's not allowed to have unless sleeping or in the car) if he sits on Daddy's lap to calm down. He happily agrees and snuggles with Jon while I nurse.
Then Carter wants to watch his tablet again, but I suggest he play with water in the sink instead. This is a favorite of his that we don't let him do all that often so he readily agrees. While he's playing in the soapy water, I cut potatoes and put the chicken and potatoes in the oven. Once Carter gets bored with the water (ie, the soap bubbles have dissipated), he requests his tablet again. He usually gets 10 minutes before dinner anyway, so I let him. He thrives so much on routine that I worry dinner will be a disaster if he's "out of order" so to speak. Annabel won't settle down at this point so Jon and I take turns rocking and bouncing her. We both get frustrated and snippy with each other.
Somewhere in there I text Jon's aunt (our daycare) that he has mild fever and will stay home tomorrow. I text my mom to ask if they can come help in the morning, as I have my postpartum appointment that I don't want to bring both kids to. And frankly I could use some help with Carter as he is so clingy when I'm trying to feed Annabel. I can't imagine a whole day of solo parenting a sick toddler and a frequently nursing baby. Thank goodness they can come over.
I finally get Annabel sound asleep and in the bouncer in the kitchen. Dinner is done and Carter turns off his tablet and runs to his chair as predicted. He points and asks what each item is on his plate. I'm curious if he will like the chicken. He doesn't - makes quite the face after spitting it back out. He refuses to eat anything until I bribe him with his gummy vitamin and 5 mini m&ms (this has become a regular occurrence at dinner, and I have no shame). It works, and he eats a couple pieces of the same chicken he supposedly didn't like and a strawberry!
Annabel starts fussing half way through dinner so I grab her. She of course won't let me sit and finish eating so I bounce. She is still inconsolable, so I'm not sure what is wrong. I try burping her and then bouncing her to sleep. When she's out, I put her down in swing and scarf down the rest of my dinner. She lasts a whole 5 minutes before screaming again. My arms and shoulders are burning at this point, but there's not much I can do. Jon tries, but he doesn't have quite the same bounce, and honestly the girl smells me and gives everyone else a harder time.
Carter runs around and plays, and this little window of time is usually a favorite of mine. A lull in the witching hours where he becomes really goofy and happy (and a fullish belly). Tonight, he requests a cape and to fly with Daddy. We bribe him to take his temperature first. It's 99.4 under the arm, so we're glad it's going down. Or did it because he took shirt off?
7:15pm | Time to go up and get ready for bed. I put Annabel in her PJs while Jon does Carter's. Good teamwork that actually works, though Carter sheds a lot of tears about it.
I rock Annabel while Jon reads Carter a book. She will not settle down and I still can't figure out what is wrong. Jon suggests I feed her, but surely she couldn't be hungry again yet. I try nonetheless, and yep. She calms immediately and eats. So I read a book to Carter, who is on the ottoman, while nursing Annabel, and feel rather invincible at with my multi-tasking. And guilty I didn't try feeding her earlier. When in doubt, offer the boob.
Jon says goodnight to Carter and they play their little game of "What do you say?" where Jon makes up things that his Papas and Grandmas say and Carter laughs hysterically. ie "What does Papa Steve say? Woman, what's for dinner?!" It's probably the voices that Jon does, because it is definitely over Carter's head but he laughs nonetheless. And tries to do them on his own, which is so cute. Jon takes Annabel downstairs and I finish Carter's routine of brushing teeth, jumping on his trampoline, sleep sack, and cuddles. He goes down so well, and I remind myself how grateful we are that he doesn't fight sleep. I also observe that he seems to be acting normally so whatever bug caused his temp to rise must not be bad. (We find out the following day it's actually strep).
(Oofta, my eyes look tired)
Downstairs I nurse Annabel on the other side and watch a taped episode of House Hunters as the rain cuts out our satellite. Jon is doing laundry. Annabel falls asleep in my arms, so I stay put for a good 10-15 minutes longer to make the transfer to her bassinet more successful. I work on some notes from the day for this post.
9:00pm | I bring Annabel upstairs and put her to bed. She wakes immediately (my efforts failed) but is quiet so I leave her. Carter suddenly calls out for me but by time I go in he's sound asleep and doesn't know I'm there. He's cool to the touch, thank goodness. As I close his door, Annabel cries so I grab her again and we rock in her chair. I fortunately have no trouble putting her down this time. I feel like a ping pong ball.
I go back downstairs to say goodnight to Jon, take my vitamin and fill my water. Jon stays up later (always), and says he will do the dinner dishes. Hooray. I head upstairs, take out my contacts, and climb into bed. I don't even change into pajamas, as these days my daily wardrobe can easily pass as sleepwear. :)
11:00pm | Carter cries out, so I go into his room and hold him for a few minutes. Still not feeling feverish, thankfully. I go back to bed and hope I still have an hour or more before Annabel wakes to eat again. (She gives me until 1am!).
And there is what feels like the longest Sunday in the history of Sundays now that I wrote it all out. Definitely an exhausting day and not one of our easiest. But ours, all the same.
This is a long one, with lots of photos and details...both of which I love about this "project." But yeah, a day with two little kids that don't have long attention spans? There's lots of action and details to document. No surprise it has taken me almost a week to get it all written and assembled.
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Sunday, April 9, 2017
Jon 38, Lisa 36, Carter 28 months, Annabel 6 weeks
I settle into the rocker with Annabel and nurse her, using an app to track it as there is no way I'll remember anything by morning. I change her diaper after she finishes on one side, so she stays awake long enough to get a full feeding. I put her on the other side and browse Facebook and BabyCenter Feb 2017 birth board while she eats. Drinks. Whatever. I note all sorts of crazy people on the birth board talking about their same-aged babies; the whole reason I read them - entertainment. When I notice Annabel is using me as a pacifier and is sleeping, I hold her for awhile to ensure she's really sleeping and then lay her ever-so-carefully in her bassinet. I pause to see if she stirs or remains asleep. Then I anxiously return to bed for some more zzz's.
5:20am | I awake to more cries - this time Carter. But first, I cheer that Annabel stayed asleep when I laid her down! He calls for me, and says he wants milk. I give him some water instead and tell him it's still "night night." He nestles into my lap and falls back asleep. I linger a bit before putting him back, soaking in the sweet, heavy toddler on my lap. I hope he sleeps at least another 45 minutes.
Returning to bed, Jon is snoring so I smack his arm (I'm sweet) and tell him to turn onto his stomach. He replies, "You turn on your stomach" but then does as directed. I fall asleep quickly I believe (a perk to being sleep deprived).
6:10am | Carter starts calling for me again, and based on the hour I know we are up for good. The moment I enter his room he requests, "Milk, foo foo (Paw Patrol), muffins." The same thing every single day. He also comments on his lost pacifier, which takes me a while to understand.
He climbs out of his sleep sack and I carry him downstairs. He asks where Baby is, and I point to her closed door and tell him to shhhh. When we get downstairs, he requests Dora (a nice change from only Paw Patrol) and climbs into his chair on his own. So excited for his muffins, even though eats them every single day of his life. I grab some water and park myself on the couch under a blanket and browse social media while listening to Carter talk about Dora.
6:25am | I hear Annabel cry and decide to go grab her instead of waiting for Jon to roll out of bed to bring her down. She greets me with giant smiles as I say good morning to her. I tell Jon I have her and head downstairs. Lucky him, he goes back to sleep for a bit. I would demand we trade spots, but Carter is so attached to me he would freak out if I wasn't up with him, and in the end, would wake me up anyway.
Downstairs, Carter insists on saying good morning to her, which makes me smile. He really does love her. Then she and I settle on the couch to nurse. Carter doesn't seem to mind since he has TV to watch. He giggles that Boots the monkey has a tail on his butt, and gets really into the show's dance at the end.
I let him watch one more show, which he partially watches as he runs around the room playing. He tries to make a fort, and I do my best to help from the couch. He replies, "Like this? OH, OK!" which is a new response that he now uses all the time and I just adore it.
7:15am | I put Annabel in the bouncer and ask Carter if he wants to help me make coffee. He enthusiastically agrees and I put him on the counter (the only time he gets to be on it). He helps me restock pods in our holder, and then grabs a mug, loads the pod, and starts my coffee. Then he grabs a cup for his juice. This exact routine never falters.
Annabel fusses so I put her on the playmat. She seems content looking around so I pour myself a bowl of cereal and scarf it down, feeling like my time is limited. Sure enough, she starts crying during my 3rd spoonful, so I move her to the swing and turn it on. She's tired, so I hope she falls asleep. She does! And I can finish my cereal before it gets super soggy. (That's the worst). Carter, meanwhile, is playing with our salad spinner, and thinks it's the greatest thing ever. I show him how to push the center wand down to make it spin and he replies, "OH, OK!" But he can't push hard enough to do it himself.
Then he demands I sit next to him (in a 3-inch space) on the bottom stair. I tell him to move over as Mama has a big butt - he replies, "Yeah!" Eesh.
8:00am | Carter and I go upstairs and see that Jon is awake. I hand over the baton for kid-duty to him and hop in the shower. Carter barges in halfway through, per usual, but this time naked, so I know Jon is having a fun time getting him dressed. Annabel sleeps through it all in the swing downstairs.
As I finish getting ready, Carter watches me put on moisturizer and make-up and insists he wants some "pake-up." I explain this is only for Mommy, and pick him up. He examines my face and points to my eyes and tells me I have blueberries (in my eyes). It isn't the first time he's said this, and it's adorable every time. I finally give him a smidgen of hand lotion and he happily smears it on his face.
8:25am | I wake up Annabel and bring her upstairs to change. We don't have a ton of time before we have to leave for church. I check the weather and find an adorable little corduroy dress at the bottom of her drawer that should be perfect for today. I am proud I only spent a minute picking out her outfit, as it usually takes me much longer. She hates the dressing process, but is a good trooper about it today. She must be showing off for this DITL. Carter is dismantling her bassinet.
Downstairs again, Carter insists on saying hi to Annabel. Again. He gets down into her face and says, "Hi! I'm Carter!" and giggles, and I just about die from the cuteness. I nurse Annabel for a few minutes to tide her over during church. Meanwhile Jon is chasing Carter to put socks and shoes on. Always an Olympic task. Carter insists on doing it himself, and tries to put both socks on the same foot. I use my stern voice that he'd better let Daddy help so we can get going, and threaten not going to church. This works. He loooves church (aka nursery).
9:10am | Off we go! Carter is upset because I'm not driving. We point out some golfers as we drive by the course and he replied "hockey?" He also asks to listen to his "ducky" music, which is really just children's nursery rhymes/songs. Baa Baa Black Sheep plays, and we have to repeat it over and over.
At church, Carter runs in happily, hitting the handicapped buttons to open the doors. He is hesitant to go into the nursery, per usual. I bring him in and try to get him interested in some toys. He grips onto me and makes it apparent today won't be quite so easy, so I give him a quick hug and hand him over to one of the volunteer teenagers. He looks at me longingly but doesn't cry. I don't dare turn to look back.
It's Palm Sunday, so the place is packed. Annabel sleeps through the first 15 minutes but then starts fussing so I take her out and hold her. She fights sleep in my arms during the sermon so I leave and go walk her around in the Family/Crying room at the back. I see Carter happily playing with a little girl in the nursery as I walk by. Annabel and I return to our seats once she's out. After the service, we pick up Carter, who is so excited to see us but clearly has had a wonderful time. He waves at every volunteer and says thank you, and runs out. When we get outdoors he runs like wild on the church lawn. This kid and his energy.
10:45am | We make a quick stop at Target for some Coke that's on sale. Plus we need to waste a little time before Jimmy Johns opens. (We often grab sandwiches after church, as they are Carter's absolute favorite. Carter has to help with the self-checkout, so I give him our gift card to scan. Afterward, Jon and Carter walk across the street to Jimmy Johns while I drive the car over. Carter cries for me the whole way - poor kid. I take him in to get the sandwiches and he cries, "I need my Daddy now!" Sigh. I ask them to cut part of my sandwich and wrap it separately, which we've learned avoids at least one tantrum at lunch. Carter insists on holding HIS sandwich on the drive home and I watch him fight the temptation to open it in the rear view mirror. Annabel screams her head off briefly, and then falls asleep. Carter tells us not to sing along to his music. Fine.
11:25am | We get out some fruit and chips and the boys eat while I nurse Annabel. (Story of my life these days, on the couch while they eat meals). Carter keeps saying, "I love you Mama." with a grin when Jon asks him if he loves Daddy. Carter declares he is done, climbs out of his chair and takes off his shirt. (This is a new phase). He climbs on the couch while I'm nursing and gets in Annabel's face. Then he grabs my phone and takes some photos of my leg, disables my lock pin, and finally plays with toys quietly on his own.
After Annabel is done, I remember we need to take her weekly photo. We all go upstairs to do that, and Carter insists on getting in on the photo. I catch all three in Annabel's room and think to myself how crazy blessed I am.
Jon and Annabel start cooing and smiling at each other on the floor so I convince Carter to try on a bunch of his 18-24-mo shorts from last summer to see where he's lacking for his summer wardrobe. I am shocked that he is cooperating so well! Also shocked that so many 18-mo shorts still fit him, albeit a bit short.
Back downstairs, I rock Annabel to sleep and put her in the swing. Jon watches a special on Phil Mickelson while I finally sit down to eat my sandwich. Carter joins me to eat more of his lunch. He insists on more cheese for his bread so I grab a slice from the fridge. He breaks it into pieces on his plate, tells me he breaks it, and doesn't eat a single bite of cheese or bread. Toddlers.
12:45pm | Nap time! Jon leaves to bring the car in for a car wash and detailing. Carter requests "mama sit" so I oblige and cuddle my sweet boy for a few minutes. Then hoist his 30-some pounds off my lap and into crib. He doesn't even move - he must be exhausted. Annabel is still sleeping in the swing, so I take the opportunity to pump. I like to pump once a day to start building an extra supply, but usually do it in the mornings. Fortunately, this time of day I still yield a decent 3ish ounces. Then I grab a handful of jelly beans and my water, and plop down on the couch to watch some TV and relax. I don't feel too excited about any of my viewing options, so I turn on The Amazing Race and start filling in more notes from the day. Annabel cries shortly after I sit down, so I pick her up and walk/bounce her around the room. Her body relaxes immediately and is sound asleep within a minute, but I wait at least 5 minutes before laying her down again.
Jon returns home and tells me the longest story ever about his experience at the car wash. I pay super close attention (read: take photos).
2:20pm | Carter wakes crying for me. A nap short of 2 hours is not good, so I go in to hopefully snuggle him back to sleep. He is burning up. Uh oh. I sit with him until he falls asleep and wonder what kind of virus he has picked up. Once he's back in his crib, I put some eggs in oven for us to color eggs later, marinade chicken for dinner, clean up kitchen a bit, and Jon and I discuss what might be going on with him. Carter wakes shortly after, sobbing. I take his temperature, with much resistance. It is 100 degrees under the arm, so I believe that's 101. Great.
I carry him downstairs and tell Jon about his temp. He begs for Paw Patrol, which we don't usually do in the middle of the afternoon, but since he isn't feeling well and Annabel is now screaming to eat, I give in. He sits on a blanket to watch his tablet, and throws a fit when I offer him some goldfish and water as a snack. I finally nurse Annabel, and feel really guilty I made her wait so long. Granted, it was only minutes, but based on her screams she felt it was way worse.
Half way through, he cries to be carried and that I have to set down Baby. Sigh. The worst part of this stage for sure. Fortunately, Annabel is done nursing, so I hand her to Jon to be burped and I sit with Carter. He stops whining immediately. I now feel guilty that I've ignored him. Mom guilt is real.
3:45pm | I suggest we go for a walk, and Carter starts jumping with glee. I should have looked out the window before suggesting this plan, as it looks like rain. Rookie mistake. I check the radar, and there is rain indeed on the way, but it appears we have an hour or so. And since there's no turning back now that I brought it up, we load up the stroller and go. Jon stays back with Annabel. We run into the neighbor returning from a walk, who tells us it started sprinkling on him. But again, turning back is not an option I want deal with, so we continue on to the park closest to us. I figure a little rain won't hurt. Carter has a blast climbing the ladder and going down the slide, and I feel so relieved we are there. He also follows a little girl around, but calls her a little boy.
Ten minutes in, it starts sprinkling, and shortly after gets much stronger, so I put him in the stroller and start half jogging/walking fast. We make it home with literally a minute to spare before it starts pouring hard. Carter is intrigued by the rain so we stand in the garage for another 10 minutes watching the rain. It's rather peaceful.
I finally convince him to come in to make Easter eggs. He has no idea what this means but I can tell he is intrigued. He patiently waits as I make the colors and has fun dropping them in. The little wire egg holder is a favorite item. We do 5 of the 6 eggs, as Carter banged one of them on the table in excitement and broke it. They start out beautifully bright until Carter insists on dropped each egg into multiple colors - they turn pukey green. I hide my disappointment. All the while Jon is watching the Masters and dealing with Annabel.
5:00pm | Annabel acts hungry again, and to no surprise Carter throws a fit that I'm going to nurse her. A big fit, tears and all. Jon tries to calm him down and distract him but it doesn't work. I tell him he can come sit next to me, but that isn't good enough. I finally tell Carter he can have his pacifier (something he's not allowed to have unless sleeping or in the car) if he sits on Daddy's lap to calm down. He happily agrees and snuggles with Jon while I nurse.
Then Carter wants to watch his tablet again, but I suggest he play with water in the sink instead. This is a favorite of his that we don't let him do all that often so he readily agrees. While he's playing in the soapy water, I cut potatoes and put the chicken and potatoes in the oven. Once Carter gets bored with the water (ie, the soap bubbles have dissipated), he requests his tablet again. He usually gets 10 minutes before dinner anyway, so I let him. He thrives so much on routine that I worry dinner will be a disaster if he's "out of order" so to speak. Annabel won't settle down at this point so Jon and I take turns rocking and bouncing her. We both get frustrated and snippy with each other.
Somewhere in there I text Jon's aunt (our daycare) that he has mild fever and will stay home tomorrow. I text my mom to ask if they can come help in the morning, as I have my postpartum appointment that I don't want to bring both kids to. And frankly I could use some help with Carter as he is so clingy when I'm trying to feed Annabel. I can't imagine a whole day of solo parenting a sick toddler and a frequently nursing baby. Thank goodness they can come over.
I finally get Annabel sound asleep and in the bouncer in the kitchen. Dinner is done and Carter turns off his tablet and runs to his chair as predicted. He points and asks what each item is on his plate. I'm curious if he will like the chicken. He doesn't - makes quite the face after spitting it back out. He refuses to eat anything until I bribe him with his gummy vitamin and 5 mini m&ms (this has become a regular occurrence at dinner, and I have no shame). It works, and he eats a couple pieces of the same chicken he supposedly didn't like and a strawberry!
Annabel starts fussing half way through dinner so I grab her. She of course won't let me sit and finish eating so I bounce. She is still inconsolable, so I'm not sure what is wrong. I try burping her and then bouncing her to sleep. When she's out, I put her down in swing and scarf down the rest of my dinner. She lasts a whole 5 minutes before screaming again. My arms and shoulders are burning at this point, but there's not much I can do. Jon tries, but he doesn't have quite the same bounce, and honestly the girl smells me and gives everyone else a harder time.
Carter runs around and plays, and this little window of time is usually a favorite of mine. A lull in the witching hours where he becomes really goofy and happy (and a fullish belly). Tonight, he requests a cape and to fly with Daddy. We bribe him to take his temperature first. It's 99.4 under the arm, so we're glad it's going down. Or did it because he took shirt off?
7:15pm | Time to go up and get ready for bed. I put Annabel in her PJs while Jon does Carter's. Good teamwork that actually works, though Carter sheds a lot of tears about it.
I rock Annabel while Jon reads Carter a book. She will not settle down and I still can't figure out what is wrong. Jon suggests I feed her, but surely she couldn't be hungry again yet. I try nonetheless, and yep. She calms immediately and eats. So I read a book to Carter, who is on the ottoman, while nursing Annabel, and feel rather invincible at with my multi-tasking. And guilty I didn't try feeding her earlier. When in doubt, offer the boob.
Jon says goodnight to Carter and they play their little game of "What do you say?" where Jon makes up things that his Papas and Grandmas say and Carter laughs hysterically. ie "What does Papa Steve say? Woman, what's for dinner?!" It's probably the voices that Jon does, because it is definitely over Carter's head but he laughs nonetheless. And tries to do them on his own, which is so cute. Jon takes Annabel downstairs and I finish Carter's routine of brushing teeth, jumping on his trampoline, sleep sack, and cuddles. He goes down so well, and I remind myself how grateful we are that he doesn't fight sleep. I also observe that he seems to be acting normally so whatever bug caused his temp to rise must not be bad. (We find out the following day it's actually strep).
(Oofta, my eyes look tired)
Downstairs I nurse Annabel on the other side and watch a taped episode of House Hunters as the rain cuts out our satellite. Jon is doing laundry. Annabel falls asleep in my arms, so I stay put for a good 10-15 minutes longer to make the transfer to her bassinet more successful. I work on some notes from the day for this post.
9:00pm | I bring Annabel upstairs and put her to bed. She wakes immediately (my efforts failed) but is quiet so I leave her. Carter suddenly calls out for me but by time I go in he's sound asleep and doesn't know I'm there. He's cool to the touch, thank goodness. As I close his door, Annabel cries so I grab her again and we rock in her chair. I fortunately have no trouble putting her down this time. I feel like a ping pong ball.
I go back downstairs to say goodnight to Jon, take my vitamin and fill my water. Jon stays up later (always), and says he will do the dinner dishes. Hooray. I head upstairs, take out my contacts, and climb into bed. I don't even change into pajamas, as these days my daily wardrobe can easily pass as sleepwear. :)
11:00pm | Carter cries out, so I go into his room and hold him for a few minutes. Still not feeling feverish, thankfully. I go back to bed and hope I still have an hour or more before Annabel wakes to eat again. (She gives me until 1am!).
And there is what feels like the longest Sunday in the history of Sundays now that I wrote it all out. Definitely an exhausting day and not one of our easiest. But ours, all the same.
Oh those sleep-deprived early days. You have a lovely family!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, I'm exhausted reading through this. This brought me right back to those sleep deprived days, and middle of the night wake ups. I hope strep didn't make the rounds with anyone else in the family!
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