July 23, 2013

a day in the life - claire

Apparently it's Tuesday.  I thought it was Wednesday.  You can have this post anyway...

Hello lovelies!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday Tuesday.  Fingers crossed that Miss Elsie naps more than 30 minutes at a time today.  The good news?  She has slept in her crib two whole nights with out too much trauma.  More on that tomorrow.  Today you get a peek at Claire's day.  Enjoy!

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Hello, Domestic Wannabe readers! My name is Claire and I blog over at Chaotically Speaking. I have a three year old daughter named Avery and a four month old son named Patrick. I stay at home and my husband, Bruce, is in law enforcement and is finishing up his last year in the USMC Reserves. I blog mostly about our lives and whatever is on my mind at the time. I hope you enjoy a peak into our day!

2:30 am: Bruce gets home and wakes up the baby while he gets out of his uniform (there is a TON of Velcro on it). I  change and nurse Patrick and he goes back to sleep. I stay up for about half an hour to talk to the husband about our day and hear any crazy stories he has. I'm back asleep by 3.

7:00 am: Patrick is ready to eat again so I nurse him and he ends up drifting back to sleep so I try to rest a bit more. By 7:45, I'm up. I kept thinking about the things I need to get done, so I go ahead and hop in the shower.

8:00 am: I hear Avery get up. I go say good morning and ask her what she wants for breakfast. At this point, the little guy has awoken and is ready for another diaper change. Avery takes herself to the bathroom while I take care of her brother and then waits for me to turn on a movie while I cook. Today, she's watching Sophia the First. Patrick is in his bouncer in the kitchen.


8:30 am: Breakfast time! This morning, we're having tiny pancakes, sausages, and grapes. After breakfast, we head downstairs to the family room so we don't wake Daddy. I try to convince Avery to practice writing. She wants to write E's and O's for a bit then she writes her name asks if she can draw pictures.



11:00 am: Patrick starts to get fussy so I nurse him and get him ready for his morning nap. We're trying to break the swaddle habit and nap times/bedtimes are awful. Avery starts playing with some of her toys and I head up to Patrick's room to put him in his crib. Every time I try to put him down, he wakes up. Eventually, he's in his crib. Five minutes later, he's up again. About half an hour later, he's actually down for the nap.

12:00 pm: It's time to get Bruce up for the day. I decide to take Avery to the pool and let Bruce watch the babe for about 45 minutes.


1:00 pm: Avery and I are back from the pool. She spends some time with her daddy while I fix us all a quick lunch. Today, we're just having some Trader Joe's Tomato and Fire Roasted Red Pepper soup and sandwiches. Avery opts for just soup. Right as I sit down to eat, Patrick is up and demanding some food. After a quick diaper change, he eats and is happy.


2:00 pm: Bruce puts Patrick on his playmat for some tummy time and puts together some Legos with Avery. Meanwhile, I gather up some things he needs for his upcoming military training and throw them in the washer. After that, I tidy up the kitchen and load the dishwasher.

3:00 pm: Bruce has to start getting ready for work. Then my father in law sends me a text asking if he can take us out for ice cream. I check the time and give the ok since the kids and I are heading to Florida in a few days. Patrick is ready for a nap again. I'm hoping he'll pass out and then sleep in the car.

3:30 pm: Father in law pulls in our driveway. The kids and I load up and we head to a yummy frozen custard place. It's hot outside but we sit on benches in the shade and let Avery run around.



3:58 pm: We're home just in time to get Avery ready for dance class. Bruce is in his work vehicle about to start his shift.

4:30 pm: Avery has her last dance class of the summer. Patrick is snoozing in the Moby wrap.


5:15 pm: We're home from dance. I nurse Patrick and decide we are eating leftovers for dinner. We're having vegetarian lasagna.

6:35 pm: Bath time! Avery asks if Patrick can take a bath with her so I put his bathing seat in. Baby boy loves baths and has a big smile on his face.


7:00 pm: Avery is ready to be washed off. Patrick has already been washed and dressed. He's chilling in his bouncy seat but letting me know he's ready for bedtime too.

7:10 pm: Avery is in her pajamas and has brushed her teeth. I get her ice water and her stuffed Nala toy that she sleeps with and we choose a book to read. Patrick is in Avery's bed with us and is getting crankier.


7:30 pm: Avery is tucked in for the night. Patrick is ready to nurse again and go to sleep. I feed him and we do our sleep struggle for another 45 minutes before he is down for the next few hours.

8:20 pm: I move Bruce's clothes to the dryer and start the dishwasher. Then I get out my suitcase and start packing for Florida. Once that's done, I get ready for bed and turn on Netflix. I'm currently watching Desperate Housewives and am almost done with the show. I plan on watching until Patrick wakes up for his last feeding of the day.

10:30 pm: Patrick is ready to eat so I change his diaper and feed him. After that, I'm done for the day and it's lights out.

What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?
From a standpoint of going from a mom of one to a mom of two, I would say how much easier it is the second time around. With Avery, I was so scared of doing things wrong, but I wasn't nearly so stressed after having Patrick.

What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?
Be open to changing the perspective you had before the kiddo(s) came. It's easy to say, "I'll never do such and such with my kid," but with kids, you can't always plan what will work best for them.

What are your top 3 baby products?
1. The Moby wrap. It is a lifesaver with a baby and toddler.

2. The Baby Trend Sit and Stand Double Stroller. Since wearing Patrick all the time is not something that makes my back happy, I needed a double stroller that was lightweight and fit in my small car. This works out perfectly. The frame is a snap and go so it isn't heavy and works with most car seats.

3. Baby Einstein Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym. Patrick adores this thing whether he's on his back or doing some tummy time. There's so much to keep him entertained.

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Thank you for sharing your day with us Claire!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Haha its Tuesday :)