Every stage of life seems to me so vastly different: Childhood. High school. College. Working as an auditor at a CPA firm. Working as executive assistant to a university vice president. Getting married! Working at another CPA firm. Working as the admin at my church. Becoming a stay-at-home mom with one little baby. Bedrest. Preemie. Another pregnancy. More bedrest. Suddenly here I am a stay-at-home mom with three three and under! . . .
So occasionally I like to journal a detailed account of my day. Someday this stage will pass too and my journal will provide a little window into what it was like “back then.” . . . A day in the life of a mom with three littles!
Woke up just before 6:30 AM to snuggles instead of children crying or calling me . . . “Carissa is such a good baby,” I remarked, happily after seven continuous hours of sleep.
“Oh, she’s awake,” Daniel assured me. “And Micah’s been up for about an hour, playing with his puppy. I couldn’t sleep listening to that thing.” He has the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Puppy. And he loves it!
We keep the baby monitor in our room, and if the kids cry, I hear them. But if it’s just normal kid sounds? I hear nothing. I sleep. Blessed sleep!
Found little Carissa, content in her cradle, but very ready to nurse. Love those blue eyes and sweet smiles first thing in the morning! She is the best baby ever! I keep telling Daniel, if she had been our first baby, I would have wanted half a dozen!
Mara came out of her room, saying she felt so much better this morning, but her nose kept running. She went potty, put away her PJs, got dressed and made her bed, all before I was done nursing the baby. I’m loving the three-year-old stage!
Daniel leaves for work at 7AM on T/Th/Fr. On M/W he goes in later, so we try to have a family breakfast those days, instead of family dinner, since the kids won’t see him until the following night.
Daniel was going to make french toast for breakfast but forgot to set out the bread last night, so he got it out of the freezer and went back up to shower.
Set Carissa back in her cradle. Changed Micah’s diaper, put on his clothes. He always says ‘ocks?! ocks?!. . . ‘oes?! ‘oes?!’ Wants to be sure I remember socks and shoes.
Carried Micah downstairs. Threw diapers away. Gave the kids each a sippy cup of milk and 1/2 banana to tide them over till the french toast was ready. Micah sat in the highchair and watched, while I mixed up a double-recipe of banana bread. Argh! Dropped 1/2 an eggshell in the KitchenAid while it was mixing!! Fortunately, I think the entire piece remained intact. Pulled it out while Daniel said if he found an eggshell in his banana bread, he would not eat any more. I said the kids and I would be fine eating both loaves ourselves.
Micah watched Daniel make french toast, and then while it was on the griddle, Daniel took him downstairs to “help” make coffee (“foff”). Stuck the banana bread in the oven. Carissa had been fussing in her cradle. Ran up to check and felt like a terrible mom when I saw the sun had moved and was shining directly in her face. Of course, she was crying!
Carried her in the Baby Bjorn while cleaning up banana bread dishes and setting the table for breakfast. Micah was calling “Pleth! Pleth!” [plate] since it was almost time to eat.
Kids ate 1-1/2 or 2 pieces of french toast. Daniel fixed my coffee while Micah said “Half-half-half” [half and half]. We ate.
Showed the kids the sprouts coming through the dirt in our “window container garden.” Mara told Daniel she thought it was the sunflowers. Actually, it was the radishes.
Mara thinks eating is a competition. She was watching Daniel and me, saying, “Daniel! You’re going to beat your mother!” She meant me, so she corrected herself. “I mean–your wife!” Then: “You beat your wife! Again!” We were laughing. Then in a gravelly voice, she quoted from Monsters, Inc. “I’m watching you, Daddy! Alllways watching.”
Pretty sure Mara is coming down with a cold. Constant runny nose; puffy eyes; complaining of sore throat; sitting around; little energy.
Made Daniel’s lunch/dinner since he works till 8 on Wednesdays: Ham & cheese sandwich; baby carrots; apple; grapes; Triscuits; and yogurt.
Kids watched as we hugged. Mara was making a cute comment, and Micah was trying to get Daniel to leave, so he could watch him out the window.
Unemployed neighbor waving at Daniel from his porch. Unemployed, unusually sober neighbor leaving at the same time as Daniel.
Washed dishes. Cleaned kitchen. Updated my Facebook status: “Love it when Daniel goes in to work later on a weekday! He made us french toast for breakfast before he left. 🙂 Although he won’t be home till 8:30 so it will be just Mom and the kids the rest of the day.”
Turned around to see my son walking out of the kitchen, mouth full of grapes, holding a grape vine and meat shears. Took those away, and he came back again with a 16 oz glass bottle of cooking wine. . . I’m thinking, ‘your sister never did these kinds of things!’
Changed Micah’s poopy diaper; dogs barking in the yard, let them in; banana bread timer ringing, pulled it out, not done, put it back in.
Carissa woke up; time to nurse again, while older two played in Mara’s room with play kitchen and princesses.
10:20 – 10:40 Mara: resting on bed (getting sick, being whiny). Micah: book time in his bed with Speedy Little Race Cars; Stop Train Stop; Wocket in my Pocket; Clifford; Hide-and-Seek Forest; Touch and Feel Puppy. . . Carissa “playing” on the Baby Einstein mat. I sorted laundry; put on stain remover; put in the warm load.
Micah “helped” make grape KoolAid for Mara, who was resting on the couch, wiping her nose. Pulled chicken-vegetable soup and stew meat out of the freezer.
Mara watched recorded Olympic competitions, while Micah and I read Bible stories, did ABC charts, and read four of his favorite board books.
Mara, sick: “Can you make me all nice and warm and cozy?” We took off her shorts and put on a lavender sweatsuit from the clothing swap.
Chicken-vegetable soup for lunch.
Micah, usual self, lots of energy.
Mara, sipping soup: “My froat is feeling better because of this nice warm soup! . . . Soup helps your froat feel better! . . . why do birds say ‘cheep’? Do they say ‘cheep’ for their mommies? Do they say ‘cheep’ for the pigeons?”
“Ji-geons! ji-geons!” Micah echoes.
“I’m going to beat Micah!” Once again with the mealtime race.
Both ate their soup well. Micah ate yogurt too.
Heard Carissa crying. Her diaper had leaked all over clothes blanket and sheet. Stripped her bed. Changed her diaper. Decided her bathtime was now instead of later.
Gave Carissa her bath while Micah watched and played with my shave gel. She didn’t even cry this time until I lifted her out of the water and the cool air hit her. . . So sweet! I love frizzy-after-bath baby hair!
Took her downstairs to nurse. Put the Olympics back on for Mara. Micah played in the living room. “Aggs! Aggs! . . . Cook!” he put pretend eggs on the floor to cook.
Daniel called to say he would be home early because there is a dinner at work tomorrow, so he was going to make a double batch of cream cheese brownies. And Thursday he would be home early, because they were sending him to the location just down the street to do an install. I teased him: “Sure it’s an ‘install’!” (like on the show Chuck, where he “works” at the BuyMore).
“Yeah, really I’m a spy,” Daniel said sarcastically.
Finished nursing the baby. Laid her on the couch for her nap, since her bed needs to be re-made.
Micah needed to be changed before his nap. His diaper leaked on his onesie too!! Both of these kids are growing out of their diaper size at the same time! But I’m trying to finish the boxes of diapers that we already have.
So I had to change his clothes too. Mara went potty before her nap and is now standing at the door, without pants on, asking, “Micah’s diaper leaked too?! Just like Carissa!” I’m thinking ‘thank goodness one of them is potty-trained!’
And Micah repeats: “Di-dah! Di-dah!” [Carissa]
Those two go down for naps, and the house is finally quiet. It’s naptime for who knows how long? . . . Time for my Bible reading, flipping the laundry, getting some planning done, and more housework . . .
Sooo what was your morning like? Link up or leave a note in the comments!
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