7:30am
We started the day like any other day. Liam as our alarm clock, making him breakfast of fruit and toast (varies day to day) that he ate in our room in a booster seat
that sits on the floor
while we get ready for our days. Except I didn't really get ready this day, instead I threw on some workout type clothes, brushed my teeth, washed my face and then laid back in bed with the Today show on, talking to Liam as he ate and daddy-o while he got ready for work.
that sits on the floor
while we get ready for our days. Except I didn't really get ready this day, instead I threw on some workout type clothes, brushed my teeth, washed my face and then laid back in bed with the Today show on, talking to Liam as he ate and daddy-o while he got ready for work.
8am
I move to Liam's room to get him ready for the day with a new diaper and clothes. He runs around upstairs between his room and ours for awhile, pulling things out of drawers, turning our fan on and off, looking for breakfast crumbs, ya know, before getting antsy to move downstairs, when we walked daddy out and wished him a good day.
8:30am
Decided to take advantage of the coolest part of the day and go on a walk. Liam wanted to bring his mower
along and walk at first, so I pushed an empty stroller. Liam wanted to push it too, of course, so we didn't get very far very fast.
Once he was ready to get in the stroller, we walked the mower back home so we could go on a proper walk. Then we headed to Einstein Bros for a special little treat - breakfast for mama (I could live on Everything Bagels) and a banana (or "nana" as L says) on the patio. Then we walked some more throughout our neighborhood.
9:45am
We got back home, parked the stroller and Liam jets for our rock bedding around the edge of the house (really attractive, I know). He is all boy, this one ... throwing the rocks into bushes, stacking them up, knocking them down, holding as many as he can in each hand. All really exciting to watch.
9:55am
Spots the mower in the yard from where I had dropped it earlier. He runs for it and we start walking down our sidewalk. He loves this thing. I'm thinking we'll walk around our neighborhood for a bit...
10:05am
But we don't... he ditched the mower and ran back to the rocks! More rock stacking and throwing ensued.
10:16am
Not long later we hit the sidewalk again, Liam in a light jog with a burst of energy and I wondered how far we'd get this time.
10:20am
Made it a couple houses down, spotted neighbors (with little boy about L's age) in backyard - Liam b-lines between the houses towards the action. The boys play with the balls in the yard (one of our other neighbor's has a half-basketball court in their backyard) and this little boy has a swing off a tall tree in their yard that Liam swings on a couple times. I got to talk to an adult. The mom of this neighbor boy and I chit chat while our boys run around the backyards and sorta play together as best 19-21 month olds can.
11am
Liam decided he was done playing, started shouting bye-bye, waved and headed back for the sidewalk between the houses. So, we walked the couple houses up for home to get ready for lunch. Back at home, we first read some books.
11:30am
Washed L's hands and gave him the lunch I just slaved over... peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam (the stuff we got from my good friend's wedding, and it is the bomb) with applesauce on the side. He loved it - and can feed himself so that I could eat, too...
Which naturally, I had the same thing.
Noon
After lunch we headed upstairs so that I could gather the dirty laundry while L helped (he threw the clothes into the basket and then clapped for himself when he made it!).
12:15pm
We read a book and then Liam went down for a nap. I started the laundry and then got online to get as much work as I could done while he slept, which I guess if I were a stay at home mom this would be the perrrrfect opportunity to nap myself, or do the dishes, or finish cleaning out the guest room (so we can turn it into Laim's big boy room soon), or do whatever projects I'd likely take on or cook dinner, or lunch for the next day so we don't eat pb&j ever day or the million of other home chores I could do, but probably, take a nap.
2:45pm
Liam will be up soon, and I plan to head straight to CostCo when he does - so I freshen up and change my clothes - I put on real clothes! I got him a snack (cheese stick) and water ready to take on the road and make sure his diaper bag is stocked.
3:10pm
Liam awakes - good nap! Love when he pulls a 3-hour nap (usually more like 2). I changed his diaper and took him straight to the car with my purse and his baby bag already ready to go. He got his snack in the car, which eased his hatred of getting in the carseat (which is still facing backwards and a huge pain to get a 90 percentile - height AND weight - toddler into... not sure we'll make it to the 2 year recommended age before turning it forward facing).
3:30pm
Liam loves going to CostCo - and this day was no different! I told him, we're at CostCo! and he said back, CaCo! We did our shopping of tons of fruit, diapers, milk and snacks for the weekends friends gathering. We, of course also tired all the samples. No wonder Liam loves CostCo (that and the smiley faces they draw on the receipt for him).
4:30pm
Got back home and unload the car before quickly changing into pool gear to meet my co-worker (my company has half day Fridays in the summer, so she's off early) and her little girl who is also 19 months old. We turned it around pretty quickly - which is usually impossible with a toddler, everything takes at least twice as long as you'd think.
5pm
The pool is only about 6 minutes from my house. We got there around 5 and headed straight for the baby pool area. Liam avoided all water (baby pool and little fountains next to it) for awhile. So we went into the big pool where I could hold him. He started to warm up to the water as I threw him and swung him around in the water, and it helped seeing his friend loving it so much, too (she's a little fishy!). We went back to the baby pool area where he was now ready to adventure in!
5:40pm
He was really brave now... walked all over the baby pool (only 1ft to 1ft 10" deep). Of course I stay right next to him and obviously had my phone in hand to capture his excitement in the water.
5:45pm
He slipped going under, 1.2 seconds later I plunged my hands in after him and pulled him up. He's totally fine and I told him "good job" to hopefully keep his scares away - it worked, he shook off the quick submerge and was ready to get back to playing. However, my phone was wet. Should never of had my phone in a pool - duh.
6pm
Liam moved to play in the fountains with his friend, Lily. I laid my phone out in the sun to dry, after I took some more pictures (thankfully it was still working!).
6:30pm
I pry'd the toys that did not belong to us from his hands to set back for their owners to collect and we dry off. I changed Liam into his dry diaper and clothes (did you know the swimmer diapers just really collect poo, but if they pee it goes straight on through? Learned that once the hard way when he was sitting on my lap last summer....). We headed home for a later than usual dinner.
7pm
Saw daddy, who got home earlier and even moved the yard! Had a light dinner (since he had snacks to tide him over at the pool) and then played with toys and read books before bed.
8:30pm
Later than normal bedtime (which never goes well... you think this means they'll sleep in later the next morning, but no. Liam ended up waking up an hour and a half earlier... but that's another day).
9pm
I was exhausted! I hung out on the couch, touching base with my work email and projects before heading to bed with my husband. Being a full time toddler wrangler is the hardest, and I'm guessing doing it one day here and there is nothing compared to days in a row, trying to come up with things to do to entertain and tire. But man it was fun spending some quality time with my little guy.
along and walk at first, so I pushed an empty stroller. Liam wanted to push it too, of course, so we didn't get very far very fast.
Once he was ready to get in the stroller, we walked the mower back home so we could go on a proper walk. Then we headed to Einstein Bros for a special little treat - breakfast for mama (I could live on Everything Bagels) and a banana (or "nana" as L says) on the patio. Then we walked some more throughout our neighborhood.
9:45am
We got back home, parked the stroller and Liam jets for our rock bedding around the edge of the house (really attractive, I know). He is all boy, this one ... throwing the rocks into bushes, stacking them up, knocking them down, holding as many as he can in each hand. All really exciting to watch.
9:55am
Spots the mower in the yard from where I had dropped it earlier. He runs for it and we start walking down our sidewalk. He loves this thing.
I'm thinking we'll walk around our neighborhood for a bit...
10:05am
But we don't... he ditched the mower and ran back to the rocks! More rock stacking and throwing ensued.
10:16am
Not long later we hit the sidewalk again, Liam in a light jog with a burst of energy and I wondered how far we'd get this time.
10:20am
Made it a couple houses down, spotted neighbors (with little boy about L's age) in backyard - Liam b-lines between the houses towards the action. The boys play with the balls in the yard (one of our other neighbor's has a half-basketball court in their backyard) and this little boy has a swing off a tall tree in their yard that Liam swings on a couple times. I got to talk to an adult. The mom of this neighbor boy and I chit chat while our boys run around the backyards and sorta play together as best 19-21 month olds can.
11am
Liam decided he was done playing, started shouting bye-bye, waved and headed back for the sidewalk between the houses. So, we walked the couple houses up for home to get ready for lunch. Back at home, we first read some books.
11:30am
Washed L's hands and gave him the lunch I just slaved over... peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam (the stuff we got from my good friend's wedding, and it is the bomb) with applesauce on the side. He loved it - and can feed himself so that I could eat, too...
Noon
After lunch we headed upstairs so that I could gather the dirty laundry while L helped (he threw the clothes into the basket and then clapped for himself when he made it!).
12:15pm
We read a book and then Liam went down for a nap. I started the laundry and then got online to get as much work as I could done while he slept, which I guess if I were a stay at home mom this would be the perrrrfect opportunity to nap myself, or do the dishes, or finish cleaning out the guest room (so we can turn it into Laim's big boy room soon), or do whatever projects I'd likely take on or cook dinner, or lunch for the next day so we don't eat pb&j ever day or the million of other home chores I could do, but probably, take a nap.
2:45pm
Liam will be up soon, and I plan to head straight to CostCo when he does - so I freshen up and change my clothes - I put on real clothes! I got him a snack (cheese stick) and water ready to take on the road and make sure his diaper bag is stocked.
3:10pm
Liam awakes - good nap! Love when he pulls a 3-hour nap (usually more like 2). I changed his diaper and took him straight to the car with my purse and his baby bag already ready to go. He got his snack in the car, which eased his hatred of getting in the carseat (which is still facing backwards and a huge pain to get a 90 percentile - height AND weight - toddler into... not sure we'll make it to the 2 year recommended age before turning it forward facing).
3:30pm
Liam loves going to CostCo - and this day was no different! I told him, we're at CostCo! and he said back, CaCo! We did our shopping of tons of fruit, diapers, milk and snacks for the weekends friends gathering. We, of course also tired all the samples. No wonder Liam loves CostCo (that and the smiley faces they draw on the receipt for him).
Got back home and unload the car before quickly changing into pool gear to meet my co-worker (my company has half day Fridays in the summer, so she's off early) and her little girl who is also 19 months old. We turned it around pretty quickly - which is usually impossible with a toddler, everything takes at least twice as long as you'd think.
5pm
The pool is only about 6 minutes from my house. We got there around 5 and headed straight for the baby pool area. Liam avoided all water (baby pool and little fountains next to it) for awhile. So we went into the big pool where I could hold him. He started to warm up to the water as I threw him and swung him around in the water, and it helped seeing his friend loving it so much, too (she's a little fishy!). We went back to the baby pool area where he was now ready to adventure in!
5:40pm
He was really brave now... walked all over the baby pool (only 1ft to 1ft 10" deep). Of course I stay right next to him and obviously had my phone in hand to capture his excitement in the water.
5:45pm
He slipped going under, 1.2 seconds later I plunged my hands in after him and pulled him up. He's totally fine and I told him "good job" to hopefully keep his scares away - it worked, he shook off the quick submerge and was ready to get back to playing. However, my phone was wet. Should never of had my phone in a pool - duh.
6pm
Liam moved to play in the fountains with his friend, Lily. I laid my phone out in the sun to dry, after I took some more pictures (thankfully it was still working!).
{Liam's Swim Trunks and Rash Guard Top}
6:30pm
I pry'd the toys that did not belong to us from his hands to set back for their owners to collect and we dry off. I changed Liam into his dry diaper and clothes (did you know the swimmer diapers just really collect poo, but if they pee it goes straight on through? Learned that once the hard way when he was sitting on my lap last summer....). We headed home for a later than usual dinner.
7pm
Saw daddy, who got home earlier and even moved the yard! Had a light dinner (since he had snacks to tide him over at the pool) and then played with toys and read books before bed.
8:30pm
Later than normal bedtime (which never goes well... you think this means they'll sleep in later the next morning, but no. Liam ended up waking up an hour and a half earlier... but that's another day).
9pm
I was exhausted! I hung out on the couch, touching base with my work email and projects before heading to bed with my husband. Being a full time toddler wrangler is the hardest, and I'm guessing doing it one day here and there is nothing compared to days in a row, trying to come up with things to do to entertain and tire. But man it was fun spending some quality time with my little guy.
If you are home with your kiddos full time or some of the time during the week days, what are some things you do to stay sane and mix up your day?
Does it get easier or harder when you have two kids vs. just one...?
Does it get easier or harder when you have two kids vs. just one...?
Oh, and my phone is still fine. Phew.