A Day in the Life 8.25.2011

I realized it’s been quite a while since I’ve done a “A Day in the Life” post – so I thought I’d do one yesterday.
I don’t glamorize anything, change anything, prep anything. That’s not the point. The point is just to capture my lovely little family just the way they are, doing what they do, on an ordinary boring day.
Oddly enough the day didn’t end up like most our days – so I’ll have to do it again when school starts. Normally we would have a doctors appointment, errands to run, phone calls to make, clients to get with, or lots of computer/photo work to do.
But, not yesterday. Yesterday was an ‘unplugged day’. Every once in a while the kids start watching and depending on the TV and video games and iPad a little too much for entertainment… they become bumps on a log and have temporary amnesia when it comes to remembering how to just play. So, when that happens – we have a couple unplugged days to help them remember that Sponge Bob and Team Umizoomie or what ever that show is, is not everything in life.

So yesterday started at 1:00 am. That’s right… 1AM

1:00a: I still haven’t fallen asleep yet. Jobee was sleeping for a little while but woke up about a half hour ago. I nursed her and now she is wide awake and so am I – with terribly sore boobs. This child has the worst latch ever and I can not correct it no matter what I try. I’ve decided to start cutting her to four day-feedings and one at night to help save my boobs! She just had her night feeding, so we shall see what happens from here. I have a few oz of juice in a bottle if things get desperate. Currently she is rolling from side to side and grabbing on to Karl’s arm and vying for his attention – all in vein seeing that he is out cold. Well, I guess we will try to get her back to sleep so I can too.

5:45a: YAY! the insane night of weaning the night before worked! That was the longest she has EVER slept at night! 4.5 hours! I gave her juice and she’s actually gone back to sleep!

9:00a: Evelyn comes in our bed and wakes everyone up. Interestingly enough, the night before was the worst sleep that anyone has ever gotten, with Evelyn going to bed at 1am because of the storm and Jobee having a massive protest fit until 3am because I wouldn’t nurse her and she’s teething. And then Ethan got up at 7:30am! But it paid off – because we actually slept in today! Probably the most sleep anyone has gotten in a year! Although, Karl is still trying everything he can to not wake up. Eventually Evelyn bothers him awake. He says he’s not feeling well.

9:33 I sit down at my computer to check email, look at Facebook, and all that fun stuff.

9:38 I think to check in with my Dad and see how mom is doing… I’m stalling because I’m just not ready to get moving yet. My mom’s recovering from her third brain/spinal surgery trying to correct a Chiari Malformation.

9:39 No reply – so I go check and see what the kids are doing. Karl has served them cereal in front of cartoons. (None of us are morning people – this is as good as it gets) They’re happily eating the special cereal that they each picked out from Aldi. Ethan’s special serial is a knock off of a peanut butter and chocolate crunch and Evelyn’s is cookies. They eat it with rice milk.

9:40 I go to take a picture of Karl and he’s not happy about it. He says he doesn’t feel good and doesn’t want his picture taken today. I told him it’s a “A Day in the Life” Day – he’s not happy about it. So, I take a picture of his hand instead ;)

9:41 Jobee starts her day off relaxing in her swing while every grump-butt in the house is still waking up. Olive is actually still sound asleep – so we let her sleep.

10:00a I jump in the shower to get ready for the day. I decided that I can’t remember if Jobee’s even had a bath in the last week – and throw her in with me. 10:18 this picture was taken. Jobee loves the water. Even the off spray from me showering doesn’t bother her as long as she has her little fishy to chew on. She’s so happy and bubbly in the morning! I don’t know how she does it.

10:25 Karl brings Jobee down while I get dressed. I come down to find them laying like this…. I’m thinking he might actually be sick. Olive gets up, gets a cup of instant breakfast to eat while I go get Jobee dressed and ready to eat.

10:37 I pick out some jarred baby food for Jobee because we’re out of her home-made stuff in the freezer. All I have in the freezer right now is turkey and peas… not going to give that to her. So, Beech Nut it is. Jobee is being a ham and takes 15 minutes to eat a third of the Jar. I’m thinking she’s not all that hungry and  move on to Olive.

10:50 Olive has learned to make the silliest faces when the camera comes out.

10:55 Olive is a quick eater. She eats a whole bowl of baby food mixed with applesauce in about 5 minutes. I send the kids off to pick out their clothes and get themselves dressed while I feed Olive.

11:10 I load the first card from shooting today and I instruct the kids to start picking up their dirty PJs and put them in the laundry room. Judging from their first responses, I have a feeling it’s going to be an up-hill battle to get them to help around the house today. While the card is loading I go pick out Olive’s clothes for the day, get her changed, and do both girls’ hair. Olive’s is easy because we just chopped it off! I just put a little clip in it and we’re done!

11:06 Alright, time to ‘feed’ the Mama. I don’t really like real food in the morning so I drink my “Energy Drink”. It doesn’t actually have any caffeine in it or any stimulant. It’s basically just flavoring and a ton of B vitamins. Karl and I have been drinking these A LOT lately to keep up our energy and I’ve heard B vitamins help fight off depression – so I drink it for that too. I play around on the computer for a while because I know I have the whole house full of chores ahead of me and don’t want to do it. I nurse Jobee too.

11:45 I finally get moving, switch a load of laundry over, put a new one in, and pull the clothes out of the dryer. I ask the kids, who want to be my laundry helper? “I DOOOO!” They say.

12:00 It doesn’t last long, we’re just getting done with the first basket and Olive and Evelyn are already pretending to be asleep.

12:05 Ethan hears the giggling from the other room and can’t help but come join in the fun. I go off to do a few more things around the house.

12:13 I peek in to see why the girls are quiet. Evelyn is rocking on the rocking horse. That horse use to be mine. I remember rocking on it all of the time at my grandma’s house when I was Evelyn’s age. I go check on Karl and Jobee… and this is what I find. Both of them sleeping on the couch…

12:20 I continue to move around the house picking up and the kids are playing. Ethan is trying to get Evelyn to join his “epic battle” with swords and armor. But, she is still riding her horsey with her baby. With enough nagging he wins and she joins him. Olive stays in her room practicing sorting shapes in to her honey pot. Meanwhile I carry a load of laundry up stairs to my room to put it away and strip the beds.

12:54 I notice that my hips are really starting to hurt… so I take some tylenol. I have been popping A LOT of this lately due to my hips. I went to my Doctor about it and he sent me off for hip x-rays. According to the nurse they came back normal, but the doctor is on vaca and he’ll contact me when he gets back….

1:01 I figure that I should get lunch started. I’m not sure what to make, so I decide on my quicky stir fry with home made sauce. Instant rice, pre-canned stir-fry veggies, two cut up chicken breasts, and my special sauce. It’s good. I get it on the table in about 25 minutes. We talk about how kitties take a bath, how Ethan can blow off his food inside of his mouth and unfortunately Olive gets in trouble for pulling handfuls of rice out of her bowl and smearing them on the table. Ethan declares it’s “the best lunch ever!”

2:06 After we’ve all lingered around the table for a little while everyone gets down with full bellies. But, Miss Evelyn decides that she would like a few more bites of Mom’s bowl before she’s all done. She’s such a good eater – now if we could only get Ethan to try some new things too!

2:22 Karl would normally have left for work by now. But, is feeling really awful and goes to lay back down on the couch. The kids and I decide to go check and see if we’ve grown on our growth chart. Ethan and Evelyn have grown just a very little bit in the last 6 weeks, so we don’t make a new one for them. But, Olive has grown an inch! I thought she was looking taller…. she’s officially an inch taller than Evelyn.

The kids have a spontaneous play slap fight?

Jobee is finally strong enough to hold herself erect with a little help – so we decide it’s time for Jobee to get marked on her line of the growth chart! It’s adorable to see her little half pint self marked on the wall. The chart is four cartoony looking trees… you can’t really tell from the picture. One for each kid… Didn’t think about what I’d do if we add another! oops!

2:25 I head back down stairs…. and realize how much work I have ahead of me. This is the lovely mess that has adorned the whole house. The front room…

The play room…

The kitchen… But I decide it can wait. My hips are killing me, so I decide to just sit for a while and work on editing images.

3:30 I finally get the motivation to get moving and corral the kids to help me clean up the house. Karl is still resting on the couch, so we have a lot to do in an hour before friends come over!

4:20 Our friends show up! It’s Mama Kasey, Simon, and Amelia! While Kasey and I are talking, the boys take it upon themselves to start playing the Wii. I have to remind them that it’s an unplugged day, they can play one round, and then we were leaving to go to the park so Karl could rest with Jobee in a quiet house.

4;39 we’re finally making our way to the park. Olive is being a total pain about walking and won’t walk unless someone is actively encouraging her to do so and looking at her at the same time. Simon is a super-great helper and takes it upon himself to be Olive’s helper. He does a wonderful job keeping her motivated… and when she’s being stubborn he carried her!

We stopped at my friend Angela’s house on the way to see if she would want to join our parade of children at the park just down the block. I’m not normally a stop-by kind of person – but I’m glad we did because eventually her group of five joined our group of 6! It took us nearly 40 minutes to move our child-train 3.5 blocks! But we finally got there!

Miss Olive was so pooped from all the walking that she spent a lot of the time just sitting on the grass observing. I couldn’t blame her, we were tired too and did a lot of the same!

Mama Kasey, Olive, Amelia and Simey.

Olive.

Angela’s beautiful blue eyed baby Axel.

Just part of our whole group. (L to R: Ethan, Evelyn, Olive, Me with my big butt in the air, Sam, Angela, Axel and center bottom Tess)

6:12 We pack up and head back towards home. Olive jumped in Angela’s stroller (thank Goodness!) for most of the way and Tess carried the walker for us. It was much easier trekking home! And of course below is me checking my phone while Kasey plays with the camera. iPhones can be a good and a bad thing. Good for business – not always good because your business goes with you every where!

When we get back to the house, our friends have to leave because they have dinner plans with their grandma and we find that Julie DeGraaf has come over while we were out!

6:30 I hassle Julie that I am going to take a picture of her despite her protest, because that’s what I’m doing today, and she DOES look beautiful and not to worry about it. She feeds baby Jobee a little juice and her favorite little person Evelyn sticks close by. I think to myself that I need to get dinner going, but really don’t want to make anything. Pizza it is!

7:30 Jobee works on sitting. Isn’t she the cutest! Olive works on standing from the center of the room with no assistance. I’ll put a video of that up soon! She’s really starting to get better at it! I’d really like it if Olive was a proficient walker by this winter. It will make our lives a whole lot easier. I wanted that for her (us) this past winter, but that was a no-go. So, hopefully she’ll get it by this one!

8:43 Dinner’s done, Julie had to leave, and we finally get the kids down for bed ( a little later than the normal 8:30).

8:50 Karl and I turn the TV on, sit on the couch with Jobee, and settle in for the rest of the night. I am SO pooped from the day. It’s hard pulling double duty when hubby is sick! The rest of the night consists of playing on the computer, watching a movie about a run-a-way train, and trying to get Jobee to stop fussing and go to sleep. We finally get to sleep around 12:30am. It’s been a full day!