7:00am: Kate and I go downstairs to play and once I get her interested in a toy I go to the kitchen to start making her breakfast. In hindsight I realize I should have spent a little more one-on-one time with her before making breakfast because she spends the rest of the morning being really clingy and fussy. Kate’s been struggling with this at daycare lately, but we don’t usually see it at home. I think it happens when she doesn’t get enough support during transitions, and sure enough that proved to be true this morning.
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| What? Do I have blueberry on my face? |
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| Uh…this isn’t the toy aisle, Mom. What gives? |
11:15am: We’re home from Target and Kate plays and explores around the house while I continue doing things in the kitchen. I try to put eyes on her every few seconds, but I’ve learned that it’s not as much of a concern when I can’t see her as it is when I can’t hear her.
Kate was playing in the hallway, but it just got quiet.
I turn the corner to check on her and discover this:
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| Kate and her Bunny–don’t you dare separate them! |
12:30pm I decide to put Kate down early for her nap since she didn’t nap this morning and she’s having a rough day. She usually goes down for her naps without a peep, but not today. Hello Massive Tantrum #4. I lay her down in her crib (well, as much as you can ‘lay down’ a twisting, arched back child), make sure she has Bunny, calmly tell her, “It’s time for naps” and then I walk out of the room and close the door while she screams at my back.
12:45pm: G calls home for an update and I fill him in on what a good job Kate is doing of testing her boundaries. (How’s that for being strength-based?)
1:00pm: I take some much-needed deep breaths and decide now is a good time to put G’s Valentine’s gift together. I made some Valentine’s cookies last week for G and daycare and Grandma Pam, and G is the last one to get his. G has a notorious sweet tooth (unlike me–a fact you may soon find incredibly surprising), so I have to hide treats from him to have any hope of them lasting a day in our house. I grabbed the ziploc bag of cookies from their hiding spot, only to discover that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS BROKEN!
Seriously?
Is this really happening to me today??
My main Valentine’s gift for G is a special date night that I’ve arranged to happen a couple of weeks from now, but these damn cookies were THE ONLY TANGIBLE THING I had to offer him today. And now they’re all broken. Not a single one of them survived. I sigh and decide that G will understand as I arrange the broken cookies on a plate anyway.
I spot my glass of milk on the island–the one I poured just before Kate’s highchair tantrum–and am reminded that I still haven’t eaten a thing yet today, so I finally sit down and try to relax. I drink my glass of milk and look at that sad plate of broken cookies while contemplating healthy choices for lunch…and I start to eat them. Just one broken little cookie piece here and there as I sit at the kitchen island and wonder how I’m going to handle the next 17 years of parenting. And then I keep eating them because I’m too damn tired to get off my stool and walk the necessary three feet to the fridge to heat up that horribly bland chicken soup I made last night. They don’t even taste good to me but now I’m just so pissed off looking at that plate of broken cookies THAT I CAN’T EVEN STAND THE SIGHT OF THEM!
So I keep eating.
I eat that whole damn plate of broken cookies.
And then I go upstairs to take a nap.
3:30pm: I’m still all sorts of worked up over this cookie situation. G could be home as early as an hour from now and who knows when Kate will wake up from her nap. I don’t have enough ingredients in the house to make G more cookies, so my only hope is that Kate will wake up in time for us to rush to Target for refrigerated cookie dough and get them baked before G gets home. I contemplate waking Kate up from her nap but after the morning we had I decide that I’d rather have an upset husband than an upset toddler.
4:00pm: Kate finally wakes up from her nap so I pre-heat the oven, change her diaper, and then we race to the store!
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| We’re going out again, Mom? This was not in my itinerary. |
4:20pm: We’re home! I give Kate her afternoon snack (a homemade zucchini carrot muffin and some whole wheat Goldfish crackers), and she eats as I toss G’s new and improved Valentine’s cookies in the oven. I finally breathe easy when the cookies are baked and arranged on a plate. Mission accomplished!
Kate’s in a much better mood this afternoon, thank goodness, and we read books and play games until G gets home.
5:15pm: G gets home from work and we catch up on each other’s day as I feed Kate dinner (leftover chicken apple cheese quesadilla, roasted pumpkin, and avocado bites). He doesn’t even mention the bow-topped plate of cookies on the counter, so I ask, “Did you see the cookies we made for you?”
To which he frowns and replies, “You totally forgot about Valentine’s Day, didn’t you?”
“No!” I protest. “I actually put AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY INTO IT!”
(I spare him the details and leave it at that.)
6:30pm: I give Kate big kisses goodnight before G takes her upstairs to put her to bed, and I stay curled up on the couch trying to recover from my day.
8:30pm: I play in a women’s volleyball league on Monday nights and tonight we have the late game, so instead of getting ready for bed (like I normally would be around this time), I get ready for our game.
9pm: Volleyball game. We lost. I don’t want to talk about it.
[Update: This day occurred about a month ago and I’m happy–and incredibly surprised!–to say that Kate has yet to have another tantrum.]
[I will also add that I have yet to have another cookie.]
I love these “Day in the Life” posts, and I’m really looking forward to reading about your daycare days. Do you plan on sharing recipes/food ideas or where you get your food inspiration for Kate? My daughter is still eating purees (which I make myself), but I’m really interested in hearing how you keep her diet so well balanced and interesting.
Also… Thanks for sharing about the tantrums. It’s nice to know that kids will be kids no matter what we do!
Soo Cute!
I love the toilet paper picture! Makes me feel normal since Noah’s OBSESSED with TP and tissues. It’s a great way to keep him occupied but not a habit I want formed so we go thru the same tantrum you do when you remove the object of his obsess- I mean, affection:)
Aren’t toddlers lovely?!:)
I totally agree about setting firm limits, even early. Whenever my daughter starts throwing a tantrum in her high chair, meal time is over, even if she hasn’t eaten much!
I’d also love to see more recipes that you feed Kate – I have been planning for months to share what I feed my 13 month old but can never seem to get around to it, so I obviously understand if you don’t either
I love this series. I can tell that you are such good parents. Funny, caring, setting good limits.
jbhat
A nap from 12:30-4???? Lucky!!!! My guy is 10 months and sleeps 1 hour and 15 mins in the morning and just slightly more in the afternoon from 1-2:30. Any tips for getting a baby to fall alseep on their own in the crib? We’re still doing the rocking/sitting with him for 5-10 mins and then ever so gently transferring to the crib which will be disasterous when he goes to daycare or, you know, turns 12!!!!
I completely agree about the tantrums. My (now 22 month old) son went through a few days in December where he was having 2-3 mmassive tantrums a day but when we completely ignored it he would stop pretty quickly. He does still have the occasional fit but they are few and far between and don’t last long. One of the few things in life where you can genuinely say “ignore it and it will go way.”
Can I just say how impressed I am that you made it in and out of Target in 45 minutes?!
Love reading about Kate’s schedule and what she is eating since I have an 11 mo old. Would really like for you to share some of your recipes like the blueberry oatmeal pancakes. Have ‘stolen’ quite a few toy ideas based on what Miss Kate likes! Thanks so much!
I love these posts! I especially loved the part where you said those were excuses for Kate’s behavior but that does not excuse the behavior. Brayden is really testing his boundaries (at almost 20 months old) and we have hit the full blown toddler stage. This is a great reminder to me- thanks!
I don’t have any kids of my own yet, but I do teach children ages 2.5-6, and I have to say, I really enjoyed reading this post. I’ve been battling a lot of nasty negative attention-seeking behavior and parents making excuses for their children. It was really nice to read what a fantastic foundation you’re setting for Kate.
As a fellow social worker, I appreciate the strenghts-based reference!
As someone contemplating parenthood in the future these posts are really helpful for me to visualize what my day to day might be like. Kate is adorable!
What a great series! Thanks for sharing the good and the bad, Dusty..for being real! This is helping me a lot:)
Love these “Day in the life” posts!!! Keep ’em coming!!
Haha! I love that you ate the cookies. I would have too!
Thanks everyone! I’m putting together several recipe posts, so stay tuned!
@Steph–Her long nap on this day was a fluke. She usually doesn’t nap that long but she clearly needed it on this day! She’s typically more in the 2-3 hour range for her afternoon nap if she skips her morning nap. I wish I had some good tips for you about the crib thing but we put Kate down for naps while she was still awake ever since she was born so we never had to make that transition with her. My favorite parenting books are The Baby Whisperer books, and Healthy Sleep Habits/Happy Child. If you’re interested in checking them out I’m sure they’ll have some good tips for you. Good luck!
I am loving these posts D! Yes, please create a post for your recipes, I would love to give a few to Jillian. She is a picky eater but hopefully one of these will work. They sound yummy!!! Glad to hear Jillian isn’t the only one entering this fun toddler stage! The tantrums are hit or miss with us too. I am hoping for more misses…..