a day in the life - frannie

Hey.

Survival mode.

Thank God for my mother.

And for guest posters...  Enjoy a day in the life of Frannie!

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Hi everyone! My name is Frannie! I am a first time mom to a beautiful ten month old daughter named Claudia, a wife to an amazing husband/father named Kevin, and an English teacher to 79 CRAZY middle schoolers. Whenever I get a free moment, I blog about life as a new mom and all the crazy fun antics that go along with having a new baby!

Here is an insight to a typical day in the life of a Uitto (pronounced We-Tow).

5:30 am- My alarm goes off. I immediately hit snooze. This 5:30 alarm really is pointless because I have never actually gotten up at 5:30. I love to stay up late and hate waking up to an alarm. You can imagine how miserable my mornings are. I literally go through this battle every.single.day and silently curse myself for staying up too late. But, I never learn.

6:00 am- Drag myself out of bed and head to the shower. My husband has been up since 5:45 and is walking our dog, Lady. Claudia usually doesn't wake up until 6:45, but this morning she woke up at 6:20. She has a really bad cough and a super runny nose, so I am sure this has something to do with it.

6:20 am- Get Claudia changed and dressed for daycare. My husband comes back home and takes over for a little bit while I finish getting ready. Normally, I am done getting ready by the time she wakes up, but today we had to improvise since she woke up early. See, if I actually got up at 5:30 I would be on top of everything, but usually I am playing catch up because that extra 30 minutes of sleep to me is like winning the lottery every day.

7:00am- Out the door and on my way to daycare. Daycare is only a few minutes away from home, so I usually get Claudia settled and play with her a little bit before I hit the road. My school is a 25 minute commute, so I have to be on the road by 7:30 at the latest.

7:55am- Get to work and begin my crazy day! We are reading "Flowers for Algernon" and today we are watching clips from the movie and comparing the movie to the book.

1:45pm- I am on planning period until the end of the day. Today I had piles and piles of grading to do. I love English, but I sure do despise grading essays!

3:30pm- Leave school to go pick up Claudia from daycare. On the way my awesome husband calls and asks if I want to go catch a quick happy hour. He has had a tough week at work and wanted to celebrate that the work week was almost over. He didn't have to ask me twice! Wings and beer? Yes, please!

5:30 pm- On the way home, Claudia fell asleep in the car. She started to get fussy at the restaurant, so I wasn't surprised to see that she fell asleep, especially since she didn't nap that well at daycare today.

6:10pm- She's up and ready to EAT! One thing I love about Claudia is her appetite! She can put away some food! And is so animated whenever she eats. She kicks her legs with excitement and is constantly saying "mmmmm" to things she particularly likes. We are introducing table foods this month and for the most part it is going really well. She still eats mostly baby food, though. Tonight she had pureed green beans, pureed peaches, little pieces of cheese and little pieces of chicken.

7:15 pm- After she finished eating we played and danced in the living room until time for her bath. She loves bath time and daddy is a pro at making bath time extra fun. He is on bath duty tonight and while he bathes, I clean up the kitchen, wash bottles and make her bedtime bottle.

7:45pm- We usually put her to bed around 7:30, but I think with that little nap this afternoon everything got pushed back. After getting her all snug in fresh pjs, I turn on her nightlight, cut on the sound machine and the humidifier and plop down in her rocker to feed her and rock her to sleep. It is, hands down, the best part of my day. It is so calm and quiet and just watching her fall sleep is so peaceful and comforting. I lay her down in her crib and head downstairs to start on the nightly chores. Normally, we won't hear from her again until the next morning. She is a good sleeper (knock on wood), but since she is sick I am guessing she will get up a couple of times in the night.

8:15- Time for laundry, a little ironing, and grading essays! Boo!!

10:30- Head to bed. Normally, I get in bed and read. I love to read and it is the only time in my day I have to read, so I usually read a few chapters and then go to bed. However, lately my attention has been elsewhere. I turned 29 last month and my husband bought me the entire series of Dawson's Creek. A typical gift for a 29 year old, right? I probably have lost all credibility even admitting that, but I was mildly obsessed with this show in high school and have not seen it since. The passion and love for this show is still there!! I have caught myself watching 2-3 episodes instead of sleeping like I should be. It is sad to have to admit the reason I can't get up at 5:30 am is because I am addicted to watching a show that involves bad acting and predictable outcomes. But I freaking love it!

So there you have it---a typical day of a working mom to a ten month old baby!

What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?
The most surprising thing about being a mom is realizing how much more meaningful your life becomes the instant you become a mom. I can't imagine life without Claudia and I think about how much I was missing out on in life before she was here. I now understand the meaning of selfless love and I seriously smile at just the simple thought of her. Motherhood is amazing and has made me a better person and allowed me to love in ways I never thought possible. It is an incredible feeling!

 What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?
 My advice would be to be prepared for anything and trust your instincts. Have confidence in yourself that you are making the right decisions for your child. And, to not be afraid to ask for help. Having a new baby is tough work and there is no shame in admitting you need some help!

What are your top three baby products?
1) The Wubbanub--it's a pacifier with an animal attached to it. I know it sounds crazy, and I thought it was too, but trust me, it's the best invention out there! Unless of course you don't use pacis, but if you do you must buy it right now!

2) Homedics Sound Machine--it's the best one out there! New babies feel uneasy in silence, but it seems like a sin to make noise around them while they sleep. A family friend recommended this one and I love the sounds. It has a heartbeat sound, a white noise sound, a beach sound (what we use), a rain sound and a nature/rain forest sound. We have used it every night since she was two weeks old.

3) Orbit Bottle Labels from Inchbug- If you have a baby in daycare this is a MUST. You can say goodbye to tape and sharpies, because now you will have a label that can withstand anything. AND it's cute, too! We have it in pink with her name on it.

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Thank you for sharing your day with us Frannie!