A Week in My Life: Saturday

6:30am:  I’m extra excited to get up with Kate this morning since I didn’t get to see her last night.  She’s super cuddly, but seems a little droopy and not quite herself.  She’s been dealing with a cough for the past six weeks.  Every time she shakes it, she goes to daycare and picks it right back up.  Up to this point she hasn’t had any other symptoms, but this morning I notice some gunky drainage from her ears--never a good sign. 

7am:  Kate and I go downstairs to play and read books.

7:30am:  I feed Kate breakfast (scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and oatmeal with applesauce).  She doesn’t eat much, which is another concern, and her cough is the worst its ever been.  She can hardly go 30 seconds without hacking and it sounds awful!  G wakes up and agrees that things have definitely taken a turn for the worse and decide to call the pediatrician’s office.

I call the clinic and talk to a nurse who asks me 2,357 questions to determine if she’s willing to give up one of their coveted Saturday morning appointments.  I bring the phone over by Kate and the sound of her horrible hack seems to help our case as the nurse books us to see the on-call pediatrician at 9am.

It’s now nearly 8am, and we’ll need to leave in 45 minutes for Kate’s appointment.  Kate usually takes her morning nap at 9am but we’ll be at the doctor’s office at that time.  She looks so awful that I decide to try to put her down now to see if she’ll take a quick nap.  She falls asleep as soon as her little head hits her pillow. 

8:45am:  I wake Kate up at the last possible minute and we rush to the pediatrician’s office for her appointment.

9:00am:  Luckily we don’t have to wait long at the pediatrician's office before we're escorted to a room--just in time for me to notice that Kate needs a diaper change.  I lay her on the exam table, start undressing her, and discover that she’s had a major poopy blow-out--her first in months!  Of course in our hurry to get out of the house I didn’t bother throwing an extra outfit in the diaper bag.  In the year+ that I’ve been packing this diaper bag we’ve never needed the extra outfit I always toss in.  Sure enough, the one day I don’t pack one…Murphy’s law, right?  Thankfully the nurse came through for us and tracked down a pair of baby scrubs. 

The pediatrician that examined Kate determined she had an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection.  Luckily since Kate already has ear tubes her ears were draining and she wasn’t feeling that pressure.  He prescribed amoxicillin and ear drops and we were on our way.    

10:00am:  We get home and I feed Kate her morning snack (an apple plum bar) while G runs to the pharmacy to fill her prescription.

11am:  Kate still looks pretty miserable so I try to put her down for another nap.  Usually she wouldn’t go down for her next nap until 1pm, but when she’s not feeling well, doing what we can to help her feel better is more important than sticking to a schedule.  Even though she looks tired she doesn’t fall asleep so I pull her from the crib.  Kate and I go downstairs to play and she starts perking up a little bit:



My "Pint Sized" cutie!

Reading books to Bunny:

12pm:  I feed Kate lunch  (chicken, black beans, yogurt, and grapes).

12:30pm:  I put Kate down for down for her afternoon nap and she’s out within seconds.  G leaves for gym and I spend the afternoon making three large veggie pizzas for Kate. 





2:30pm:  Kate is still sleeping so I decide to lay down for a nap, too.

4pm:  I wake up to the sound of Kate fussing.  G got home sometime during my nap and he’s with Kate who just woke up. 

4:15pm:  I feed Kate her afternoon snack--freshly made veggie pizza--and package up the rest of the pizza to freeze for quick and easy meals/snacks for Kate in the future.

4:30pm:  G and I try playing with Kate in the living room, but she’s just not doing well.  She’s fussy, being pretty clingy, and only wants Mama.



"Dammit Mama, I don't feel good!!"

5:15pm:  Kate’s fading fast, so we decide to feed her dinner early (spinach cheese brownie, grapes, and banana).  We keep it light since she just had snack an hour ago. 

6pm:  G and I give Kate a quick bath, and then I put her to bed while G leaves to get us Quiznos subs for dinner. 

6:30pm:  G and I eat dinner (I had the Steakhouse Prime Rib Dip—mmm, so good).

7:00pm:  It’s been five weeks since Kate’s birthday party and I’m ridiculously embarrassed to admit I still haven’t mailed out her thank you notes yet.  I finally get them finished tonight.

7:30pm:  G is a Netflix Nazi and is determined to make sure we get our money’s worth by fitting in two DVDs each week.  He reminds me of this by flapping the red envelope and in my face and urging, “We need to watch this movie tonight and get it in the mail so we can get another one by Wednesday in order to have another one for next weekend!”

G’s also obsessed with our Netflix queue.  I try to add movies that I want to see to it and he always buries them at the bottom and puts his crappy movies at the top *cough*Piranha*cough*.  I never know what our next movie is going to be but G probably knows the next five, and their estimated arrival dates.  I’m telling you: Netflix Nazi. 

Thankfully tonight’s movie is something I’m interested in:  The Karate Kid (the new one with Jaden Smith).  Dang that kid’s a cutie!  Have you seen this movie?  I was so impressed by how athletic he is!

 

9:30pm:  Bedtime!  I love bedtime. 

2am:  My nightly check to make sure Kate hasn’t been kidnapped and replaced with a fake baby.

This concludes the Week in My Life series!  I hope you all enjoyed this voyeuristic look into the inner-workings of my world.  I will now be accepting bids for the made-for-tv movie version of the excitement that is my life.

A Week in My Life: Friday

Here's the part where I admit to you that by the 6th day of my "Week in My Life" series I was losing steam fast.  It's hard tracking what I do every minute of the day!  Case in point, here's what I wrote for my Friday:

Got up with Kate, read books, played

Training at work

Rally at Capitol

Drinks after work with coworkers

Home/bed by 10:30pm

In my defense, I wasn't near a computer AT ALL on this day.  The five lines above were all I could fit on the palm of my hand, so that's what you get.    

As much as I'd love to hit "publish" right now and call it a day, the perfectionist/narcissist/wine/storyteller (take your pick) in me won't let me.  Instead, I'm going to give you the abbreviated version of my day loaded with lots of pictures so the visual length of the post tricks you into thinking you got your money's worth. 

(You paid, right?)

We'll skip my morning routine since by now you must be bored of it.  My day veers from the usual after I leave the house.  Today is our monthly staff training day so instead of going to the office, my co-workers and I meet at an off-site location for bagels and brain fodder.  This month's training was on Social Work Ethics & Boundaries, and...oh crap, I forget the other topic. 

Over lunch a couple of my co-workers and I decide to go down to the State Capitol to check out the rally happening over Governor Scott Walker's State Budget Repair Bill, which I mentioned yesterday.   This has been BIG NEWS in our state (Wisconsin) and has even made national news.  I'm the last person that should be educating the masses on this, but the biggest uproar over this bill is that it would limit collective bargaining rights for public employees--which basically means the end of union protection for public workers.  The bill will also require public employees (including teachers) to contribute significantly more to their pensions and their healthcare benefits which will be a major financial hit for many people I know.  (Click here for more info.)

The protests began on Monday of this week and haven't let up.  Each day the crowd grows larger and larger--we're talking thousands and thousands of people!  It's been absolutely magnificent to see on TV and I couldn't resist checking it out in person and showing support for my friends and family members who are public workers.   

Walking up to the Capitol:

See the marchers to the right?  They had to close down the streets for them.

Walking into the Capitol building (of course we had to get into the middle of the action):

Me with my co-workers Mark, Erin, and Jill:

Inside the Capitol Rotunda:

"IN SCHOOL WE CALL THIS BULLYING.  IN POLITICS, "PROGRESS"?



The bill needed 3 Republican Senators to vote against their party line to prevent it from passing.

My favorite sign of the day:  "SCREW US AND WE MULTIPLY"



Being inside the Capitol and being a part of this historic experience was absolutely electrifying.  I was so proud of my fellow Wisconsinites for coming together and working to have their voices heard.  Regardless of where you fall on this issue, you have to admit that it's SO INSPIRING to see democracy in action like this! 

The crowd inside the Capitol spent most of the time doing various chants, one of which I captured in this video:

At one point some people in the crowd started singing the National Anthem and soon the entire building joined in--thousands of people!  It was incredible.

Some pictures from outside the Capitol as we were leaving:

My coworker Erin



I wish we could have stayed longer, but we needed to get back for the afternoon portion of our staff training. 

We stopped at Cousin's Subs on our way back and I got an Italian sub on wheat with Baked Lays and a Dt. Coke.  I distinctly remember my lunch order on this day but I can't remember the afternoon training topic that I sat and listened to for four hours.  Go figure. 

My coworkers have a tradition of going out for drinks after these once a month training days (a tradition which I may or may not have started 8+ years ago).  I've declined these nights out for the past two years--first because I was pregnant, and then because I couldn't bear to miss out on any time with Kate--but I've decided that this month I'm going to try to get back in the game.  I ended up having a really great time, although up until Kate's bedtime I think I spent more time calling G to check in than I did talking to the people in front of me! 

And guess what.  Apparently the cure for the middle of the night child check is to stay up too late and drink too much.  Finally Mama sleeps through the night!

A Week in My Life: Thursday

5:30am:  My alarm goes off and I hop out of bed eager and excited for my morning workout!

Okay, you and I both know that's b.s.  I'm pissed about getting up this early but I'm doing this damn Week in my Life series for my blog so if I hit the snooze button for yet another morning it IS NOT going to look good.  

I do thirty minutes on my elliptical and curse every single one of you for at least the first five.

6:25am:  I shower, moisturize, and brush my teeth.  These are "The Big 3" that I always try to have accomplished every morning before Kate wakes up.  I like to be showered so my hair has time to air dry a bit before G takes over with Kate (at which point I blowdry it the rest of the way).  I like to moisturize to give it time to sink into my skin before I put my makeup on just prior to racing out the door (I can't prove this "sink in" theory, but in my mind it's essential).  And I like to brush my teeth because I think it's just plain rude to talk to your baby with morning breath. 

6:40am:  Kate's already awake and G got her started on her morning routine, so I take over and get Kate dressed so G can shower.  Kate and I then go downstairs for some playtime.  She is so much fun this morning!  She keeps doing this silly tripod stance where she puts her forehead to the ground while still standing, and looks back between her legs (you can see a picture of it at the end of this post).  Where does she come up with these things?! 

7:10am:  G is ready for work so he takes over with Kate and I go upstairs to finish getting ready.

7:25am:  I kiss my loved ones and I'm out the door.  G will be leaving soon to take Kate to daycare and head to his office, but I need to leave earlier than usual because I have a chiropractor appointment before work.  I've been seeing a chiropractor on and off ever since I injured my hip a few years ago when I overtrained for a half marathon. 

7:30am:  Arrive at my chiro appointment.  Snap, crackle, pop, and I'm on my way.

7:40am:  I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast this morning--or make coffee (gasp!)--so I stop at Panera Bread on my way to work and get a Breakfast Power Sandwich (their big-shot name for a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich--although I'll admit, I feel a little more powerful eating it), and a coffee. 

A Pink song comes on the radio.  I have no willpower when it comes to Pink, so I crank it up and turn into that annoying girl in the car next to you who is dancing and singing at the top her lungs at 7:45 in the morning.

8:00am:  Arrive at work.  All work, no play.

Okay, that's another lie.  I actually have a great time at work--helped, primarily, by the fact that one of my best friends (Jill) is four offices down from me. 

5pm:  Home from work and back with my family!  I feed Kate dinner (pasta in a tomato basil sauce, avocado bites, and sliced grapes), and get started on fixing dinner for me and G to eat later after Kate goes to bed.

5:30pm: Kate is done eating so G and I wash her up and take her into the living room for playtime.  She has become more confident in her walking lately and G and I sit across from each other on the living room floor and cheer as she walks between us! 

Walking to Daddy:

We don't usually have the TV on when Kate's awake, but I'm SO INTO all this political drama in our state (Wisconsin) right now with Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill.  Mostly I'm in awe of all the protesting that's currently happening at our State Capitol.  It's incredible to see so many people coming together to have their voices heard!

6:30pm:  I put Kate to bed, pour a glass of wine and then finish making dinner.  On the menu tonight is Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups--one of G's favorites.

Lay it out:

Roll it up:

Bake it up and slap some cheese sauce on it:

UPDATE:  Because I'm now seriously concerned you will all hunt me down, egg my house, and steal my wine if I don't share this recipe, here you go: 

Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups
4 chicken breasts (pounded to 1/4")
4 slices thin ham
crumbled feta cheese
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
10 T. garlic and herb (or veggie) cream cheese
1/2 c. light cream or half-n-half

Preheat oven to 350.  Place 1 ham slice on each piece of pounded chicken, top with feta cheese.  Roll chicken to enclose filling.  Fold ends under and secure with toothpicks.  Dip chicken rolls into milk, then breadcrumbs to coat.  Place rolls seam side down on greased baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Bring cream to simmer in saucepan over medium heat.  Add cream cheese; blend well.  Pour sauce over cooked chicken rolls. 

My notes:  G loves the cheese sauce topping, so I make lots of it using the whole tub of cream cheese (the smallest size) and the entire (pint?) carton of half-n-half.

7:00pm:  I put dinner in oven and clean up the kitchen. 

7:30pm:  G and I sit down and eat dinner together.  He of course praises me for my mad cooking skills and I assure him he can repay me in backrubs. 

8pm: I spend the rest of my night watching Grey's Anatomy (one of my favorite shows) with G, and drinking wine.

9pm: Bedtime.  I have a ridiculously long bedtime routine that I am religious about.  I take out my contacts, wash my face, spend 20 mintues analyzing my face and maybe plucking an eyebrow hair or two, do all sorts of moisturizing, and then I brush and floss my teeth.  Last but not least--lip balm and hand lotion before lights out.

1:30am:  I wake up and fight the urge to check on Kate.  I turn on the video monitor which sits next to me on my nightstand and can CLEARLY SEE that she is fine, yet I still feel the need to get out of my bed, go to her room, and at least reach an arm in to make sure the room is a comfortable temperature--just like I do every night, at least once, sometime between the hours of midnight and 3am.  This is ridiculous, I tell myself.  You're never going to break yourself of this habit if you don't just suck it up for one night and GO BACK TO SLEEP!  She is totally fine.  There is no need to stick your arm in her room/smell for chemicals/listen for her breathing.  GO BACK TO BED PSYCHO MOM!!!!

1:35am:  I get out of bed to check on Kate.

A Week in My Life: Wednesday

Before we dive in to a Wednesday day in my life, I want to let you know I hear you loud and clear that you'd like me to share some of my recipes for Kate's food.  I'm currently pulling them together and will be posting them soon--stay tuned!

5:30am:  Alarm goes off.  I get out of bed to workout but my ankle hurts so bad I can barely make it to the bathroom without limping.  I hurt it playing volleyball on Monday night, and I think my workout last night may have made things worse.  I decide getting on the elliptical is probably not a good idea this morning, and an extra hour of sleep sounds like a much much better one.

6:30am:  I hear that Kate’s awake, and she’s in a great mood as I get her out of the crib.  We sit in the rocking chair and read a book while she drinks milk from her sippy cup.  After I change her diaper we go downstairs for some playtime. 

7:00am:  G wakes up and comes downstairs to take over with Kate so I can go upstairs and get ready for work.  Wednesdays are usually the days Grandma Pam (G’s mom) comes to our house to watch Kate, but she’s out of town so G has arranged to work from home.  I can hear Kate fussing while I’m trying to get ready, so I go back downstairs and try to help out. 

7:30am:  Kate is still being fussy, but it’s a weird fussing, and I’m not sure what it is she’s trying to tell us she wants.  Going to the fridge seems to make her happy but when I offer her a sippy of milk from the fridge she bats it away.  I put it back, close the fridge door, and she gets even more upset.  She doesn’t usually eat breakfast for another 30-45 minutes but I think she’s trying to tell us she’s hungry so I put her in her highchair and sure enough that was it.  I get her started on breakfast (oatmeal with applesauce, banana slices, and Puffs) and then G takes over so I can finish getting ready for work. 

7:45am:  I should have been out the door 15 minutes ago, so I toss my makeup in my purse and decide to do it in the car (while stopped safely at red lights, of course).  I kiss Kate and G goodbye and I’m on my way.

8:15am:  I arrive at work and start doing work things. 

Here I am at work (note the necessary turtleneck!!):



Just one peace sign short of a Facebook profile pic.

Here’s my computer screen: 

 

It's amazing I get any work done.

And my weekly planner:



Not much scheduled for the day, but still plenty to do!

G emails me throughout the day with updates on how Kate is doing, and at snack time he sends me this picture text: 

 

So cute! 

I always have an easier time being at work on Wednesdays when I know Kate is home with Grandma Pam (or in this case, G). 

5:15pm:  Home from work!  I’m so excited to see Kate and catch up with G on how their day went.  Afterwards, G heads to the gym while I feed Kate dinner (the last of my bland chicken noodle soup, and an apple plum bar for dessert).  At the end of dinner Kate discovers her bib pocket for the first time and seems a million times more excited to eat from her bib than she was eating from her tray:

After dinner Kate and I listen to music and dance and play.

6:15pm:  It’s a bath night for Kate so we start her bedtime routine a little early.  I give her a bath, get her dressed and ready for bed, then we read a book, say our prayers, and she’s down for the night shortly after 6:30pm. 

6:40pm:  G comes home just in time for me to leave for my hair appointment (a cut and color).  I’m lucky that my stylist works late on Wednesday nights so I’m able to schedule my appointments for after Kate goes to bed—although shortly after Kate was born these late appointments led to me falling asleep while being shampooed!  The good news is I’m able to stay awake a little better these days (but just in case I drank a soda at lunch).

7pm:  I get settled into the hair chair and take this time to check my All Things G&D email account on my iPhone (something I don’t do nearly as often as I should) and one reader email in particular catches me by surprise!  Allow me to share an excerpt: 

“I am a regular reader of your blog…when I saw one of YOUR pictures on an organizing website for a Colorado based organizer (where I know you don't live). I was a little concerned.

The website is: [website address here]

Now it may be that they contacted you for permission, and if so, I'm sorry I jumped the gun.  But I hate to see someone who is a certified organizer basically taking credit for work that they didn't do.  To me, it comes off on their site like its part of their portfolio when clearly you did it yourself.”

I clicked on the website link she provided, and sure enough, there it is--a picture of MY KITCHEN on the HOMEPAGE of this professional organizer’s website! 

Here’s a screen shot: 

Crazy, right?! 

I emailed my reader back to thank her for pointing this out to me (thanks again Suzanne!), and after that I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it so I ran it past my Life Consultants (a.k.a. my hairdresser, and my Whores…er, I mean “my online friends”)—the general consensus being that I should sue their asses and send us all to Hawaii! 

Only kidding. 

We all agreed it was probably just an honest mistake, so I’ll be emailing them and asking them to remove my kitchen photo and buy me a case of wine as retribution. 

9:15pm:  I get home and get ready for bed.

9:30pm:  Head hits pillow.  Goodnight.

1:45am:  You know the drill.

A Week in My Life: Tuesday

5:30am:  My alarm goes off telling me it’s time to get out of bed and work out.  I slap the shit out of it and silently yell, Don’t you know I didn’t get to bed until almost 11pm last night?!  Damn thing. 

6:45am:  I roll out of bed and I’m not happy about it.  Greg is already up with Kate, getting her ready for the day, so I take a quick shower and then take over with Kate so G can get ready for work.  She’s extra cuddly this morning which is so nice, and she lets me cradle her in my arms like she used to when she was a little baby.  Now this is a much better start to my day!

7:30am:  G leaves with Kate to take her to daycare on his way to the office, and I race upstairs to get ready for work.   It’s only then that I remember I have THIS F-ING HICKEY ON MY NECK, so I grab an orange scarf to go with my jeans and cream sweater, and by 8am I’m off to work.

8:30am:  Arrive at work.  I work for a nonprofit organization that supports children with mental health issues, and I feel so blessed to have such an amazing job and to serve such a wonderful mission. 

Want to see my office? 

  

Of course it's plastered with pictures of Kate:

The wall-side of my desk, which contains a few work-related things, even more pictures of Kate, some graphic art made by my friend Allison, inspirational quotes, children's mental health awareness ribbons, my Starbucks mug, lotion, hand sanitizer, a heartfelt note from my co-worker Erin prior to Kate's surgery, etc.

My most recent addition to the bulletin board is this card I received from my girlfriend Kent--so cute!  (See it up there?)

I spend the day working (of course!) and getting a couple of email updates from Miss Debb on how Kate's day is going, how well she ate, napped, etc.  I live for these emails.

4:45pm:  I leave work and head home to see my baby girl and baby daddy!  

5:15pm:  I make it home before G and Kate by a few minutes which rarely happens and feels so weird.  Actually being HOME ALONE?  It used to be a frequent occurrence pre-Kate, but now feels so strange! 

G and Kate soon arrive home and I'm so excited to see them and give great big kisses and hugs to Kate (and G too of course!).  I quick get dinner ready for Kate (turkey carrot meatloaf, cheesy broccoli, and baked apples for dessert) and start feeding her.  I make as much freezer-friendly food ahead of time as I can for Kate so that I'm able to have a healthy dinner ready for her in a matter of seconds after we all get home. 

6pm:  G takes over with Kate, and I give her kisses goodnight as I head to the gym for Body Pump class (an hour-long strength training class using low weights and lots of repetition).  I'm just starting to really get back into working out, which I feel rather conflicted about because it sometimes means sacrificing my time with Kate to do it.  On the other hand it's been over a year since Kate's been born and not only am I ready to start getting my old body back, I also know how good it is for Kate and G to have some quality Daddy/Daughter time without me always hovering.  It's a balancing act, and I'll be honest--I still fall off that tightrope quite a bit.

7:30pm:  I get home from the gym and check in with G about how Kate's bedtime went (great, as always).  Then I clean up the kitchen while watching last night’s The Bachelor (I'm rooting for Emily!).

8pm:  I relax on the couch with a glass of wine and type up my Week in My Life posts to-date while watching the rest of The Bachelor.

9:15pm:  Bedtime.

2:30am:  Wake up and check on Kate.

Like my office?  Freshen yours up with a new computer desk from Computer Desks N More!

A Week in My Life: Monday

6:45am:  I wake up to the sound of Kate babbling in her crib.  I go downstairs to get her a sippy cup of milk, and we start our morning.  This is Kate’s second day without a morning bottle and she’s doing great! 

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. 

Today is Valentine's Day, and I see a gift from G waiting for me on the kitchen island--a card with a bottle of wine and a gift certificate to Starbucks.  Starbucks and wine?  Easily the fastest way to my heart.  Thanks baby!   

7:30am:  G leaves for work (I only work four days/week so Mondays are “Momdays” in our house) and I continue trying to make up for my morning mistake as Kate whines and fusses to be picked up and carried around while I attempt to make her breakfast and try futilely to get her interested in something other than me.  When she gets like this I crouch down to her level, rub her back, and say, “Mama’s here for you, but I’m not going to pick you up right now.”  I could easily pick her up and carry her around all morning, but that just sets her up for horrible days at daycare because Miss Debb (her daycare provider) doesn’t have that same luxury.  As much as I want Kate to have a good morning this morning, I want her to have good days at daycare even more.   I clutch my coffee cup and sip sweet caffeine as I once again curse how parenting is all about focusing on long-term results versus giving in to the immediate relief. 

8:00am:  Time for Kate’s breakfast.  I made her blueberry oatmeal pancakes for the first time and she loved them!  She also has some multi-grain Cheerios, banana slices, and a sippy of milk. 



What?  Do I have blueberry on my face?

I turn on Kate’s children’s radio station on Pandora while she eats and do silly dances for her when the song calls for it.  I can’t help it, some of those kids' songs are too cute not to dance to!

8:30am:  Kate is finished with her breakfast so we move into the living room for some play time.  Kate’s back to being in a great mood (I’m sure the full belly helps!) and I’m sure to not repeat my morning mistake.  I hang out with Kate and within a few minutes she decides she’s had enough of me and scoots off to her toybox to see what new treasures she can dig up.  I go to the kitchen and clean up from the morning while Kate plays happily on her own in the living room.

9:00am:  I put Kate down for her morning nap.  I could take this time to clean, or make our grocery shopping list, or put clothes away, or do one of a thousand other things I need to do, but instead I decide to take pictures of Kate’s blueberry oatmeal pancakes because I think I’ll put this recipe on my blog, and then I sit down with my second cup of coffee and get started writing this blog post.  Blogging makes me happy; I needed this little break. 

9:45am:  Kate has decided she's not going to nap this morning (she's starting to drop her morning nap but still takes it at least half of the time so we continue to offer it).  I pull her from the crib and feed her a snack of sliced grapes and Puffs.  Kate eats while I menu plan for the week and make our grocery list.  Then I toss a sippy of water and some Cheerios into my bag so I'm all set to go when it's time to run errands.

10am:  Kate's done with her snack so we go upstairs to her room.  She plays while I put her clothes away, change her crib and changing table sheets, and then I get her dressed for the day.  Kate surprises me by pitching a fit like I’ve never seen when it comes time to get her dressed!  She starts screaming, arches her back, kicks her legs, and makes it clear to me that she does not want to lay down on her changing table to get dressed.  I keep my cool and explain that “it’s time to get dressed.”  This is our first major changing table tantrum, but I’ve learned that staying even-keeled and persistent while calmly talking her through it seems to help get her back on track when she’s having big emotions.  Within a few seconds she’s over it and giving me big smiles as I pull her onesie over her head.  Little stinker. 

10:30am:  Time to run errands!  Kate and I go to SuperTarget for groceries and other odds and ends.


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:

Kate discovered toilet paper.

We laugh and I snap pictures, and then tell her that we're "all done" as I try to clean up the mess, but Little Miss Kate is not having it.  She pitches her second fit of the day as I stand there in shock watching Massive Tantrum #2.  I move her out of the bathroom and into the hallway and then say, "Okay kiddo...do what you've gotta do."  I let her kick and arch and scream on the floor as I step away and act like nothing's happening.  Within seconds she calms down and is back to her sweet self...although I'm still a little shell-shocked.

11:45am:  I feed Kate lunch—leftover (bland!) chicken noodle soup, chickpeas, and roasted pumpkin. 

It's now when I realize that I have yet to eat anything this entire day.  As I pour myself a glass of milk I notice Kate’s beloved bunny on the floor looking all sad and discarded.  I pick her up and set her on the table next to Kate’s highchair where she can see her—like I’ve done dozens of times before—and Kate goes ballistic.  I calmly explain, "You can't have Bunny while you’re eating.  Are you all done?" and do the sign for "all done" which she understands.  Kate's fit continues and it's clear that the only direction it's headed is worse, so I decide her lunch is over.  I wash her up, remove her flailing body from the highchair, and give her Bunny which finally calms her down.  She then scoots off to the living room to play, as I look at the clock and wonder if noon is an acceptable time to start doing shots of tequila. 


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. 

I think we’ve officially entered Toddlerhood.

I watch her on the video monitor to make sure she’s safe, and within seconds she’s done with her tantrum and within minutes she’s sound asleep.

MAMA NEEDS A DRINK!

In Kate’s defense, she is battling a cold right now and she’s also teething—plus she didn’t sleep during her morning nap.  These are all excuses for her behavior, but in my opinion they do not excuse the behavior.  They’re factors to consider when wondering, “What the hell is going on with my usually well-behaved little girl today?” but it doesn’t excuse the fact that throwing a fit in your highchair is not allowed and will mean that lunch is over.  Maybe that’s a hard line to take, but I think kids need limits and it’s never too early to start.  

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.

2:30pm:  I wake up from my nap (Kate’s still sleeping), scowl at the empty plate in the kitchen where cookies used to be, and play last night’s episode of Desperate Housewives.  I have no idea what I'm going to do about this cookie situation!  Now I have nothing to give G except a card that he'll think I thoughtlessly picked up at the last minute.  I'm not sure what's worse--the fact that I currently have nothing to give G on Valentine's Day, or the fact that I actually did have something to give him BUT I ATE IT!

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!


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.)

6:00pm:  I need a mom break, so I ask G to take over dinner with Kate and I curl up on the couch with my laptop, and catch up with my “online friends” on our private message board. 

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. 

10:30pm:  So happy to be home and in bed!  I curl up in my covers and hope for a great night's sleep.

1:30am:  Wake up for my nightly Kate check. 

[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.]