A Day in the Life

I've seen this done before by other bloggers and I thought it would be nice to have a real, full-day record to look back at in the future and recall what life was like at this point in time. So, here goes. I'm not picking any day in particular for any particular reason. I'm mostly a stay at home mom now so my days kind of blend together anyway! This was all done on Thursday, July 18. Evelyn is 2 years old and it's Adam's 4 month birthday!

11:30 pm - Adam is up. He's been asleep since before 8, which is typical, but we didn't swaddle him tonight since he's started rolling over. We'll see how the rest of the night goes. I nurse him and say a quick prayer before putting him back to bed.

1:14 am - Adam is up again. I nurse him and tell myself I'll wait until he's good and asleep before trying to transfer him. 

1:40 am - Fell asleep in chair (it's funny, I almost NEVER did this when Evelyn was a baby. Now, I have the hardest time staying awake during night wakings. Talk about sleep deprived), Adam leaked out of his diaper (finding a solution for diapering him overnight is a whole other story), change Adam, get him back to sleep, crawl in my bed. Feels so good!

2:40 am - Adam is up. Again. Sigh... I guess it's going to be one of those nights. Have a fleeting thought of just sleeping in the chair or on the couch. Let's see if I can't get him back in bed.

3:49 am - Fell asleep in the chair again. Back to bed for me.

4 am - Adam is up again. To the couch we go. Nurse Adam back to sleep. Praying he decides to sleep longer than an hour.

6:28 am - Good morning sunshine. We hang out in the couch for a bit (aka I keep my eyes closed as long as humanly possible).

6:54 am - Rob heads out the door for work so I finally decide to get up and change Adam's diaper. So. Freaking. Tired. I dream of dropping Adam's adorable, smiling little tush in Rob's arms on Saturday morning and sleeping until noon. It probably won't happen but a girl can dream, right? Nurse big boy and set him down to play for a bit. He found his toes the other day and is loving it.

7:09 am - head downstairs to continue doing diaper laundry I started last night (I've got some exciting news on this front to announce soon!). Cloth diapering 2 kids has definitely meant an increase in laundry, but I still love it!

7:16 am - assess the damage from last night's lack of sleep... me in all my morning glory. Just keeping it real! Splash some water on my face, put my hair up, and go sit for a bit to browse Facebook, Instagram, StlWed, etc. on my phone until Evelyn gets up. This will likely be the only quiet time I get all day. Hoping she sleeps until at least 8. But with construction going on to build more houses you just never know.

7:45 am - I get Adam down for a nap in his swing just in time to hear Evelyn awake in her room. I get Evelyn up and change her, then walk in the kitchen and realize that the trash smells terrible so I take it out.

8:20 am - I put Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on so I can sit down and pump. Then I text my mom to firm up plans for swimming this morning. It's supposed to be in the 90's today and I'd like to beat the heat.

8:30 am - Done pumping. Get some breakfast for Evelyn and I (Cheerios and apples and peanut butter). Adam is waking up in the swing, but he's content so I let him be. Side note: I'm off dairy in an attempt to help Adam's tummy. It sucks. I'm attempting to like almond milk and chocolate almond milk, but it's just not the same. I miss my big glass of chocolate milk in the morning. I really, really miss it. And on mornings after a night like last night, I sometimes consider forcing myself to like coffee. Or drinking. I guess it would be too early for that though...

8:53 am - I finish breakfast and empty/load the dishwasher and put my pumped milk away while Evelyn finishes. Another side note: this is actually two days worth of milk. I pump every morning to manage my oversupply. Some days I get 20 oz (when everyone sleeps well) some days I get 5 oz. Depends on the day. I'll be attempting to wean myself off the pump when Adam is around 6 months old.

9 am - I clean the magnets and such off the fridge so they can take it away (it's broken) and move the loaner in, get my swimsuit on, and run a rinse cycle on my diapers. Adam is fussing again, so I change up his scenery.

9:15 am - Get Evelyn cleaned up from breakfast and (attempt to) get her swimsuit on. Adam is fussing again, so another change of scenery. I'd like to wait to feed him until right before we leave for the pool but I don't think he's going to last that long.

9:28 am - Adam is done. So I sit down and feed him while Evelyn dumps a bag of diaper samples on the floor. Whatever keeps her occupied.

9:32 am - Way too distracted by sissy to actually have a good nursing session but he's a little more content.

9:37 am - Sit down to put Adam's swimsuit on and find he pooped! Woo hoo! We've been having some poop trouble lately, so I get excited when he goes.

9:40 am - Mom and James arrive and we get the kids slathered in sunscreen.

10:00 am - Load up the ridiculous amount of paraphernalia it takes to go to the pool and head out the door.

11:45 am - Get home, feed Adam, change clothes/diapers, hang suits to dry and decide on lunch while the kids play for a bit.

12:30 pm - We head out the door to Arby's for lunch. Evelyn eats a ham and cheese sandwich and I have a French Dip. Nothing too exciting, but since we haven't left the house except to go to the pool for three days it was kind of nice.

1:30 pm - We get home from Arby's and Adam is way beyond ready for a nap. He screamed the whole way home in the car, through Evelyn's diaper change so I could get her in her room for a "nap" (lol), and through his own diaper change until I sat down and nursed him for bed. He konked out pretty much immediately.

1:45 - Adam is asleep and Evelyn is in her room, so I grab the laundry from downstairs and hang the diapers out to dry before sitting down to get started on this post.

2:17 pm - Adam is up, coax him back to sleep.

2:37 pm - Call Lowe's to try and figure out what's going on with the fridge issue. They are supposed to be picking up our broken fridge today and moving a loaner into the house until our new one arrives in a couple of weeks. Except they haven't called or come yet. Come to find out one of the delivery men cancelled our visit because he didn't have anything to deliver. They said they would call me back and let me know what's going on.

2:45 pm - I check on Evelyn to find her standing on her art desk turning the light on and off (oye) and with a poopy diaper. I guess quiet time is over. I get her up, change her, and give her a snack.

2:55 pm - Lowe's calls back and says they are on their way. Crap. I haven't emptied the fridge yet. So I go find a couple of coolers for the frozen stuff and empty it all onto the counters. My kitchen is officially a disaster area. I finish just as they are arriving. Evelyn is pretty fascinated.

3:40 pm - The old fridge is gone and the loaner is in place. Now I have to figure out how to get everything from our 22 cu. ft. fridge into this 18 cu. ft. one. I guess I needed to purge anyway. Nothing like being forced to clean the fridge out!

4:00 pm - I figured since it's all out, I might as well bag and label my milk to go into the deep freeze. Then Rob calls and reminds me that his mom is bringing his grandma and great aunt by to visit. Crap. Again. The house is a disaster and they will be here any second. Oh well. Not much I can do at this point since Adam is now awake (woo-hoo for a 2 hour nap!) and hungry.

4:30 pm - I finish nursing and changing Adam just in time for my mother in law to arrive with Rob's Grandma, great Aunt, and our niece. Evelyn is super excited to see Isabella and they immediately run off to play while everyone else dotes on Adam. Thank goodness he is rested/full/clean!

5 pm - Rob gets home.

5:30 pm - Our visitors leave and I coax Evelyn back inside. She really wants to ride her bike, but it's really just too hot. I bribe her with another snack. I try to clean the house up a bit more while we relax and play with the kids a bit.

 

5:54 pm -I get dinner started, while Rob entertains. We're having leftovers: Mini Meatball soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and homemade calzones.

6:15 pm - Dinner is ready so we sit down to eat. In his perfect time, Adam starts fussing, so I get him down in the swing for a little cat nap and continue our dinner. Yummy!

6:45 pm - Evelyn needs a bath since we swam today, so I decide to take her in the shower with me. This is what we typically do, but as Adam's gotten older we've been doing more tub baths with them together. And since I've pretty much decided to give up on getting her to nap, we're moving bed time back from 8:30 to whenever she seems tired. She was pretty glazed over at dinner, so we get the process going. I love taking showers with her because it's one of the few times when we just quietly play together. She has her tub crayons and we talk to one another and sing songs. Love it.

7:10 pm - We're out of the shower and I get Evelyn dressed, her teeth brushed, prayers said, and nurse while Rob gets Adam in his pjs.

7:30 pm - Evelyn is in bed so I start working on Adam while Rob starts on cutting the grass. He's not always so easy and tonight is the second night we didn't swaddle him. He's rolling over now and seems to prefer his tummy, so that's what it ends up being.

8:11 pm - Adam is in bed so I sit down and work on this post a little more and start researching ideas for a little secret project I'm working on. :) What a busy day!

9:00 pm - Adam is awake. Coax him back to sleep.

10:00 pm - Join rob on the couch to watch a little Netflix while he draws on the tablet.

10:30 pm - Crawl in bed, praying for a good night's sleep but worried about Adam sleeping on his tummy.

Another long night was had as Adam was up at 10:45, 11, 3, and 6. And just for good measure, Evelyn was up at 4:15. Blah. This too shall pass and I comfort myself knowing that I get to start fresh everyday. Tired or not, I love being home with my kids and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Miscellany

• I love Christmas, but I'm glad it's over. It's like going on vacation but being glad to sleep in your bed when you get home. It's chaos, glorious chaos, but makes you appreciate the routine days throughout the rest of the year.
• I finally got all of my decorations put away. 
• I'm nesting. Bad.
• This is a good thing as Evelyn's room is finally getting some attention and our basement is getting more organized by the day.
• I'm a little freaked out by the fact that I'm having a baby in two months. That is not enough time to get everything done. I'm trying really hard, but not being very successful.
• Rob has been hearing yet another round of layoff threats. This one sounds legit, but when you hear them at least once every four months you begin to ignore them. God will take care of us.
• I don't think Rob would be disappointed to have to find a new job considering how much he dislikes his. Maybe this is God telling him to move on?
• I am finding my job harder and harder. My body is protesting sitting all day staring at a computer. I feel tired and frustrated. I miss teaching. I miss my baby. 
• Evelyn has begun with the tantrums. She's attempting to scream/cry and fall on the floor when she doesn't get her way. Fun, no? At this point, we are both just completely ignoring the behavior or telling her that when she is ready to be kind we can do an alternative activity.
• I'm struggling with the idea of Evelyn weaning (yes, she's still nursing). She is beginning to drop morning sessions and I've noticed changes in her habits as my milk changes back to colostrum (aren't our bodies amazing?). Outside pressures make me question how I'm handling it, but I know deep down that it's a positive part of our relationship and that someday she will wean and I won't have these moments anymore. This may be a whole other post in and of itself though.
• Parenting is hard stuff.
• How the heck am I going to handle two?
• I often feel like I don't devote enough attention to certain activities. I stink at remembering people's birthdays and sending cards. I want to take more pictures of life and keep my photos organized. I want to be crafty or keep my house cleaner but I feel like I can never keep up. I think this is common with moms. But, it's hard when others seem to make it look so easy. 
• Example: I'm 3 years behind on putting our family photos into our annual ornaments. Also, I desperately want to make a photo book for Evelyn's first year, but I feel like I have to be doing so many other things that I can't focus on it. I think the part of me that can't stand to start a project and not finish it in one sitting is my greatest detriment in this department.
• If people call me a procrastinator, I'm not sure what I'd label Rob. His incessant habits of procrastinating are grating on my every last nerve right now. I can't get going on Evelyn's room because his desk covered in his crap is still in there and I, obviously, can't move it. Also, him and trash is probably topping my list right now. Is it really that hard to take two steps to throw the wrapper of a piece of candy away? Also, when I ask you to take the trash out (because you yell at me when I do it - being pregnant an all) that means actually taking it outside and putting it in the can, not setting it in the garage for morning. And then not doing it in the morning either. I might as well have just done it myself.
• Thankfully though, when he does get motivated, there's no stopping him. He's been working hard on the basement and it's finally getting there!

Revelation

Recently, I had an epiphany of sorts in terms of how unbelievably fast time goes as you get older. Don't you remember being a kid and thinking that a couple of hours in the afternoon seemed like forever? Not to mention your birthday and the exciting day when you got to say you were (insert number here) and a half. As the new year rolled around, like many others, I found myself reflecting on the past year and all of the events that occurred to safely store away in the vaults of my memory.

Then I realized that Rob and I are well on our way to our 2 year anniversary. What!? When did that happen? I felt like I spent the past 5 years waiting to get married, including a 2 year engagement, and here I am nearly 2 years into my marriage! Wow. It feels like just yesterday that Rob and I started dating and we marveled at the feeling of being one of those couples who hit "the year mark." Now we've been together over 5 years.

Watching James and Isabella makes me so happy and sad at the same time. James has been walking around saying things that he's going to do when he's five and a big boy going to kindergarten. ::Sob:: And Isabella is surprising me every time I see her. She's two now. Check her out at Christmas.

And don't get me started on Oliver and Dudley. My firstborn is going on 4 with Dudley trailing close behind at just over 3. As Rob and I look to the future to start a family, I hope to everyday keep in mind that we never get these times back. I love watching James and Isabella grow up and I can't wait to see what their futures hold, but a small part of me wants them to be little forever. It is so bittersweet.

4 and 9

Only four more days until I can officially feel my liberation from Lindenwood.

• Complete coursework: Check
• Pay all balances: Check (Can I hear an amen for no student loans?)
• Attend graduation: Check (yes, I did walk for those who are wondering)
• Receive diploma: To be mailed June 22

I am so unbelievably happy right now, you can't imagine. I've fought my last battle over my account balance and I'm free!

Let me enjoy this for a moment.

Okay, moving on... 

... The newlywed 9... ahem, 10? Hmmm... I've decided it's time to start some sort of exercise routine. Fortunately, I haven't really had to focus too much on my weight since the wedding. I didn't diet for the wedding. Now, I'm finding the scale creeping upward. It's the scale, right? That's what I was telling myself, when much to my dismay, after a little trip to the doctor, I've seemed to have gained approximately 10 pounds. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. 

I blame it on my job. (I have to blame it on something, right?) I've always worked jobs which require a bit more physical activity than most. I worked for close to 5 years shelving books at a library (quite the romantic spot, if you ask me) which required a lot of repetitive lifting and squatting. Lifting and squatting. Now, say it with me, lifting and squatting. Oh, and walking. And lifting and squatting.

Proceed to teaching. Anyone who is a teacher knows how much time is spent on your feet. And, as a middle school teacher I was always trying to keep the energy alive in my classroom by moving around, "dancing," and doing other random activities that outright make me look like a complete idiot. Nuff said. Oh, and the lack of real lunches probably helped. I was usually able to sneak in a fruit and jello cup (one of my favorite snacks) and some yogurt. Quite the diet.  And dinner? Dinner and student teaching don't mix.

Fast forward to the present. I found a summer job working retail. The hours suck, that's a given. And, I'm sure to bring a book with me every day. Isn't it exciting? This sedentary job has taken me off guard and my traditional eating habits just will not do anymore. 

I'm now beginning an adventure in meal-planning and an exercise  regimen. Meal planning so far has been pretty fun. Exercise? Not so much. I've thought about taking up running. Doing the couch to 5k seems fascinating. I may try it, though I fear I will regret it with my plantar fasciitis. Bring on the pain. If that doesn't work, I may pull out my old bike. It's not too rusty. Do you think it's still cute? It's purple. I got it around the time I was 10. If those don't work out, I'm not sure what I'll do. Any suggestions? I'm probably going to pull out the Wii Fit. Just for some more "relaxing" work. I don't imagine that will fix my 10 pounds though. 

Okay, I'm done with my weighty woes. Tell me I'm not the only one though. How did you keep your weight in check? And hurry, I had to pull out my swimsuit yesterday... my legs don't quite look as nice as they did last time that thing saw the light of day... Here's to losing 10 pounds.

WOW Sandwich

World of Warcraft, that is. I'm sitting on the couch next to my hubby and my neighbor, both of which are deeply engrossed in this game that is slowly abducting husbands across the world. Ladies, watch your men. Once they start, there's not turning back!

It all started during student teaching when I was spending HOURS after school working on things for my classes. Poor Rob needed something to fill his time so he decided to start "WOWing" again. The problem is, I'm not spending hours after school on work anymore and he's still playing his fun little game... hmm...

I suppose it gives me guilt-free time to read a book!

Which, by the way, I think I'll start posting reviews on my blog.... we'll see how it goes.

Sincerely,

Tuesday Musings

1. I haven't blogged in exactly 91 days.
2. Student teaching sucks the life out of you.
3. It was a blast.
4. I'm going to miss my kids.
5. I'm not going to miss not having free time.
6. Rob is the best husband ever.
7. He does the dishes and cleans the bathrooms.
8. What more could I ask for?
9. I'm on spring break and it's amazing.
10. I really want to start blogging regularly again.
11. I need motivation.
12. Is anybody still out there?
13. I've been feeling a little down this week.
14. I'm not sure why.
15. I love my family.
16. I love God, though I don't always understand His ways.
17. They are still perfect.
18. I'm not.
19. I need to find a summer job.
20. I don't want to work this summer.
21. Growing up sucks.
22. I'm loving every minute of it.

Ready. Set. Go!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I am so excited! My first Christmas as a married woman. We've spent a lot of time discussing where we're going and when, but I think we've got it figured out. There are so many things I'm looking forward to.

1. Making pull-apart cake for Rob and I on Christmas morning. Yummy! I only get it once a year!
2. Watching Rob open his presents. I didn't get him anything exciting, but one of my favorite things is giving people gifts!
3. Giving James his gifts. I got him a guitar for Christmas! He's been asking for one for ages (he watches us play guitar hero) so I thought, why not? Maybe he's a guitar prodigy... ;)
4. Seeing Isabella's first Christmas! She is so cute and fun. I can't wait to watch her reaction to all the festivities. It's going to be great!
5. Dinner!!! I'll be helping to make and eating dinner at my parents' house first and then heading to my in-laws'. I love holiday dinners. It's such a good time to get together and converse and be thankful for everything we've been blessed with.
6. Fellowship. I love just sitting around with the family on Christmas and enjoying each other's company. Everyone is happy and smiling and we forget all of our stress and problems for the day. I wish everyday was Christmas!

Tomorrow I'll be cleaning my house, doing laundry, and wrapping the final presents to put under the tree! Then, the hubby and I will watch "A Muppet Christmas Carol" and go to bed. I love starting new traditions!

If I don't get to post again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a good one!

Some Saturday...

:::SIGH::: This was quite a Saturday. I've been caring for my sick husband all day. :(

We're still not sure if it was the Chinese food last night, or a stomach bug, but -without going into detail - it wasn't pretty. I got quite a bit done though. My motives? The looming possibility that I might get sick... please, Lord, I don't want to get sick. When I wasn't caring for Rob today, I was getting caught up on housework all the while thinking about what wouldn't get done around the house that needed to if I get sick. I have so little faith, don't I? Maybe it's just the men in my life, but it always seems that when they get sick, everything stops for them (I'm not complaining about caring for Rob!). But when we get sick, it just keeps right on going. I think it's one of those rules of nature.

Though I didn't make it to the to the store today (for groceries anyway), I did manage to get a lot of my Christmas cards done. I'm doing two different groups, family and non-family. The non-family cards are some nice ones I bought at Target since I didn't think those at my church really cared to have a picture of Rob and I with the dogs staring at them. For the family, however, I made a little card in Photoshop that I'll be picking up tomorrow at Costco. Check it out:

I'm pretty happy with it. It took Rob and I several tries to get a decent picture in front of the tree with the boys. Oliver, for once, actually looks pretty good. I think Dudley, on the other hand, was too busy trying to eat Rob's hand... :) What do you think? Any suggestions for next time?

Next on my list, COOKIES!!!

We're also expecting some snow on Sunday night and Monday. Snow day? Mmmm... I hope so... :). I could do stuff I've been wanting to do for ages!! Can you tell I'm still basking in the glory of being done with school for the semester? I'm loving it!

Christmas Pre-lims

I was planning on making a big Christmas post with video and everything, but my computer is wheezing as I type this. It just can't handle much anymore and until my darling Hubby lets me have the new laptop, I'm stuck... :o)

So until then, I have a picture from our Christmas decorating extravaganza. We spent an entire Saturday watching movies, listening to Christmas music and spending some great time together decorating the house for the first time. It was so awesome to start thinking about our own traditions as a new family. I'm content. :)

Here's Rob and I hanging "Our First Christmas" ornament on our first Christmas tree in our first house as a newly married couple... life is good.

Another happy bit of news, I have one more final tomorrow and I will officially be finished with general undergrad classes! I passed my college algebra exam (I tested out of the course) and I student teach next semester! I am SO nervous! I have my placement at a middle school close by my house and my cooperating teacher seems really nice. But that doesn't cover the fact that I'm envisioning vomit and hives (TMI... sorry) the few days before it starts in January. I just keep praying that God will be with me and everything will be perfect.

I'm so afraid I'm going to get there and hate it. That I'm going to go through my student teaching thinking to myself, " Why did I do this? Why did I decide to be a teacher?" Am I going to be a good teacher? Will I be able to find a job? Ugh... I'm just so nervous. Someone tell me it will all be okay. Are my fears completely unfounded? Oh well, I've reached the point of no return. Suck it up, Stephanie. Suck. It. Up.

Christmas is 14 days away!!!

Married Life: The Good, The Bad, and the Superfabulously Ugly (and cuteness you can't deny!)

"So how's married life?" I love that question, because then I get to dwell on the fact that I'm married for a few minutes out of my day! I'm sure the question will get old, but for now I'm going to bask in all of my newlywed glory.

The Good.
If I said everything about being married is good, I would be a liar, and I don't like lying. I'm not going to sugarcoat things and say that marriage life is all rainbows and puppies. It definitely has its ups and downs. Sometimes its more down than up, but mostly its more up than down. I have to remember to cherish these times because they don't last forever. But, all in all, I LOVE being married. I love taking care of my own house. Cleaning, doing laundry, its all so fulfilling! I'm sure it will get old after a while, but knowing that I'm doing my job as a wife is such an awesome feeling. I also love the freedom we have. We are accountable to each other now. We go where we want when we want and our only real responsibility is our babies! Don't get me wrong, we definitely try and spend time with out families on a regular basis, but for me, never having lived away from home, I feel very liberated! I love not having so say goodbye to Rob every night, going to bed with him, waking up next to him. It's all so wonderful! So I could go on and on with all of this sappy stuff that your are probably ready to vomit at, but I'm gonna move on...

The Bad.
Ah... the bad. Did I ever mention how when I said my vows, I wasn't just agreeing to marry Rob, but all of his lovely friends too? Yes, I sometimes feel like the housekeeper for a frat house. Okay, a very tame frat house, but a house full of boys nonetheless. It's fun, sometimes. Others, it can be slightly annoying. Rob and I have had many a discussion regarding "us" time. But, marriage is a learning experience. We have to work hard on it and we are perfecting it every day.

Then, there's the business. Rob is definitely the entreprenurial type. He is desperately searching for a way out of the 9-5 business world. Can you blame him? Who doesn't wish they didn't have to wake up to an alarm and report to a boss everyday? Rob has wanted to start his own business since I've known him. So this summer has been a roller coaster of business meetings, loan applications, and me sitting on the edge of my seat with butterflies in my stomach at the thought of the bank putting a lein on my beloved house. Is scared a good word? I think so. Rob won't rest until he's tried. Whether he succeeds (please, God, let him succeed) or fails, I'll be standing here next to him.

The Ugly.
They grow them big out here. Spiders that is. From here on out I will refer to these disgusting eight-legged creatures as just that creatures. Because, I can't stand to even look at the word. It grosses me out. I've mentioned before my ridiculous fear for creatures. If I get surprised by one, I'll hyperventilate. So, living here has been a bit trying. Our house was built in a subdivision that used to be a farm field. Our house is somewhat alone over here in the new part and there is still a lot of open land. All of this land allows for unprecedented growth of creatures. They are large. Disgustingly large. Frightenlingly large. Rob stepped on a wolf creature outside our garage that was about the size of the palm of my hand. Luckily we have a pest shield system that seems to work well and we haven't found any inside yet. But, apparently Satan has discovered this little weakness of mine and is taunting me with it. I don't like it. I don't like it at all.

The Cute!
So, let's end this on a high note, shall we? Another thing I love about being married? My family. My own little family. Me, Rob, and the kids. My babies. They're the best! I love them and they have been awesome! Remember my post on them peeing in the house. I've discovered a solution that works. I pick up their food and water! They've only pooped in the house once or twice since then and haven't peed! Squee! My life is now perfect! Just look at Dudley, who can deny a face like that?