a day in the life - brittany

Holy snowy Wednesday.  Today my life is going to be spent completely indoors.  But lucky you, you don't have to hear about all that boringness.  Instead, enjoy a day in the life of Brittany!

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Hi there! I'm Brittany from emeraldcityingrams. My husband Daniel and I lived in Seattle up until this last summer when we moved to southern California to have our first baby and be closer to family. Our daughter, Ellison, is 3 months old. Here is a little glimpse at a day in our life...

6:20am - Ellie wakes up. We change her, she eats, and we go back to sleep for a bit.

7:00 - Daniel makes the coffee every morning.  As long as we don't oversleep, we try to sit together for a few minutes, chat about our week, or  work on our current Crown Financial study. He eats breakfast while I make his lunch. Daniel heads off to work.

8:20-  Ellie wakes up so I feed her, change her, try to put her back to sleep. She doesn't want to sleep so while she plays on her playmat I have my second cup of coffee, eat a bowl of cereal, check e-mails, and write some e-mails for my art blog.

9:00 - Ellie is ready to sleep again. I change her and we snuggle. She's out within a few minutes.

9:15 - I work on laundry, tidy the kitchen, call my mom and blog a little bit.

10:00 - Ellie wakes up ready to eat. Change, burp, hang out a bit. I start to get ready but she just wants to be held, so it takes an hour to finish getting ready.

11:20 - 3:00 - Every day is different...we go out to lunch with our friends, run errands or hang out at home. I get stuff done or try to nap while she does.

3:15 - She hangs out in her swing while I throw dinner together.

3:30 - My mom and friend stops by for an afternoon cup of coffee. Ellie takes a nap.

5:10 - Daniel is home from work. I finish up dinner stuff - tonight its turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans  - and feed Ellie again.

5:40 - We eat dinner with Ellie on the playmat. When she fusses, Daniel takes her "on a walk" around the family room and entertains her on the playmat.

6:20 - We get ready for "boogers and bath." We try to keep a bedtime somewhat consistent. Suction her boogers, soothe her, bath, jammies, time to eat again. We snuggle, sing songs like the ABCs, Jesus Loves Me and Over the Rainbow... She just wants to be held tonight! I'm tired but really try to treasure our snuggle time because I know it won't last forever!

8:20 -  I finally get a shower. It's my 15 minutes of alone time a day and I treasure it! Some nights it's shorter, some nights it's longer. Surprisingly, it's really all the time I need to feel refreshed and ready to be back with my sweet little family.

9:00ish - Change, feed, rock Ellie to sleep.

9:30 - We have some down time reading or watching TV or movies in bed before finally going to sleep by 11ish. We always say "Goodnight. Love you. See you soon..." mostly because we aren't sure what time Ellie will wake up! It could be at 2am or it could be at 7am! It's best to not expect a full night sleep.

1. What's the most surprising thing about being a mom? 

• Before Ellie came, I was afraid I wouldn't love her as much as I love my niece and nephews - but it's SO different with my own child... I had no idea how much I could love this sweet little thing.  I think I'm also surprised at how emotional I've been as a mom. When she cries, I cry. When she smiles, I am ELATED. It's a crazy swing of emotions being a new mommy!

2. What are some tips you would give to new moms, or soon to be mamas? 

• Accept help! If ever there is a time when it's allowed, it's now. I can't express how wonderful it is when someone brings a meal or asks if they can watch the baby while I nap. 
• Remember that everything takes longer with a baby now and that some of those things that were so important before you became a mommy really shouldn't be as important now. Give yourself some grace if the laundry sits there for longer than usual, if the floors don't get mopped or your house isn't perfect... your baby will grow and change so fast, so enjoy them now (I'm telling myself these things as well). 

3. What are your top 3 baby products? 

• The sling for sure (she sleeps anywhere as long as we have it)
• Our exercise ball (it's super helpful to calm a fussy baby)
• Our pediatrician's Dr. Carey's Baby Care kit, which includes helpful tools and a book with so many helpful hints! I've referenced it on more than one occasion when I wasn't sure what to do.

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Thank you Brittany, for letting us peak at your day!