This ‘day in the life’ was a lot harder to document than prior ones. My hands are full these days and it was a little complicated to juggle the toddler, newborn, and camera. I was really surprised when I uploaded everything and found I had more photos to share than I did from any of the other days. And as I was editing the photos, I was glad… once again… that I took the time to do this.
November 10, 2014 [Colin is 23 months, Jillian is 5 weeks]
The day began with a BANG. Literally. Well, actually, it was more of a THUD. I could see Jillian was waking up, sweetly smiling at me from beside the bed [she loves sleeping in the rock & play]. My mind was foggy… was that the neighbors?…. could Colin have jumped out of his crib?…
I ran to Colin’s room… and found him WALKING AROUND. Very much NOT IN HIS CRIB. My stomach was in a knot as I reassured myself that he was ok. There were no tears. And a big smile on his face, clearly quite proud of his new skill. [I love Colby Jack in the corner thinking “well, shoot… now what are we going to do with him?]
Oh, but that THUD was so loud. The feeling of panic stuck with me as I started making breakfast. Jillian sat in her swing while Colin devoured his banana & waffles.
After breakfast, we moved right into our first tantrum of the day. I wish there was a logical reason for this meltdown, but if you have a toddler, you know they are completely absurd. It started with screaming because he wanted me to leave the carton of milk on the counter, instead of putting it away in the fridge. After this it rapidly deteriorated into on-the-floor-hysterics because I wouldn’t let him unroll the paper towels.
I moved to the couch to feed Jillian and announced that we’d be watching Bubble Guppies. That’s usually enough to end the tantrum. Milk & paper towels quickly forgotten, he ran over to join us for an episode. After I nursed Jill, I laid her down for a diaper change and, per usual, Colin took that as an invitation to climb RIGHT NEXT TO HER HEAD.
He is really gentle with her, but he is a toddler with questionable control over his limbs, so I’m always on high alert. Much like our watch dog, Colby Jack [below].
Colby stays in that position for most of the day, keeping an eye on the neighborhood. Although this time I think he was looking for his Grandpa [he’d just left after a week-long visit]. Grandpa Terry is his favorite.
Next, we head upstairs to get dressed and kickoff Laundry Day. Except I didn’t let Colin take the laundry detergent into his bedroom, which obviously meant another tantrum.
Jill waited patiently for her brother to pull it together so we could get on with our day.
Since it was sunny, I thought it would be a good morning to take the kids to the park. We were shocked to find that we had the park to ourselves. Perhaps people here think 50 degrees is too cold to go outside? [meanwhile, my Minnesota friends would have their kids out there in swimsuits!]
Colin still ADORES the swings. He was thrilled that he didn’t have to share them and could swing AS LONG AS HE WANTED!
After swinging. And swinging. More swinging. I tried to make a peaceful exit. [haha!] Whenever it comes time to leave the park & get into a car seat, the strength of my not-quite-two-year-old amazes me. KID, CAN YOU STOP ACTING LIKE I AM KIDNAPPING YOU AND JUST SIT NICELY IN YOUR CAR SEAT? Oh, and how about a ‘thank you, momma, for the hours of fun?’
After lunch I put Colin down for a nap. Jill and I enjoyed some one-on-one play time until she passed out on my lap. Pure sweetness. I soaked up the stillness & quiet, worn out from a morning of intermittent tantrums. I read my kindle, baby on my lap, until Colin woke up.
Thank goodness there was no THUD of escape, but instead happy babbles from the crib. I love how a nap can reset the day. [nap time, I love you. don’t ever leave me.]
Hoping to soak up even more sunshine, I decided to take the kids & Colby on a walk around the neighborhood. Honestly, I knew I couldn’t handle the two kids, the dog, carry a package to the post office, AND take photos, so I left the camera at home. But I snapped this shot before we headed out the door… Colin loves to peek into the car seat and check on Jill.
Next up: dinnertime. I put Jill in her swing and let Colin watch another episode of Bubble Guppies so that I could make dinner [I rely on my meal plan for quick/easy meals!]
After dinner, we played in the living room, supervised by Colby. Daddy called to let us know he had to stay late at work and to say goodnight to Colin.
Our bedtime routine looks a little crazy right now. I mentioned before that our bathroom is being remodeled and it’s taking MUCH longer than expected [isn’t that always the case with house projects?]. What was supposed to be a 3-4 day project has been 3-4 weeks. Meanwhile, we are using the guest shower in our basement. It’s a little complicated for the kiddos- Colin LOVES baths, but HATES showers. And our baby bath tub doesn’t fit into our sinks in this house so I have to sponge bathe Jillian.
Here are her tiny little toes, as I bathe her next to our kitchen sink…
We always end the night with bedtime stories. I was looking for a place to set my camera and use the timer for a photo. As I was looking, Colin hopped up into the chair by himself. He was sitting so sweetly, waiting for me to read to him. I snapped a quick photo, put my camera aside, and joined him for some snuggles. He may challenge me with his new terrible-two tantrums, but he also has many sweet moments.
In case you’re curious, all photos were taken with my Canon 5DMarkiii & 35mm f/1.4 lens.
Want to see more days in our life? Check out a day in September, another in May or one from January.
