A day in the life of a momma, part-time worker, and triathlete.  Henry is 11 months old!

5:30 AM – Henry wakes up.  I can hear him on the monitor.  I check my phone and realize that it is way, way too early for him to be up.  I give him five more minutes, and he falls back asleep.  So do I.

 

6:00 AM – Okay.  He’s up for real this time.  I get out of bed, fix him a bottle, prepare myself a cup of coffee, and go upstairs.  Five minutes later, he’s been changed and is snacking on his baba.  Eventually, he wiggles out of my arms and spends a few minutes rolling around on the floor, playing with toys and feeding himself the last bit of his bottle.  He’s Mr. Independent these days.

6:11 AM – We go downstairs so I can let the dogs out and refill my cup.

 

6:15 AM – Back upstairs.  As a holdover from the pumping days, when I needed 15 minutes of uninterrupted pumping time every morning, we now do something that I refer to as ‘mommy time’ in the morning.  I sit in the glider, drink coffee, and check e-mails while Henry plays nearby.  I really like this time because I am SO not a morning person and it takes me a while to get going.  I need a bit of breathing room to wake up.  Eventually, he gets bored and wants me to play with him – and by that point, I am more than willing!  We read books and stack blocks.

 

6:49 AM – Back downstairs for breakfast.  I cook breakfast for myself, the Husband (who is still snoozing because he worked late last night), and Henry. 

 

7:02 – 7:15 AM – Henry and I eat breakfast outside.

Henry has blueberries and eggs with spinach.

It is really good!  I finish my plate and he nearly does, too.  He’s getting better at eating and putting the food in his mouth, not on his shirt.  Drinking, on the other hand, is still a work in progress…

7:15 AM – I feed the dogs and cat and change Pippa’s litter.  The Husband wakes up, kisses both of us hello, and starts getting ready for his day.

 

7:18 AM – I drag Henry’s big boy car seat into the living room to try to figure out how to put it into the car.  It takes me forever because the car seat is a convertible one, so it can be rear facing or forward facing, and the straps are super confusing. 

Eventually, at 7:45 AM, I have figured out the car seat and put it in my car.  Yay!

 

7:45 AM – Get dressed for the gym, change Henry out of his pajamas, and repack the diaper bag with diapers and formula.

8:00 – 8:10 AM – Commute to the gym.

 

8:13 AM – Drop Henry off at childcare and rush to spin class.  I am so happy to see my favorite bike is available!  I like to be in the front but on the end.  No one else seems to like my bike as much as I do, so it’s usually available.

The 45-minute class is really challenging and fun.  I’ve been going regularly enough so the instructor knows my name, and I’m starting to make friends in the class, too.  It’s nice.

 

9:00 AM – Wipe down my bike, grab my bag, and head to the locker room.  Change into my bathing suit, shower off my spin sweat, and jump in the pool.  Swim 1,000 yards.  I’m trying to do more double workouts.

9:49 AM – After changing, picking up Henry (who had a blast with his friends in childcare), and driving home, I arrive back at the house.  I spy a slice of leftover birthday cake (Happy 29th, Husband!) and eat it while standing in the kitchen.  Not the best post-workout fuel…

Kristien is working from home this morning, so he hangs out with Henry while I jump in the shower. 

 

10:15 AM – I make a huge peanut butter and protein smoothie and drink it while I put Henry down for his first nap.  Kristien leaves for work while I am upstairs.

10:34 AM – Come downstairs and start attacking my To Do List.  I answer over 30 emails, organize the clinic’s secretary’s schedule for the next week, order office supplies for the clinic, write an Operation Beautiful blog post, and interview someone for a freelance piece that I hope to write over the weekend.  I do social media for Ramblin Rose and send out a few e-mails.

 

12:00 AM – I finish my work just as Henry starts to stir….

GOOD MORNING!

 

12:10 PM – Henry has been changed and fed another bottle.  We spend some time playing in his room.  After a while, we go downstairs so we can play in the living room.

Once downstairs, Henry helps me clean the kitchen, which is trashed from the Husband’s birthday party.  We mop the floors, too, and organize laundry.

 

1 PM – DadHTP comes over for lunch!

I have quinoa, veggies, and beans, and Henry has beans and broccoli.

 

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM – More playtime (we play a lot!).  Eventually, we move the party outside to the deck so Henry can play in his ‘pool.’  Henry flips the full newborn bath tub over, which impresses me.  It’s heavy with all that water inside!

3:00 PM – I dry Henry off, change his clothes, and pack him into the car.  DadHTP and I run errands, Henry eats another bottle and falls asleep in the car for nap number 2, and then we go to playgroup.  I try to take Henry on one outing (besides the gym) every day… Fridays is swim class, which is my favorite day.  Today, however, he gets to interact with lots of other kiddos and climb all over a baby jungle gym.  He has lots of fun. 

 

4:45 PM – Commute home.  Do more chores while Henry hangs out nearby.  He’s pretty pooped from all the activity. 

 

5:30 PM – I cook dinner for Henry.  He has lentils mixed with hummus, broccoli, and blueberries.  He normally eats a greater wider of foods, but we’re going out of town on Saturday so the fridge is pretty bare.

I eat a snack…

And check work emails on my phone.  I hate to multi-task while I’m with Henry but – hey – sometimes it has to happen.

6:00 PM – We check the mail and open a few Amazon packages.  Yay – more diapers!

6:15 PM – We head upstairs to the TV room and hang out while I finish the Mad Men season 5 finale.  So good!  I’m almost caught up now to real time – just gotta find all the back episodes for season 6 somewhere online.  Henry has another bottle.

 

6:59 PM – Bath time! 

7:15 PM – Henry gets changed into his pajamas, has another bottle, and we cuddle until he falls asleep.  I hold him a bit longer than necessary. <3

 

7:39 PM – I come downstairs and work on Queen City Blogs with my brother-in-law Nick.  If you’re in the Charlotte area and are a blogger (big or small!), please join us!  We’re an awesome new group and do fun real-life meet-ups.

I also draft a proposal to provide social media services and finalize another contract.

 

9:15 PM – The Husband comes home – he’s had a really long shift.  We make dinner (I have a peanut butter sandwich and a salad) and talk about our days.  We half-watch The Hunger Games, too.

 

10:50 PM – I start thinking, “Why am I still awake?”  I go to bed.

 

11:11 PM – I’m still reading blogs on my iPhone.  What am I doing?!  I turn on Ambiance (my white noise app), note the time, and make a wish.  I wish for a good night’s sleep.

And at 6:00 AM… It all begins again!

 

So that’s a typical day in the life for me.  It’s fun to see how much Henry’s schedule has changed since he was 15 months old (Day In The Life – Fifteen Weeks, Part II, Part III).  A lot less napping – but longer naps! – and no pumping for me (thank goodness).  And no wake-ups at 2:40 AM (double thank goodness). 

 

I really like our little routine now.  I work an average of three to four hours a day six days a week, which for a stay-at-home mom, I’m pretty proud about.  Stepping back a bit has allowed me to be more present with Henry when we’re together, and I can throw myself more completely into work when I’m supposed to be working.  I do dread the day that he stops napping!  I don’t know what I’ll do!

 

What’s your day look like?