I've got nothing interesting to say so I'll just let you get on with a day in the life of Jessi!
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Hello everyone! I'm Jessi and I'm so excited to be a part of Ashley's "Day in the Life" series. I love reading all about other people's routines/lives (in a non-stalkerish way of course) and hope I can provide some good leisure reading for you all. I blog over at "Minnesota Mrs" about everything from my obnoxious dog, my offspring, and updates to our home. Pretty well-rounded huh?
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| sorry for the low-light pic. iPhone in the AM isn't the best! |
6:30 am rolls around and I hear Mr. Chatterbox talking away at himself in his nursery.
Mornings are my FAVORITE. I've had a great experience so far with breastfeeding and I love the uninterrupted morning snuggles I get to squeeze in. I nurse him for about 20 minutes and after a quick diaper change he comes into the bathroom with me to get ready.
Oh yeah. Did I forget about our #1 son? That 80 lb beast is Bo, and he is the ever-protective older brother to our actual human spawn. He makes me bat-shit crazy sometimes but all in all I wouldn't trade him for anything. For the next 30 minutes my husband and I tiptoe around both "children" in the master bathroom - chatting about our day and catching up. He's off to Milwaukee for a work trip today so I'm going to hold down the fort for everyone.
At 7:30 I head downstairs with Chaser and find my lovely mother-in-law downstairs in our kitchen. Don't worry. This is completely normal. She is Chase's "granny-nanny" and has been watching him since I returned to work full-time a few weeks ago. I cannot tell you what a god-send it's been. I don't have to pack him up to leave in the morning....she makes my coffee....I'm very lucky.
After a couple of minutes of chatting I head off to work for the day. I work full-time as a Human Resources Manager for a large healthcare organization. I have a large team that reports to me and the transition back to work has actually been pretty smooth. They say they missed me while I was out (although what else would you say to the person who writes your reviews....) and I've jumped right back into the swing of things.
I get to work just after 8am and spend the entire day in content development sessions for our new internal website. I'm responsible for the majority of the HR content and I get to talk with folks from Marketing and Communications to help improve the site functionality. Sounds like a bunch of corporate jargon but the day is pretty interesting.
The morning flies by and I almost forget that I have to pump. (Not sure that's possible considering my boobs have quadrupled in size since this morning!) I head down to the "Lactation Lounge" around 10AM and check out for 20 minutes while reading "Dark Places" on my phone. (Holy cow by the way - freaky book) One of the major perks of working in healthcare is that our employee health team gives each team member a complimentary set of pump parts to use in these lounges.
Each room has a hospital grade pump inside along with a fridge/sink/etc. It has made a HUGE difference in my being able to continue breastfeeding successfully while returning to work.
Lunch rolls around and I heat up my meal for the day at noon. Leftover chicken, rice, and veggies are on deck. I'm doing the 24 day Advocare Challenge and have been eating "clean" now for 9 days. I miss the caffeine, but otherwise am loving how I'm feeling on it. Hope to cut the last 10 lbs of baby weight that have taken up permanent residency with me.
The rest of the afternoon is spent working on more content and brainstorming. One more glorious pumping session at 1:30pm along with my favorite snack (apple slices and PB) but otherwise I try to stay focused so that I can get out the door on time. The days I don't have tons of meetings are rare and leaving even 15 minutes earlier than usual can make a huge difference in my commute.
At 4 o'clock I'm ready to head out. I've been in the same room, with the same people now for 8 hours and my brain is fried. I really need to pump again, but rather than stay here for another 20 minutes I decide I'm going to be adventurous and road-pump (ie - drive while being milked like a holstein.) Thank god for the hands free bras.
I pull into the driveway at 4:30 and catch up with my mother-in-law. She's just put the little guy down for another nap, and she tells me all about his day. He's starting to show some signs of teething and she says he was a little more tired/fussy than usual today. I go up to check on him and he is out like a light.
I decide I may have a good 30 minutes of napping ahead of me and attempt to get a quick run in downstairs on the treadmill. I'm training for a 10 mile run this Sunday and need to put in just a few miles this week to prepare. I'm paranoid that I wont' hear him wake up from the basement, so I run a mile....then run up the 2 flights of stairs to check on him before starting the next mile.
After I've logged 3 miles I pop upstairs for the last time and hear him starting to stir. Perfect timing. After a quick nursing session and diaper change we head downstairs for dinner. I stick him in my carrier so that I can still nibble on his cheeks while I'm prepping things.
It's around 6pm now and since my better-half is out of town I take advantage of the opportunity to make some salmon (he's not a fan). I find this recipe on pinterest and am shocked that I actually have all the ingredients. Throw some asparagus and rice on the side and I have a pretty good set-up. Being a single lady tonight I set up on the island and finish writing this post up while the little-one is starting to wind down in the carrier.
At 7pm I look down and realize the little nugget is totally passed out. This could be really good, or it may mean he is up all hours of the night tonight. Either way the kid looks exhausted so I'm going to let it ride.
I spend the next 20 minutes washing bottles/pump parts and packing my lunch up for tomorrow.
I've realized that anything that doesn't happen the night before probably won't happen in the morning so it's necessary for me to get my butt out the door on time.
7:45 and poppa comes in the door. The baby wakes up to see him and we spend the next 15 minutes catching up and cuddling with Chaser. At 8 I head up to nurse for the last time and by 8:30 he's down to bed in his crib. I head to bed to read this weeks People magazine and am out by 9pm. Excited to do it all again tomorrow!
For the last piece I'll answer a few of Ashley's questions:
What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?
You really WILL know what to do. I didn't read a single book or really prepare for motherhood at all. I found that it actually relaxed me a bit and allowed me to go with the flow a bit more. I listen respectfully to those who give advice but honestly I tune most of it out. You will figure it out all on your own and will develop your own little routine for your family. And it will be perfect because it is yours.
What advice would you give new or soon to be mommas?
Remember that without your spouse/partner you wouldn't have this little miracle in your life. Laugh together and support one another or you will never make it out alive :) Seriously though - I lean on my husband WAY more than I ever thought possible since having a child, and it would be really easy to get snippy or short with him. It's hard for dads the first few weeks (especially if you are nursing) because sometimes you are literally the only thing your child needs. Find other ways for him to be involved. Even if you would do something differently - unless it will cause serious harm to your child just let him roll with it. (Example - my husband ALWAYS gives Chase a side part combover when he brushes his hair. I think he looks like an old man but instead of fixing it/nagging him I laugh and let it go. I'm thankful he's doing the bath-time routine alongside me!) We tag-team almost everything from bath time to household chores and it's the only way I stay sane. Make one another a priority; even if it means just 30 minutes a day without distraction.
What are your top 3 baby products?
I actually did a post about my top newborn products a few weeks ago, but things might've changed a little bit since then.
- Baby-connect App: this thing is amazing. My husband and I (along with my mother in law now) enter in feedings and sleeping throughout the day. It's on our phones so it's super easy to do, and early on it was really helpful in starting to understand his patterns. I realized he was falling asleep at the same time each day, hungry around the same time, etc. I'm a visual learner so seeing it all charted out really appealed to the geek in me.
- Medela Pump in Style Breastpump: I think this is a must for any mom returning to work. I use it everyday and am thankful it's allowed me to keep the milk-train a flowing.
- Graco Swing/Bouncer combo: I love this thing. It's a swing but also detaches to be a bouncer. It also plugs in so it doesn't suck the life out of batteries.
Thanks for letting me share my day!
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Thank you for sharing with us Jessi!
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