a day in the life - suzanne

I am so thankful that I stumbled upon Suzanne's blog.  Honestly I don't remember when or how, but I just stopped by one day early last year.  Reading Suzanne's blog was comforting and uplifting and encouraged me to open up about some rough thoughts swirling around in my head.  I hope you'll pop over to her blog and read her story.  And if nothing else I hope you enjoy a peek at her day with some adorable little girls!

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Hi! I'm Suzanne from pretty*swell, and I'm really excited to hang out here today!

My husband, Marc, and I have two girls: Lily, who will be four in a couple of weeks (yikes!) and baby Sophie, eight months old. I work three days a week as a university news editor and stay home with the girls two days. I'm blessed to have a job that allows me to spend more time with my family than I do in my office.

 

Here's one of our "stay-home-mommy-days," as Lily calls them:

7:30: Everyone sleeps in a little bit this morning! Sophie had a fever last night, so we were up often. On my days off, I wait for the girls to wake me. We enjoy not being in a hurry.

8:00: Marc whips up a quick breakfast before heading out the door (He's lost 20 pounds in the last couple of months! I'm trying to keep up!) Lily eats her usual: oatmeal with applesauce. Today she's extra hungry, so she peels a clementine. Sophie hangs out in the exersaucer watching all the action. I eat a scrambled egg on whole wheat toast with some orange wedges.

 

8:45: Baby on the move! Sophie and I play on the floor while big sister watches her morning cartoon (Today it's Olivia. I love Olivia.)

 

9:00: Bella does this ALL DAY LONG. Smart dog, that one.

 

9:45: Off to the pediatrician for the hundredth time since Sophie started daycare. Her fever worries me. She's had two ear infections in the last three months. Here we are waiting for the doctor to come in. (Her ears, lungs, nose and throat checked out fine. Just a bad cold. Whew.)

11:30 Finally home! Sophie chugs a bottle and goes down for a nap. We're lucky that Lily has gotten so good at playing by herself. Such a big girl.

12:15: I make Lily an egg sandwich for lunch. I scarf a turkey sandwich with baked chips and a Diet Coke, then log everything into My Fitness Pal (love that app).

12:30: Silly Lily. We're working on getting those knees off the table.

 

12:45: Lily helps me with a photo shoot for my Etsy shop, Posy. Such a sweet little model!

 

1:15: I hear Sophie squawking over the monitor. After some more floor-time (she's just started pulling up on furniture!), I feed her blueberries, bananas and oatmeal for lunch. I'm making most of her baby food, but this one is a Happy Baby blend. She loves it.

 

1:45: Lily builds a blanket fort while Sophie eats. Blankets everywhere.

 

2:15: We make a quick trip to the grocery store. Because I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

3:30: Home and nap attempts. Emphasis on the word "attempt." Sophie is out of sorts and Lily refuses to sleep. So I convince Lily to read in her bed and then rock the baby for a while. They both drift off for a little bit. I tiptoe to my bedroom and do a 30-minute strength training routine (where five-pound weights kick my butt).

5:30: Daddy is home! This is everyone's favorite part of the day.

 

6:15: Lily and I venture out in the rain to our favorite pizza place to pick up our order while Marc feeds Sophie and puts her to bed. Apparently, I was too busy stuffing my face to take any pictures at dinner. Pizza has that effect on me.

8:00: After a 45-step bedtime routine (seriously), Lily and I snuggle up with The Story of Ferdinand. I absolutely love this book.

 

(Photo I didn't take on purpose: Sophie's huge blow-out diaper. You're welcome.)

You survived my photobomb! Thanks for sticking with me ... I took over a hundred that day (because I'm a crazy lady with my camera).

Here are my answers to Ashley's questions:

What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?
That one tiny moment of awesome can erase an entire day of awful.

What advice would you give new or soon-to-be moms?
Trust your instincts! I've surprised myself with how often I was right (after having doubted myself unnecessarily).

What are your top three baby products?
As the mom of two very gassy babies, I have a special place in my heart for Dr. Brown's bottles and Mommy's Bliss gripe water. We also love Aden + Anais muslin blankets.

Thanks so much for having us here, Ashley! We had such fun!

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Thank you for sharing your day with us Suzanne!