From Hayley up to Mommy Down

So the traditional line is sun up to sun down, but since we are heading into longer daylight hours, neither part of that description would describe our "day". Like many mommy bloggers (and others too really), I thought it would be fun/entertaining to do a post of our day in pictures. Also, it will probably make you feel better about your day (or at least more sane if you feel alone in the throes of mommyhood). I follow several wonderful mommy bloggers. Unfortunately, they're also mostly Martha Stewart types. (Thank God Martha didn't have a handle on EVERYthing in her life!), and while they inspire me, they also make me feel a bit like I'm living on the wrong planet. So, maybe this post is really just for me so I can see something published that I can relate to. But, maybe, it's also for you. Join me for a day on Planet Chaos.

Warning: These pictures may contain dirty (no really, dirt might be there) images. I have a cat, a dog, a husband, and a baby. My house can be messy, even if I am cleaning it. It just makes way for new messes. I hope you can relate. 

 

 6:28 am: Hark! The gentle crib-kicking and squealing sounds of my precious little girl. I am not exaggerating...I had a visitor at the house and she sweetly said, "I know you have a six-month old, and who else am I hearing upstairs?" To which I had to sheepishly reply, "That IS my six month old. We call her the Hayl-storm."  Anyway, this isn't a HORRIBLE wakeup time, unless of course your child didn't sleep until 11 pm and was up at 3 am. So my hopes of starting my day before she got up went straight to the trash, along with the delightful diaper I found her squirming in when I walked into the room. And so it starts.

8:00 am: It's time for a workout while she naps. As if all I just did wasn't workout enough. Quick recap: messy diaper; changing a baby while she's kicking, trying to crawl, and rolling; downstairs in time to see a very relieved Daddy head off to work as he shouts "Good luck!"; jumperoo while I make her oatmeal and peaches; highchair while she blows bubbles as she eats; floor time while Mommy cleans bottles (most frequent activity in my life), and floor time means getting into everything so constant pulling away from danger is needed; swing for a minute with a teether while Mommy FINALLY has time to gulp some water (forget breakfast); and then a bottle and a nap. Anyway, now I'm ready to hit it with Jillian. Really, for someone who hates working out, this is a fun workout. Still, that's like having the best root canal you've ever had or the best load of laundry you've ever done.

9:50 am:  Snuck in a shower after workout and half a cup of lukewarm coffee. I'd like to tell you that my morning snack was a banana or yogurt, but today it was a brownie. Hey, I worked out! Since it's raining, I'm feeling lazy, and the only people we'll see today are Target mommies and a good mommy friend with two boys, my attire is a jersey tunic and leggings. And wet hair. Because who has time to blowdry?? She's up again...here we go.

12:30 pm: Just finished a lovely chat with a good friend (sometimes called my twin. True to form, we dressed alike today). Hayley was good for most of her visit, though a bit fussy. A walk, followed by a bottle and nap allowed us to have a good talk though. Now I'm cramming in a quick lunch of a turkey wrap and rice cake chips. And water. I always forget to drink water. I'm also getting my list and coupons ready for Mommy Mecca aka Target. Good sales this week, which is nice when you are spending someone else's money (thanks hubby!). Oh yeah, and must think of something for dinner. Preferably something easy that appears to take a lot of work. (The slow cooker is my BFF.) That way, I can actually finish it and impress the man without having to stress. Hmm...thawed homemade soup and fancy sandwiches!

2:40 pm: Back from Target. She loves her newfound freedom of riding in the cart (not in a carseat), so she enjoyed the trip. I grabbed several storage totes along with our baby and big people groceries, so my cart was filled to the max (and I still had to carry two totes). Plus, I had a baby. This led to several kind folks asking if I could manage to my car, a few more staring as they passed, and me demonstrating my talent luck in getting it all safely to the car. Basically the people offering help were politely saying "Honey, you look like a mess. Let me help." Ah well. Back for a bottle and NOT a nap. Although tired, her teeth decided to keep her from sleeping. Which prompted me to brew another cup of coffee and munch on a few strawberries with Nutella. Mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Also, I did get a 15 minute nap in before we headed to Target. Trying to scrounge up some energy wherever I can!

The blurriness of this photo is one example of the awful phone I had to substitute for this post.

4:58 pm: Still no nap thanks to those teeth. She's going on four hours of awake time now. Yikes. Now we are up against an awkward period...if she naps now, bedtime will be stretched, but it's also dinner time...and she's had almost all her bottles for the day. Fun. Luckily, it has cleared up outside so we can go for another walk to kill some time. Good thing I planned on an easy dinner. For now, she's sitting in her swing gnawing on celery. Waiting on Daddy to get home (puh-lease don't let today be a late night for him)...

5:46 pm: Thank the Lord. A 33 minute nap and now Daddy's home. Dinner for Hayley: cereal and sweet potato apricot. Yum? She likes it. Next up is playtime with Daddy and a small run to the store (alone) for Mommy.

The aftermath of bathtime (add).

7:50 pm: A walk for Hayley, shopping trip for Mommy, a bath & a change into PJs, a dose of Advil for teething, and a bottle later, and she is still awake. Trying so very hard to rest, but her teeth are agonizing her. Let's cross our fingers that the Advil works!

8:25 pm: Finally. Sleep. Two exhausted parents collapse on the couch to tune out to mindless TV. Tonight it's Bones, How I Met Your Mother, and The Voice. All on DVR (no commercials).

11:00 pm: Holy cow. It's late. Off to bed.


And there you have it. Our not-so-perfect-but-completely-real day.


The reason for the shoddy photos (and not many including Hayley) is because this weekend I ruined my phone and had to resort to powering up an old (and really awful) phone. 

Added note: I got my replacement phone running the next day so I did add a few additional photos. Marked with (add).

Another added note: I found this article http://socialtimes.com/pinterest-causes-stress-among-moms-survey-finds_b126789 on Pinterest and blogs causing stress for those who feel less than perfect. I think my post will help cure you of that. It may also help to know I wrote this a couple weeks back and forgot to post it. You're welcome.