a day in the life - michele

Good morning lovelies!  Not much to say this morning.  Today you get a peek at Michele's day with her two boys.  I hope you enjoy!

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Hello blogging world! I'm Michele and I blog over at Daily Dimples. I've been married to my husband, Kevin, for four years and we have two adorable little boys, Ryan (two years) and Grayson (almost three months). Back in the day (pre-kids) I worked as a media planner at a digital advertising agency but when I had Ryan I traded in my nine-to-five for this crazy 24/7 gig and I wouldn't have it any other way! Join me as I take you through a pretty typical Thursday.

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6:09am - Good morning world! Since I have a sweet little two and a half month old I have actually been up most of the morning...starting at 1:30 (for about 30 min) and then again at 3am (for about 2 hrs). Anyhow, G is up again so I nurse him for 26 minutes and he falls right back asleep - yay! I drop him back in his crib and head to the shower. I should probably admit that most days I try to go back to sleep but since we have a busy morning ahead (and I didn't get a chance to shower yesterday) I steal one now.

7:01am - Head downstairs to pump. I pump every morning so that I can give Grayson a bottle before his bedtime. Plus I hope to get a night out away from the kiddos soon! Anyhow, I make my coffee, turn the Today Show on, grab my computer and start pumping.

7:30am - Husband is up and showered, he heads downstairs with Bob (our seven year old chihuahua) who is ready to go outside. Shortly after they come downstairs we hear Grayson crying - Kevin grabs him while I quickly finish getting ready.  Once I am done I nurse Grayson from 8:10 - 8:32am

8:30am -  Ryan is finally up - he is a good sleeper but this is a little later than normal. Kevin brings him down then heads out for work. Ryan tells me he wants toast and eggs and since that is what I am making for myself, I add some for him. He eats a couple bites and then decides he would rather have a blueberry mish mash...this doesn't surprise me.  While he is finishing up and Grayson is hanging out in the living room, I run upstairs to get their clothes. I quickly change both their diapers and dress them. I pack up milk, juice, snacks and both of the boys then we are off to the Zoo for Ryan's Cub Club.

Off to the zoo! (It only takes us about 10 minutes to get there which is nice.)

9:20am - Today is penguin day! We start in the classroom with singing, reading a book, a hands on activity and then they bring in a penguin for the kiddos to see up close. The craft today is to make a penguin snow globe - they give us all the materials to do at home.  After the class portion we head to the zoo for the tour of the penguin area. The kiddos have fun watching all the penguins swim around and eat.

Once we are done with the penguins we are free to roam the zoo but today we have somewhere to be so we make our way back to the entrance. Of course we can't leave without riding the carousel! Ryan LOVES riding the horse...every week...what a cowboy!

We are back in the car by 10:45 and head to his Aunt Sarah's house. Ryan is going to hang out with his cousin Audrey while I run over to a friends house for a quick tour. (They just built their house and I want to check out their finishings since we are in the process of building a house.)  I bring Grayson with me and nurse him while I tour their house. (It's amazing how different I am with nursing in public/on-the-go with my second child...no shame.)

12pm - pick Ryan up and head home. He hasn't eaten lunch and keeps telling me that he only wants milk. I make him a ham  & cheese tortilla wrap with hummus and fruit. While he sits at his table I nurse Grayson (the other side). Ryan only eats a little bit of hummus...just one of those days when he isn't that hungry.  Around 12:30 Grayson is done eating so I set him in the swing and take Ryan upstairs for his nap. At this point we realize that we left his beloved Mickey Mouse at his cousins house.  Luckily he is reasonable and is content with his donkey - I explain that we can pick Mickey up after his nap.  He lays down and I leave the room. I hear him playing for a little bit but then he falls asleep.

I head back downstairs and clean the kitchen and living room while Grayson swings. He starts to cry so I grab him and nurse him, then we play for a little bit before he starts looking ready for a nap. Around 1:45 he goes down and I head back to my computer even though I really need to do some laundry, figure out what we will have for dinner...and maybe even catch up on rest.

2:30pm - I hear Ryan playing in his crib and am a little surprised because he usually naps much longer. Grayson is still sleeping so I head upstairs to grab Ryan. We decide to play upstairs in the playroom - Ryan and I play but I also work on folding a ridiculous amount of laundry.

3:30pm - Ryan and I head downstairs for a little snack. We each have a chocolate chip cookie and I have some coffee - I usually never drink coffee midday but I am dragging. Grayson is still sleeping so I wake him up to feed him. He doesn't fully wake up but he eats so hopefully he will be happy since we are about to leave.

4:00pm - We head to the park for our weekly playgroup. Usually it is at someone's house but since the weather has gotten a little cooler we decided it would be nice to do a park. I carry Grayson in the Baby Bjorn and he basically sleeps the entire time we are there.

5:00pm - Head back home...Grayson is awake and he is HUNGRY! We have to stop by my sister-in-law's on the way home to pick Mickey up. It's on the way home so it's no big deal. 

We get home and I get dinner started. I haven't been that good about planning meals but I had defrosted some pork loin earlier so I throw some ranch seasoning on it and pop it in the oven. I also throw some cubed butternut squash in the oven to roast - I am currently obsessed with butternut squash. I actually have to do this with one hand because Grayson was seriously hungry and wanted to eat. Love nursing while prepping dinner...thankfully it was super easy.  I set the timer and we head upstairs to the play room for a little bit.

6:15pm - Daddy gets home! He changes from his work clothes then comes in and plays with the boys while I run downstairs to whip up a salad and get dinner plated. It's ready at 6:30 and the boys come downstairs. Ryan sits at his little table and messes around with his plate but doesn't eat anything. We lay Grayson in his Rock n' Play right next to the table while Kevin and I attempt to have a conversation. As you can imagine there are a lot of interruptions but we are use to it...

7:00pm - After dinner I nurse little G for the last time while Kevin and Ryan play on the floor in the living room.  Ryan loves imitating everything that Kevin does - I think it's so darn cute.

Downward dog is Ryan's specialty.

7:30pm - We all make the trek upstairs for bathtime. Bath time has always been part of Ryan's nightly routine and it seems to work well for us. Both boys are getting a bath tonight - Kevin gives Ryan a bath in the big tub and I wash Grayson in the sink. He almost doesn't fit anymore - what a chunk!

After bath time, Kevin and Ryan read some books then they brush Ryan's teeth before he brings him by to say goodnight. You can tell he is ready for bed in the picture below - the hair twirling is a dead giveaway. I get little G ready for bed and give him a bottle of breast milk (4oz).

8:15pm - Ryan is in bed and Grayson has finished his bottle. Kevin comes for Grayson, swaddles him and gets him down in his crib while I head downstairs and clean up the kitchen and living room. Kevin comes downstairs and helps with any remaining cleaning. We chat for a little bit  - we use to sit on the couch together and watch tv but these days I am just so tired that I head to bed. I look forward to the days when Grayson sleeps through the night so that Kevin and I can spend more quality time together!

9:00pm - Goodnight! I very rarely am up past 9pm these days. Kevin usually ends up working from home until about midnight then heads to bed. I try not to bother him at night with Grayson (emphasis on try) and only request his help on the weekends!

Thanks for following us through one of our days!

And now for Ashley's questions...
What is the most surprising thing to you as a mom?
How much better life becomes when you have kids. I'm not saying life wasn't great before, it's just one of those things that you don't even know you were missing, but now that you have it you would never trade back. It's amazing how your child's smile brightens your day and every tiny little thing they do amazes you. I never could have imagined feeling this way before. Everything is more exciting...especially holidays.  It's exhausting but so worth it. 

What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mammas?
Find mommy friends in your area and get out! A great place to meet other mommies is baby gym classes or music classes - even if you think your child is too young I promise you there are benefits for them but more importantly for YOU! A lot of churches have groups for first time moms/parents and some neighborhoods even have mommy groups you can join. With Ryan I didn't really have any close friends that had a baby around the same time but I joined a group through church and it was so great having other mommies to talk with. I think it's so important to have friends with babies in the same stage as you. Although your babies can't really play at such a young age it is so nice to get out and talk with other mommies that are going through the exact same thing you are.

What are your top three baby products?
1. Newborn Rock n' Play sleeper - This thing is great because it cradles the baby (also keeping them slightly upright for tummy relief) and is super mobile.  Grayson has spent many hours sleeping in this and now we have it downstairs for him to nap in. 
2. Baby Bjorn - I couldn't live without this! We use this all the time, both myself and my husband!
3. Swaddle Me Wraps - I love the thin swaddle blankets but at night I need something that will keep Grayson swaddled. The velcro is a must! I had Ryan in these until he was six months!

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Thanks Michele for sharing your day with us!