Our Days Lately

While I was in graduate school with a newborn baby and teaching full time it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept of being a stay at home mom. I remember talking to David as the semester was coming to an end and expressing how nervous I was to have so much free time. Of course I was excited, but I really had no idea what my days would look like and it made me uncomfortable. I am very much a routine person - I like to know what to expect from a day and I also like to feel productive. Motherhood has made me change in a lot of ways, and some of the most significant adjustments have been my definition of productive and what kind of goals I set for each day. Now that we have settled into somewhat of a schedule here I thought I would share what my stay-at-home-mom days look like.

*Also note that I am giving the times based on a typical day... Lydia doesn't wake up at the same time every morning, but she definitely has a routine. So the time intervals day to day stay the same but the actual hour doesn't. I hope that makes sense.*

7:45 - David wakes me up and I get out of bed and rush to pump before I leak everywhere or fall over in pain. It really isn't that bad... but ever since Lydia has started sleeping more at night pumping is definitely my top priority when I get out of bed. I make myself a cup of coffee and David and I get to hang out and chat a little bit.

8 - Lydia wakes up. David usually goes in and changes her diaper but keeps her in her pjs. He brings her out to the living room where she eats and the three of us hang out. David leaves for his Bar course at 8:30. Once David leaves I sit Lydia on the floor in her nursery to play with blocks while I eat breakfast, brush my teeth and get out of my pajamas. If she is fussy I put her in the moby while I fix our bed and maybe get a load of laundry started.

9:15 - I swaddle Lydia's legs and rock her with a pacifier to put her to sleep for her first nap. She is in her swing snoozing by 9:30.

I have some time to myself now. Usually during this time I will do a workout routine on You Tube and get cleaned up as well as wash dishes/do laundry/clean... whatever needs to be done. I might also eat a snack of some kind and read emails.

11:00 - Lydia wakes up. I change her diaper, get her dressed and feed her. If we are staying home that day this is the time when I put Lydia in the jogging stroller and take Rooney for a bit of a walk. If we are planning on going somewhere (the pool, my parents', a park) we will leave pretty soon after her first nap. This is when she is in the best mood!

12:30 - Usually David gets home around this time and we all eat lunch together.

1 - Lydia goes down for her second nap. If we are out and about this nap may not happen until 2 or so when she is really tired. It really just depends! If we are home then during this time I take care of any phone calls that I need to make and also do more house work.

2:30 - Lydia is awake again so I change her diaper and she eats. This is the time of day when I start to get antsy if we are at home, so we may go to the grocery store, swing outside in the back yard or go on another walk. Lydia also plays really well during this time so we play together - with blocks, reading books and singing songs.

4:30 - Lydia goes down for her third nap, usually with some resistance this time. If we have spent the day somewhere this is usually the time that we head home. Once she is sleeping I start to cook something for dinner or finish up any chores that I started during the day.

5:30 - David is finished working and Lydia is awake. We all eat dinner together and then hang out as a family!

7 - I warm up a bottle of milk and David gets Lydia's bath started. He gives her a bath (this is their one on one time together) while I sit down for a minute and read. David puts lotion on her and gets her in her pjs, then feeds her the bottle. After her bottle one of us puts her to bed (usually it is me, but David did it last night with a pacifier and it went well!)

8 - Lydia is sleeping and David and I get to hang out alone. We sit out on the deck and talk, watch some TV or read together. I love having time with him consistently.

10:30 - David and I are in bed and I am prepared to get up with Lydia twice during the night, usually around 1 and 5.

In general I try to spend 2 days fully at home each week. This way I am sure to stay on top of laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. One day a week I watch my brother and we usually hang out at my parents' house, and another day a week I go to the pool with my mom, brother, cousins and grandma. I try to leave one day open to whatever - seeing extended family or friends, or anything else that I want to do. David and I usually eat dinner with my parents once during the week, his mom once, his dad's side once and then just the 3 of us twice. The weekends are just random, busy and exciting. Each day I really try to read a little, write a little, work out, and spend 3 good hours (at separate times) playing with/teaching Lydia. When she is awake I want her to play independently half of the time and then give her attention for the other half. I think that both dynamics are really important for her to get used to!

Some days I definitely feel kind of bored, but I know that I am just beginning to really get into a routine. Teaching aerobics helps me to get out of the house by myself a couple nights a week and that is really nice. It also motivates me to stay in shape throughout the week! It is also awesome to be surrounded by a community of family because I never really feel lonely which I have heard can be a downside to staying at home full time.

I truly love my days lately! I am not sure what they will look like come fall, but for now I am enjoying the freedom and the laid back pace.

What do your days look like if you are a mom? What kind of goals do you set for yourself? If you are going to be a mommy soon do you have any fears about how your daily life will change? I would love to hear about them!