Hellobee

Now that I’ve been working part-time for a few months, we have finally settled into a good routine. I thought I’d share a glimpse into our daily life – thrilling as it is!

5:18am – Alarm goes off. I tiptoe around in the dark looking for my grippy socks and leggings for barre class.

5:40am – Get into the freezing car, in the pitch dark with the moon still shining, and head to the studio.

6:00am – Lift, tone and burn for an hour at Pure Barre. It’s my current fitness addiction and while it’s early, I love this time to myself.

7:10am – Get home, find that Mr. Markers and Baby Markers are still fast asleep. I feed the dog, make a bottle of formula, make myself a cup of coffee and empty the dishwasher. I keep an eye on the monitor and usually see Baby Markers waking up. She’s typically content to sit and play with her lovey until we come and get her.

*Note: On days I go into the office, Mr. Markers gets Baby Markers up and gives her a bottle. I take a quick shower while he feeds her. My mom arrives at 7:30am, when I finish getting ready and get out the door by 8am. 

7:30am – Up and at em! I grab the baby who’s all smiles this morning. Quick diaper change and we go say hi to dad and the pup.

7:40am – Baby Markers and I settle on the couch for her first bottle. She usually doesn’t finish it but wants to get down and play. She crawls around while I scroll through my email and various social media channels on my phone.

8:20am – Breakfast time. I usually cook her an egg and she will have a waffle or yogurt, as well as some fruit. Waffles and banana muffins are her favorites. While she’s eating, I clean up the kitchen, eat something myself and start prepping food for the day. Today I happened to be making homemade chicken stock, so I got everything ready and threw it in the slow cooker.

8:45am – Clean up! Baby Markers likes to wash her hands in the sink. While I’m cleaning up the high chair and floor, she typically beelines for the dog bowls or climbs on the dishwasher.

Her new favorite trick.

9am – Time for her first nap. She’s usually pretty tired and goes down easily. So now it’s mommy time! I throw in a load of laundry and take a quick shower. If we have plans for the day, I might blowdry my hair and put on a little makeup; if not it’s yoga pants and a sweater, possibly a swipe of mascara. I spend the rest of her nap catching up on emails (both work and personal), reading blogs and finishing any food prep for the day or week.

10:30am – And she’s up! We get her dressed quickly and I pack up the diaper bag. This morning we have music class and if we’re not out the door by 10:40am, we’re late.

11am – Music class is by far Baby Marker’s favorite hour of the week. She loves to crawl to the middle of the circle and clap her hands, never one to shy away from attention. At the end of class they have open play with all the big toys, and Baby Markers climbs up and over everything she can. The gathering drums are also a bit hit!

In awe of the bubbles floating around at the end of music class.

12:15pm – Home for lunch. Today we’re having broccoli cheese quesadillas and a turkey meatball, maybe a veggie packet or a yogurt. Sometimes I am truly shocked at how much this kiddo can eat!

12:45pm – Playtime for a bit while I switch over a load of laundry. This morning we played in the living room, so we switch to Baby Marker’s room for a change of scenery. While she’s taking every single toy out of the toy basket, I reorganize her clothes for the one millionth time, sorting what fits and what doesn’t and placing the too-small outfits in labeled plastic bins.

1:15pm – We settle on the couch for a bottle. Sometimes she finishes it, but her eyelids are usually getting heavy at this point.

1:45pm  – Nap #2. Peace and quiet for usually 2 hours or so.

2-4pm – I work during this time since I have a proposal due next week (I’m a part-time grant writer). I try to stay focused so I can get as much done as possible before she wakes up. When her nap is shorter than usual, I end up putting my work off until after bedtime which is not my preference.

*If I went into the office today (Tuesday or Wednesday) I usually get home around 4pm – I try to make it home so that I can be the one to get her up from her afternoon nap. It’s the BEST when she greets you with the biggest grin!

4pm – Up from her nap. We play a bit, if it’s warm we go for a walk with the pup or hang out at the park down the street. Sometimes we go run an errand during this time if we need to, or stop by Grammy’s house which is just down the street.

All bundled up!

5pm – Dinner time! Tonight she’s having rotisserie chicken, steamed carrots and mini farfalle noodles. (Random but she likes it.)

5:30pm – I attempt to clean up the kitchen while Baby Markers bangs on the dishwasher. We play for a bit and take the dog out for a walk around the block.

6pm – Playtime, usually in her room.

6:30pm – Bathtime! Baby Markers LOVES playing the bath. After we do lotion, brush her teeth and I’ll cut her nails if she sits still long enough. We put on jammies and play a little bit waiting for Mr. Markers to get home.

7pm – Dad’s home! He plays with her while I make a bottle.

7:15pm – Settle on the couch for a bottle. Sometimes she’s up and down and it takes 30-45 minutes for her to finish. Such a busy baby!

8pm – Bedtime! We do a quick diaper change, sing a lullaby and lie her in her crib. She loves her bed and rarely puts up a fight. Sometimes she’ll fall right asleep, other times she’ll play for a bit with her lovey and paci. It usually takes about 15 minutes and she’s out like a light. After we put her down we sit down to eat dinner.

9:30pm – Much to my husband’s dismay, I’m usually starting to doze at this point (he’s a night person and I’m a morning person). We watch a show or two on the DVR and then it’s lights out for me.

Not too exciting, but it certainly wears me out! I’m exhausted at the end of the day, and even more so on the days I’m with her by myself all day. I would probably be less tired if I didn’t get up to workout, but that’s really the only time I can do it (unless I got a babysitter) and I like to get it out of the way. Honestly, the days that I work are much less taxing in my opinion, but I appreciate the fact that I experience both throughout the week. One thing remains true most days – I wish I had more hours! There is always more work to be done, more laundry to do, more errands to run.

How does your day look with your baby or toddler? How do you find the time to get everything done?