Daily Life

Years from now, when I think back to the time when Libby was a baby, I think I will be more interested in remembering what our lives were like on the plain and simple days than on our rare adventurous days. And so...as of August 2011, here's what we do on an average day. 

6:30 AM - Libby wakes up. She's incredibly consistent. Jared is usually up already (he has to be at work at 7! gasp!), so sometimes he'll get her out of her crib and bring her to me to nurse in bed. Other days, I drag my sleepy self out of bed and walk the 5 feet to Libby's room...and then bring her back to nurse in bed.

7:00 AM - Libby is finished nursing, and I can no longer convince her to stay in bed and cuddle and try to go back to sleep, so I get up, change her diaper and get her ready for the day. Then we head to kitchen and I eat breakfast while she plays or snacks on cereal. She's usually too full from nursing to eat much yet, so she has her breakfast a little later.

Libby's "monster" face; aka growl/scowl/"you want me to eat that?!" face

8:00 AM - We head to the rec center, where I exercise and Libby plays in the nursery. She has surprised me by how much she likes it there, considering what a Momma's girl she is and how afraid of strangers she's typically been.

9:30 AM - We get home, and Libby is usually ready for a nap pretty soon. While she naps, I take a shower and get ready for the day. I check my email, read some blogs (you know, the important stuff!) and eventually convince myself to do something productive, like meal-planning or washing the dishes from breakfast. (We don't have a dishwasher, so washing dishes seems to be a never-ending task.)

11:00 AM - Libby wakes up, wants to nurse, and then play. We play outside, where she likes to walk up and down the pathway from the driveway to the front door, or chase the rabbits in the backyard, and I try to keep her from eating too many leaves and rocks. Or we play inside and read books or roll around on the floor or play hide and seek. Or (I'll admit it), sometimes I watch a movie while Libby plays in the living room or busies herself emptying the drawer of tupperware in the kitchen.

Sitting still for a rare moment

12:00 PM - We eat lunch. By this point in the day, I'm usually ready to get out of the house, so we might go grocery shopping or to the library. Libby LOVES the library. As much as she loves books, she loves the toys at the library even more. Our library has tons of toys in the children's section and Libby can entertain herself for quite a while. Give her 5 minutes in there and it will look like a tornado hit the place, though, so I'm usually following close behind to prevent chaos.

3:00 PM - Libby takes another nap. She has a harder time falling asleep at this nap, but it happens eventually. I try to clean the kitchen and get dinner prepped during this time. Or (let's get real) sometimes I just surf the internet or read a book.

4:30 PM - Libby wakes up and nurses, and is usually pretty clingy at the this time of day...which is why it's really in my best interest to do dinner prep rather than browse pinterest while she's napping. ;)

5:30 PM - Jared gets home and we eat dinner. After dinner, we usually take Libby outside to run around or we just hang out in the living room, rolling around on the floor and tickling Libby until we've gotten all the giggles we want out of her (it's never enough).

Carrying her Dora backpack the only way she knows how

7:00 PM - Libby gets a bath or a shower. If she's cranky, she gets a shower for sure. It's her "off switch" as Jared likes to say. Totally calms her down and puts her to sleep. After her bath, I nurse her and put her to bed, usually around 7:45 to 8:00. She goes to sleep easily these days and sleeps through the night! Bless that girl!

After Libby's in bed, Jared and I hang out, read, or get things done around the house. Lately, I've been spending my time sewing or upcycling clothing and trying to figure out how to decorate our house. 

I have to say, I don't miss my job for even a second. I am incredibly content being a full-time mom, and feel lucky that I have so much time with my little girl. I am sure I don't value it enough day to day, so I resolve to be better. To spend more time interacting, and less merely observing. More teaching, more chasing, more crawling, more messes. This girl is totally worth it.

Looking out our front door window