a day in the life... two years old

These might be my least favorite posts to write.  And probably the most boring for others to read (so feel free to totally skip this one.)  They are, however, one of my favorites to look back on.  I wrote a couple of these in the early months with Arlo (four months here and nine months here) and recently went back and reread them.  It's crazy how much our day-to-day routine has changed between when he was a newborn, to a few months old, to a year, to two years.  I have started (and trashed) two or three of these posts in the last year or so.  I could never keep track of all the details in an entire day, and grew frustrated with trying to document everything.  I now realize that's not exactly what I care to look back on, it's more of an overall, "this is how life looks right now" that I like to remember.   I have been thinking more and more about how our lives (and normal routine) are going to change this summer when the new baby arrives.  I wish I had written about our daily life when Arlo was a year or 18 months, so I am making myself do this now.  Arlo is currently two years plus a few months, and this is a typical day for us.  (Right now I am still working two days a week and on those days Arlo is with a babysitter, so this is a schedule of our days off together during the week.) 

6:00-6:30am:  wake up.  Arlo is now in his new room and big boy bed (more on that in a another post!) so he will climb out of bed and come into our room once he is awake.  He usually brings his pillow, blankie, and a stuffed friend or two, tosses them up on my side of the bed, climbs up, and settles in for some cuddles.  Sadly this rarely lasts very long, within a few minutes he is usually restless and chatting about the birds chirping outside or mickey mouse or the train/plain/car he hears in the distance or starts asking for milk/breakfast/etc.  So downstairs we go...

one of the few times he has actually fallen back to sleep after coming into our room in the morning

6:30-7:30am:  we are all downstairs and eat breakfast at this time.  Erik feeds the four legged animals and I prepare food for our two legged one.  Erik and I typically have oatmeal and Arlo rotates between oats, waffles, and cereal with milk, always with fruit on the side.  Sometimes we watch the news (Today show) over breakfast.  Arlo often requests the "news" in the morning and now he knows most of the presidential candidates by name, which is both good and bad.  (bad when you are leaving the voting polls and your kid yells out "donald trump" out of nowhere!  sheesh.)

7:45am:  Erik is ready and leaves for work, I tidy up the kitchen, and maybe start laundry.  Arlo destroys things as usual and I do my best to keep the house from getting trashed so early in the day.  Every once in a while the mess is contained to the playroom or he will sit and read books quietly.  I am trying to figure out how to make this a regular occurrence!!  We then head upstairs to get dressed and cleaned up for the day.

turn around for a minute and he is driving his firetruck on the couch

and if he's not putting his vehicles up on the furniture he is raiding the fruit bowl when I'm not looking...

8:30-9:15am:  morning walk with Lucy.  Arlo rides in the stroller and we cruise along the greenway by our house.  We loop back through our neighborhood and the total walk is around 30-40 minutes.  If the weather is crappy we take a shortcut and it's about half the distance.  If we have nowhere to be and Arlo asks to, I let him walk alongside the stroller.  He collects rocks, sticks, and points out every little thing to me.  This can easily turn our usual walk into well over an hour, so this is reserved for days with zero morning plans.

on this day piggy came for our walk with us.  other days we bring books, sticks, or random items from the garage.  power tools and sharp objects are off limits obviously, but everything else is fair game.  earlier this week he held a small broom and golf ball for the entire walk, ha!

9:30am:  back home and in the house.  If we didn't get cleaned up and dressed for the day before the walk, we go upstairs and do so now.  I might fold/put away laundry and then tidy the bedrooms while we are upstairs.  Then we start to get ready for whatever we have planned for the morning.  I pack a bag with a few snacks for both of us and we head out.

10-11:45am:  we typically try and get out of the house every weekday morning during this time.  One morning is usually story time at the library, followed by weekly grocery shopping and lunch at Whole Foods.  Another morning might be a play date with friends at a nearby park or museum, and the third day might be a shopping day where we take a trip to Target to pick up a few necessities (and a few non-necessities, that damn onespot gets me every single time.)  If we don't need to go to the store, we might just stay home and catch up on the mountains of laundry that I have likely been neglecting all week.  If we have no plans at all and the weather is nice, we will go to one of the nearby parks.  In the last few weeks the weather has really warmed up here and I have started feeling less sick and a bit more energetic, so going to the park has become a daily activity, if not in the morning then before or after dinner.  Arlo asks to go everyday and I am happy to take him there to burn off every bit of energy he can. 

playdate at the new park by our house

If the weather is rainy or cold our new favorite activity is the brand new community center that just opened near our neighborhood.  It is so close we can walk if we want to!  Every morning during the week they have open gym time for toddlers for four hours.  And it's free!  They put out all kinds of balls and hoops and the kids can  run around and be crazy in a safe, enclosed area.  I am so excited that this is available so close by and have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time here going forward.

11:45-12:15:  lunch time.  We usually have a light lunch together - a sandwich, veggieburger, or leftover baked tofu, with some veggies or avocado and tortilla chips on the side.  I don't like to make anything that takes more than a few minutes since we are pretty hungry by this time and I am in a hurry to get Arlo down for his nap before it gets too late.

bell peppers, carrots & hummus, berries, peas, and baked tofu with chickpeas.  some of his favorites!

12:15-12:30:  read books and quiet time before nap.  In the past few months it seems like Arlo's nap time has happened later and later into the day.  And the later in the day it gets, the harder it is to put him down and a couple of times he flat out refused to nap and was then a REALLY, REALLY happy kid by the time the evening rolled around (yes, total sarcasm right there.)  So I chatted with our babysitter, who never seems to have trouble getting him to nap, and learned that Arlo goes down for his nap a lot earlier at her house and literally falls asleep within a minute of her laying him in bed.  So we recently started nap time as close to noon as we can and it's made a big difference - both in terms of him being tired and ready for his nap and being tired again at bedtime.

12:30-2:30pm:  Arlo naps and I have "me time."  I try not to do any housework during this time, as this is really the one break I get in the day to do things for myself.  During the months of early pregnancy I spent his entire nap on the couch, either trying to nap myself or watching something on Netflix.  Now I am back to fun activities during naps - craft time!  oh yea  :)

2:30-3:30pm:  Arlo is up and we might read in his room for a bit before coming downstairs.  Then we both have a snack, almost always an apple with peanut butter or a handful of nuts.  We might hang out in his playroom or do a craft or play with toys together for a bit during this time too.

thumbs up to raspberries

3:30-4:30pm:  recently we have been using this time to go to the neighborhood park if the weather is nice. We have made several friends there in the last few weeks and usually one of them is there as a playmate for Arlo.  If we stay extra long, Erik will stop by the park on his way home as he drives right by it on his way to the house.  This is quickly becoming my favorite thing about longer, warmer days.  It's no longer dark and cold by the time 5pm rolls around and meeting up together at the end of the day is a really nice way to decompress and spend time together outside the house.

at the neighborhood park

5:00-6:00pm:  Dinner prep and eat.  If dinner is something I can cook ahead of time, such as rice or quinoa, I will do so during our snack time so things are ready when we get home.  Then I can quickly cook up veggies or beans and dinner is ready in under 15 minutes.  I often let Arlo watch a half hour show at this time, it settles him down from the afternoons activities and allows me time to make dinner (mostly) uninterrupted.  If I am feeling lazy or it's been a rough day with a cranky toddler, I take the easy way out and ask Erik to pick up take-out, usually Thai or Mediterranean.  We try not to do too much take-out because whatever I cook for dinner is almost always lunch the next day.  So our take-out meals are typically reserved for Friday if we don't go out to eat as a family.

6:00pm:  Dinner is done, Erik and I clean up the kitchen together.  Arlo makes messes wherever he can.  Then we all hang out as a family.  If it's been a rough day with the kid, such as a no-nap day, I tell Erik I need a little alone time and go lay upstairs on our bed for a bit.  I am probably zoned out mindlessly scrolling through instagram...  These days don't happen very often but sometimes mama has just got to take a minute to get it together!

7:00pm:  Family hang out/TV time.  We always used to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune (nerd alerts!) but then we discovered Family Feud comes on at the same time and we all love that show.  I am sure there are better things to watch but we don't subscribe to cable and this is on one of our five free channels, ha.  Erik and I laugh and Arlo just really likes Steve Harvey.  If we turn on the TV in the evening Arlo yells out "Steve Harvey!" and "Family Feud!!"  We don't watch it every night, but sometimes a lazy TV evening is just what we need.

7:30-8:00pm:  Arlo's bedtime routine.  Months ago we realized how much easier the evenings were if we just brought Arlo in the shower with one of us instead of doing the whole bath thing.  Arlo didn't love it at first but now if he is given the option he almost always picks shower.  I always take my shower in the evening, so I scrub Arlo up, and then hand him off to Erik when I am done.  Erik will do the whole pajama/teeth brushing routine while I finish my shower and then we all meet up in Arlo's room for story time.  Arlo knows by now he gets three books and picks them out himself.  Erik and I take turns reading and thankfully Arlo is pretty tired by this time and does a really good job of staying in bed and going to sleep quickly.  Please stay like this forever, kid.

8:00-9:30pm:  admittedly, I am exhausted by this time.  I know it is all pregnancy related, and by 8:30 or so I just really want to be laying in bed.  Things didn't used to be this way, Erik and I would almost always watch a show or just hang out together after Arlo went to bed.  Sometimes I can hang on until 9 and I will go back downstairs with Erik but most nights I head to bed right after Arlo does.  I usually watch a little Netflix on the iPad before dozing off.  Asleep by 10pm (unless pregnancy insomnia strikes that night) so I am ready to do it all again the next morning...


How I am going to combine this current routine with that of a newborn is still a mystery.  Our routine with Arlo when he first arrived ended up extremely regimented with all of the issues we had, and most things rotated on my milk pumping schedule.  I know that this will be literally impossible with two kids, especially me being home by myself with them all day, and I have no intentions on putting myself through what I did last time around.  So, I have a feeling most days will be trying to figure out how to bring the littlest one "along for the ride" of a toddlers schedule, all while trying to keep the baby fed/napped/diapered.  And probably not do a single craft project until both kids are in school full time  ;)

A day in the life with a nine month old

I had planned on writing a "day in the life" post every three months or so, but somehow I skipped the six month mark. So, here is a typical day with Arlo at nine months old. I am working two days a week right now, so this is a day that I would spend at home with Arlo.

Monday, October 13, 2014 

6:00 AM: most days you could almost set an alarm clock to this kid, and today was no exception. He literally started calling for us from his room at 6 o'clock on the dot. Erik gets up with Arlo, changes him, and gives him the first bottle of the day. This is our little agreement, Erik takes the early morning routine, but if Arlo wakes up in the middle of the night, then I am the one to get up with him. I think I have the sweet end of the deal on this one, as it's pretty rare for Arlo to not sleep through the night.  On the weekends, I get up early with Arlo and let Erik sleep in. Periodically, we both get up together, but our system of taking turns allows us to both feel well rested most days of the week.

6:45 AM: Erik brings Arlo upstairs and puts him in bed with me to wake me up. Half-asleep, I find myself suddenly covered in baby drool, and being whacked in the face with tiny hands. There is no going back to sleep after this!

7:00 AM: I take Lucy for a 30 minute walk while Erik has his breakfast and gets ready for work.  Arlo will usually play in his playroom during this time, or cruise around in his walker or doorway jumper.

7:30 AM: I am home and take over baby duty so Erik can finish getting ready for work. Arlo and I will hang out upstairs, and I start a load of his laundry at this time. As I am tidying upstairs and getting the laundry going, I am simultaneously chasing after Arlo, and keeping him from climbing on the bathtub, the washing machine, furniture in his room, and anything else he is trying to get into.

8:00 AM: Back downstairs now, I put Arlo in his highchair and either let him play with the bead maze I have suction cupped to his tray or give him a handful of puffs to occupy him while I make his breakfast, and a cup of decaf coffee for myself. I then feed him breakfast while I enjoy my coffee. Today his breakfast is blueberries, bananas, kale, and oatmeal cereal, as well as some leftover banana pieces that he will feed to himself.

8:30 AM: back upstairs to change Arlo, and clean him up after his messy breakfast. He crawls around a little bit while I do some more chores upstairs and chase after him at the same time.

9:00 AM: Time for his morning nap, so I put him in the ergo and he falls asleep within five minutes. After he has been asleep for a few, I put him in his crib and head downstairs.

9:15 AM: Time for me to have breakfast, today is simply toast with peanut butter and a glass of soymilk. After breakfast, I clean up the kitchen, make bottles for the day, and tidy up the downstairs. If there is time, I will also check email, and see what is happening in the world of social media.

10:10 AM: I hear the first noises coming through the baby monitor. I am still cleaning up the kitchen, and Arlo sounds happy, so I will let him play in his crib until I am done or he starts to sound upset, which ever comes first. Now that he can pull himself up in his crib, he is pretty content to hang out in there for a good 15 to 20 minutes after his nap, and play with his toys. He has also recently started to reach through the bars at the end of the crib, into the baskets which contain his cloth diapers.  One by one he picks them up and throws them on the floor.

10:25 AM: I am done in the kitchen so I had upstairs to get Arlo. He is starting to sound a little fussy at this time so I assume he has run out of diapers to throw (note to self: find new storage place for cloth diapers.)  I change him and get him dressed for the day. After his morning nap is usually the best time of the day to go out and run errands, and we try to be home in time for his second nap which occurs mid afternoon. (We try and get out nearly everyday, either to run errands, meet up with friends for lunch or a walk, or go to the library for story time.)  I let Arlo play with his toys we have in our bedroom while I get dressed and ready for the day. I throw the laundry in the dryer before we go downstairs.

10:50 AM: Arlo gets another bottle before we head out the door. Today is Monday, and the day that I do our weekly grocery shopping, so we are headed off to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to buy food for the week.

11:00 AM: I wear Arlo in the ergo while I do the grocery shopping. I also make a quick stop at the thrift store since it is right next to Whole Foods.  I often walk away empty handed but today I find a cute blue and grey striped fleece that will fit Arlo this winter.  It costs just $1!

1:15 PM: I arrived home to a very excited dog, a dryer that has been beeping for at least an hour, and a baby who has decided he is done with his car seat. I let out Lucy and stick Arlo in the highchair with a teething biscuit and his sippy cup, which buys me about 15 minutes to finish unloading the car and putting away the groceries.

1:30 PM: I feed Arlo his lunch, which today is broccoli, tricolored lentils, and sweet potato. I premade this food yesterday, froze around 12 meals, and saved a few jars worth in the fridge that he could eat fresh. He also eats half of a kiwi for dessert. Normally I would sit and eat lunch at the table while I fed Arlo, but today I unintentionally snacked my way through lunch at whole foods. It wasn't my fault that they put out vegan sushi, garlic bread, and delicious tortilla chips as samples. I might have made two trips around the sample area. And then requested to sample the vegan gelato for dessert. Twice.  #noshame. Hey, we spend enough at whole foods each week that I think I can sneak in a free lunch once in a while ;)

2:00 PM: I clean up the lunch mess and then take Arlo upstairs to change his diaper and get him ready for his nap.

2:15 PM: I wear Arlo to sleep in the ergo, and then put him down in his crib. Now I can finally give attention to the still beeping dryer and fold the load of clothes that has been waiting for me.

This much laundry.  Three times a week.  And this is all for Arlo!

3:00 PM: As soon as I get downstairs and realize that I have a few minutes to sit down and take a little break, I hear Arlo waking up on the baby monitor. The last few days his afternoon nap has been less than an hour long, and I am wondering if this is our new normal. His naps used to be closer to 90 minutes, and I would use this afternoon break to have a little "me time" but with the shortened nap I find myself without much of that these days.

3:10 PM: Arlo crawls around upstairs while I stuff diapers and put away the clothes that I just folded.

3:40 PM: head downstairs to get Arlo a bottle, and then let him play on the floor while I lay next to him and relax for a little while.

4:30 PM: I text Erik to find out when he is going to be home for dinner. I hear Arlo crawl towards the front door so I walk over to see what he is getting into. I am shocked to see him climbing the stairs and already climbing onto the third stair. We recently installed a gate at the top of the stairs, but it looks like we are going to need one at the bottom as well!

4:45 PM: upstairs for a diaper change, and then I stick Arlo in the doorway jumper in the kitchen so I can cook dinner and not have to chase him around the house at the same time.  Tonight we are having vegetable curry over white jasmine rice. Yum!

5:45 PM: Erik arrives home from work just as I am finishing up dinner. Since our meal is spicy, we wont be able to share any with Arlo, but if we were having something plain he would eat some of what were eating. I defrosted some premade sweet potato last night and heat that up while I plate up dinner for Erik and I. I also mix in some rice cereal with Arlo's sweet potato to thicken it up a bit.

6:00  PM: We all sit together in the dining room and eat. I give Arlo a teething biscuit while I eat and then feed him his dinner when he is done with the biscuit. Arlo also taught himself to stand up in his highchair today so he attempts to do that several times as we are finishing dinner. Looks like I need to get a new high chair pad/safety strap in addition to the stair gate...

6:30 PM:  Erik and I clean up the kitchen together while Arlo sits in his high chair and bangs his sippy cup on the tray, finishes his teething biscuit, and babbles to Lucy who is laying close by, hoping he will drop something on the floor for her.

7:00 PM:  Before it started getting dark out so early, we would often take a family walk after we finished dinner and the kitchen got cleaned up.  It is already getting dark at this time though, and Erik and I are both feeling tired so we decide to make it a lazy evening and all lay together on the living room floor, classical music playing on Pandora.  Arlo, of course, seems to have acquired more energy as the day progressed (I think they should rename teething biscuits to "energy cakes") so we take turns chasing after the little man and returning him to the safety of the living room rug.  Tonight we make up a new game of playing catch with one of Arlo's toy balls while laying on our backs on the floor.  Mindless entertainment that we get more enjoyment out of than Arlo does watching our whole silly game!

7:45 PM:  This is usually the time where we start getting Arlo ready for bed.  Arlo typically gets a bath every other night, sometimes more often depending on how messy of an eater he decides to be that day, and tonight happens to be a bath night.  We have a loose schedule of taking turns giving Arlo his bath, and tonight Erik says he would like to take on the task.  I heat up the last bottle of the day (he gets a large one at bedtime - nearly 7 oz) and when I hear bath time coming to an end I head upstairs with the bottle. 

8:00 PM:  Since Erik gave Arlo his bath I will be the one to feed him, we usually switch off so we both get to spend time with him before bed and Arlo doesn't get used to one parent always doing the same routine.  This is unless it happens to be a working day for me - then I always want to be the one to feed him and put him to bed since I have been away most of the day and miss him so much when I get home.  While I feed Arlo his bottle in the nursery rocker, Erik reads us a bedtime story - tonight we learn about "Lindy the Lobster," one of the many educational kids books that Papa bought for Arlo on our recent trip to the OBX.

8:20 PM:  Arlo falls asleep taking his bottle, and I let him sleep on my chest for 5-10 minutes, both to enjoy the peaceful baby cuddles and to make sure he is in a deep sleep before laying him down in his crib.

8:30 PM:  Now it's time for Erik and I to take our showers, finish laundry, tidy the living room, and any other chores we couldn't get done while Arlo was still up.

9:15 PM:  With the baby monitor nearby so we can hear Arlo if he wakes up, we finally are able to settle onto the couch together and watch a bit of TV before bed.  Sometimes we lay in bed and watch a TV show on DVD but tonight we find that Shark Tank is on and we decide to watch that.

10:00 PM: Time for bed, as our little six o'clock alarm is going to go off before we know it and it will be time to repeat the whole process one more time...

* please excuse typos, I dictated these events on my iPod so I could quickly document our day as it happened. I do my best to proofread, but I am sure a few mistakes will slip by!

a day in the life... with an (almost) four month old

When I was pregnant, and following quite a few mommy blogs, I read several "day in in the life" postings of the mamas and their kiddo's routines.  I decided to write up a typical weekday for Arlo and I now that he is four months old and we are starting to develop some sort of a daily routine of our own.  Had this been done any earlier than three months, it would have been a list of regimented pumping and feeding times and basically nothing else.  So I will spare you that uninteresting list of activities.  Not sure that this is any more entertaining, however for my own curiosity I want to be able to compare things now with how things are when he is six months or a year old.  

A day in the life with an (almost) four-month-old... 

Monday 4-28-2014:

7:45 am:  Arlo wakes up and starts happily babbling to himself. When he sees that I am awake I am greeted with a large, gummy smile.  I sleepily lay there talking to him until he shows signs of wanting to eat. He has slept almost two hours later than usual today, but this is because he woke up to eat last night around 3 am. He has routinely been sleeping through the night for a while now, but once a week or so he still wants to eat in the middle of the night. Usually we wake up for the day around 6:00 am.

morning baby

8:00 am:  Feed bottle of pumped milk.

8:20 am:  I pump for 20 to 30 minutes. This is the second time today, as I also pumped when Arlo woke up at 3 am.

8:45 am:  Start getting Arlo ready for the day. This involves washing his face and hands, a fresh diaper and getting him changed into his first outfit of the day.  You will see what I mean about that in a minute...

happy to be naked!

9:00 am:  Head downstairs and Arlo sits in his bouncy seat in the dining room with me while I have breakfast. If he gets fussy, which he seems to do quite often whenever we are eating, I will hold him on my lap until I'm finished with breakfast. Usually my breakfast is oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar, but today I felt like something quick so I had cereal.

9:20 am:  A short playtime session that if nothing else, will include some tummy time. At the first sign of fussiness, I know he is ready for his morning nap.

playtime, current favorite toy - his oball rattle

 9:30 am:  I realize that not only is his outfit covered in drool, but his diaper has also started to leak. We head to the nursery for his second outfit change of the day, and a fresh diaper. I also use this time to "top off his tank" with another feeding before his nap. He eats about 2oz, which is half of his normal meal. He falls asleep eating, and I sit in the nursery rocker enjoying some snuggle time with the little man.

sleepy time snuggles

10:00 am:  I put Arlo down for his nap in the rock n' play. He sleeps in our bedroom because the baby monitor is in there and I can hear him if he makes any noise. His morning nap is something that I am always guaranteed, and it is by far the longest nap of the day. He will sleep anywhere between two and four hours and this is when I can get most of my housework done. I start with a cup of decaf coffee, which provides no energy but I pretend that it does and enjoy the taste nonetheless.  Then, I start my daily battle with the ever growing laundry pile, to which I am currently losing.  I might also use this time to catch up on emails, tidy up the house, and maybe even have time for a little sewing or something that I want to do for myself.

1:00 pm:  Lunch for me. Leftover brown rice spaghetti with green peas. Nothing too exciting today. Usually lunch is leftover dinner from the evening before.

1:30 pm:  Pump.

2:30 pm:  Arlo wakes up from an epically long nap. Yesterday was Sunday, and we were out and about most of the day so he didn't really get a solid, uninterrupted nap. I knew he would sleep quite a bit today because of this. Right when he wakes up he wants to eat so I already have a bottle ready and waiting for him.

3:00 pm:  By this time, Lucy is giving me the stink eye and I know she is more than ready for her daily walk.  Arlo is finished eating and I change his diaper and get ready to go. Usually this is done earlier in the day, but waking up later than usual combined with a long nap has pushed back Lucy's walk until later in the day. I quickly eat a snack of a half of an apple with peanut butter before we leave.

3:25 pm:  Head out for our walk. It is a bit of a production to get out the door. I get out the jogging stroller, put on Lucy's harness and get her attached to the stroller, and make sure Arlo and I are dressed appropriately and have all of the blankets, hats, sunglasses, water, etc. that we will need for our walk.  Gone are the days of grabbing the dog leash and my ipod and running out the door...

my entourage. ha.

4:15 pm:  Home from our walk. I set Arlo in his bouncer seat while I put the stroller back in the shed, and when I come inside three minutes later he is passed out again. Usually he is wide awake in the afternoon and we have playtime right now, but apparently he is still worn out from yesterday. I use this opportunity to clean up the kitchen and put away laundry that was washed earlier in the day.

5:15 pm:  I decided to start dinner, but right after I do Arlo wakes up and starts to cry so I put everything on hold and start to feed him.  He always seems to know when we want to eat and seems to try his best to keep that from happening.

5:30 pm:  This is where our day loses any sort of "schedule" and just about anything can happen... Erik gets home from work. He picks up where I left off on making dinner while I finish feeding Arlo and change his diaper.  His clothes are covered in a large spit-up so we put on his third outfit of the day.  Laundry pile: 3.  Kendra: 0.  I then put Arlo in the wrap carrier and help Erik finish up dinner.  Not an easy task however, as tonight Arlo has taken a keen interest in staring at the floor, so between opening the cans of beans and checking the rice, I am also wrestling to keep him from launching himself out of the carrier and onto the floor that he is trying so desperately to examine.

6:30 pm:  We eat dinner, with Arlo on my lap as this is typically his fussy time and he does best if he's hanging out with us.  Tonight Arlo decides to make a grab for the placemat under my plate, and I am given a glimpse of what the future holds for us in these upcoming months. Erik quickly pulls it in the other direction, away from the grabby baby hands.  At least Arlo is reaching in the direction of the roasted brussels sprouts, canellini beans with red peppers, and brown rice.  Let's see if he will actually want to eat these things when the time comes...

7:10 pm:  I attempt playtime again with Arlo, but he quickly gets fussy and I realized that I don't have the next bottle ready for him. I start defrosting some frozen milk.

7:15 pm:  Now I have realized that I should've pumped an hour or two ago, so I hand over Arlo to Erik (who has to stop cleaning up dinner dishes to help) while I go pump. Erik walks around the house with him trying to keep him calm until the bottle is ready, and then feeds him when it is. I start washing a load of diapers when I am done.

8:00 pm:  Arlo is still fussy so I take over while Erik goes back to cleaning the kitchen. We sit in the office on my birthing ball where it's dark and quiet and I sing my silly made-up song called "bouncy baby" while we gently bounce on the ball.

8:30 pm:  Finally he is calm and we make our way upstairs to change his diaper and put his PJ's on. If tonight was bath night we would do that at this time, but tonight is an off night. I feed him a small amount as I know it will help him off to sleep, and tonight we have a phone chat with Erik's mom while Arlo takes his bottle.

9:00 pm:  Arlo starts off the night by sleeping in his rock n' play, and Erik and I can finally have some time for ourselves. I indulge in a frozen sorbet bar and this is when Erik and I usually have some tv time and hang out together. Tonight though, Erik has some stuff he wanted to get done on the computer so I fart around on pinterest/FB/instagram for a bit.

9:30 pm:  Time to start the bedtime routine for me. I gather up all the pump stuff and bottles I will need for the night/early morning and head upstairs to shower. I also finish up the diaper laundry and hang them up to dry. Erik stays up a bit later than I do so he can feed Arlo once more. This is our dirty little trick to helping us all sleep through the night.

10:30 pm:  I have to pump once more then usually fall asleep watching some bad 90's sitcom rerun on tv.

10:40 pm:  Erik wakes up Arlo to feed him once more and change him into a disposable diaper, as I have yet to figure out a cloth diaper that has the potential to adequately hold what this kid puts out during the night.  Whenever we wake up in the morning, whether it's 4am or 7am, I will change him into a cloth diaper, so we are really only using one disposable per day. After Arlo is fed and changed, Erik brings him into the bedroom and places him in the cosleeper next to me.

And that, my friends, is a day in the life with an (almost) four month old Arlo.  He sure keeps us busy but that sweet smiling face is reason enough to want to wake up and do it all over again the next day.  And perhaps, one of these days, I just might win the battle with that laundry pile of mine...