day in the life Archives - Montessori-ish Mom

Day in the Life – 11 1/2 Months

September 22, 2017 8 Comments

Good morning and happy Friday!

I realized I hadn’t done one of these posts since James was 9 1/2 months – I’m sure you’ve been on the edge of your seats wondering what we’ve been up to 😉 Just kidding, but I do like to capture these moments to look back on.

This was our Monday.

Per my September goals, I set my alarm for 5:30. I got up, poured some homemade cold brew and started working on a project for James’s birthday. I’m working on editing a bunch of the videos we’ve taken this year and putting them together for a birthday video. It’s been really fun to re-watch the old videos and also to learn how to use the program (I’m using VideoPad and it is free and super easy to use).

James woke up at 6:25 and talked happily to himself in his bed. After a few minutes I went to greet him, always one of my favorite times of the day. He gives the best hugs when he wakes up.

We played in his room for a while and then went to eat breakfast. I don’t have any breakfast pictures because I hadn’t decided to do this post yet, but he ate (5!) homemade banana mini muffins and a hard-boiled egg, a new favorite. He would normally eat fruit too, but we really need to go to the grocery store and are all out.

Right after breakfast, we go for a stroller run. I knew it would be a busy day and we likely wouldn’t have time later, plus it would be really hot.

You guys, this run was not the best. It was super humid out (not normal for Austin) and my stomach was cramping up. I think I need to drink more water in the mornings before I run. Still, we ran three miles and it felt great to get it done.

The only thing I don’t like about stroller running is the inability to shower right away when I get home. I went to wash my face (love my current rose face wash, it smells so good!) and James followed me into the bathroom and decided to play in the bathtub for a while. Whatever works little buddy.

We then played in my room so I could at least change out of my sweaty clothes. James rearranged the books for us – thanks buddy.

He always gets out this Sitting Still Like a Frog book and wants me to read it to him. It does look like it would be a kids’ book, but it’s really a book of mindfulness exercises for children and he is always disappointed lol (it is a good book though).

We eventually move into the living room. I clean out the fridge while he plays with tupperware. I then start to roll out my injured foot with a lacross ball – I am super bad about doing this, but it really helps when I do. James decides the ball looks way too interesting and we roll it back and forth instead. Oh well.

It’s almost nap time so we go sit in the backyard for a few minutes and sing some quiet songs. I find this really helps him unwind before naps.

I change his diaper, read him Global Baby Bedtimes and Flip, Flap, Fly, sing him a song and put him in his bed around 9:20. We’re using this HALO Sleep Sack for naps lately and I love the length, it should fit him for awhile! It does run big though, we got a large at first and had to exchange for a medium, and James is really tall.

I finally took a quick shower and then started cooking some chickpeas and writing this post. I also sent some emails for my sister’s upcoming bachelorette party, which is coming up and I’m super excited about!

James woke up around 10:15. I nursed him and we got ready to go to Trader Joe’s for the week. We had been hoping to meet up with some friends at the Wildflower Center, but sadly James and his little buddy are on opposite nap schedules and it didn’t work out, so grocery shopping it was!

I was SO bummed that they didn’t have the cold brew I mentioned last week! I was assured it was just out of stock, not discontinued, so fingers crossed….

We got home just in time for James to eat lunch. I almost always eat lunch with him, but I wasn’t hungry yet and also wanted to get the groceries put away, so I did that while he ate today.

He ate a super random lunch of peas, healthier mashed potatoes (made with olive oil and greek yogurt), black beans, zucchini fritters, and part of a peach. He is a hungry little guy!

I ate a little later while he played and crawled around the living room (spinach, brown rice, chick peas, carrots, hemp seeds, and tahini dressing). I had never had this brand of kombucha before and I loved it, it’s my new favorite.

We read books and sang songs (and climbed furniture…) until it was time for his afternoon nap at 1:30.

While he slept, I made another batch of kale salad for the week, did the dishes and some general cleaning and wrote some more of this post. I also started researching how to introduce whole milk to babies when they turn one – any tips?

Some light reading with a side of bed head

James woke up around 2:45. I went to greet him and he seemed a little grumpy for some reason, but we made the best of it. I nursed him and we played in his room for a while. He still seemed grumpy and I decided to try giving him an afternoon snack.

He’s in kind of a weird place where he seems to be starving by dinner time, but is not always interested in an afternoon snack. Today, he was all about it though!

He ate chickpeas and we shared the rest of his peach from earlier. (I tried to start daily afternoon smoothies at one point, but the blender seems to be his #1 fear in life, so we’re taking a break from that.)

After that it was pool time! We put away his little pool when there was a big storm and never got it back out so he hadn’t played in there in weeks. He was loving it today.

I set up a blanket right next to the pool so he could climb in and out when he wanted and he had a blast. It was so fun watching his excitement. This was definitely the best part of my day.

We eventually moved back inside and played in the playroom until my husband got home from work. We were having leftovers for dinner, so I quickly assembled everything and we ate together.

Salmon, pasta, avocado, butternut squash, broccoli

After dinner was the normal bathtime, nursing, and Goodnight Moon. James has only wanted like 5 minute baths lately for some reason. He doesn’t mind getting in the tub, but starts climbing out after few minutes.

After he went to bed at 7, I poured a glass of wine and we watched a couple of episodes of Bloodline on Netflix. We just started it, but I am totally hooked!

We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but it was a really good day.

What was the best day you had this week?

What’s your favorite part of a normal week day?

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Day in the Life

Day In the Life – Weekend Edition

June 14, 2017 4 Comments

Happy Wednesday 🙂

I realized none of the DITL posts I’ve done have been about weekends, so decided to capture a Saturday this time.

We were supposed to have a friend come stay with us this weekend, but he sadly got strep throat and had to cancel, so we had zero plans all weekend.

Saturday morning I woke up at 6:15, followed shortly by the little buddy at 6:25. It looked beautiful outside, so I decided to take him for an early morning walk. Now that the summer heat is in full swing here, I’ve been trying to get out earlier in the day. I actually love hot weather, but don’t want to keep the little guy out for too long in the mid day heat.

It was a really beautiful quiet morning, with traces of pink still in the sky. We saw cardinals, mockingbirds, blue jays, and lots of mourning doves while we were out.

When we got home, I nursed him and then we played in his room for a while. I felt his gum to see if his first tooth had poked through, but not quite yet! It feels like it’s close; there is a definite little bump. Eventually, it was time for breakfast. He ate his favorite oatmeal, and I ate a grown up version.

He almost always eats breakfast in his weaning chair, but I scrubbed it thoroughly yesterday and want to add another coat of natural wood finish before he uses it again. I’m hoping another coat will seal it better and make it easier to clean.

I usually leave his pajamas on until after breakfast since oatmeal is messy and he would just have to change clothes again anyway.

It is still really nice out, so we have play time in the backyard after breakfast. He is fascinated by the grass and loves to crawl around in it.

He sees an ant and gets a huge grin as he tries to chase it down.

His Dad wakes up and comes out to join us – the fun continues!

After a while, James is getting tired and it is time to get ready for a nap. We read The Napping House in his new reading nook and he goes to sleep.

I didn’t sleep that well the night before and am feeling a little lethargic, but really want to go for a run while he naps. My injured foot was bothering me last week and I hadn’t run all week. So glad I went! I felt a little slow to start with, but ended up having a great run. I don’t have a working Garmin right now, so I’m not sure how far I went, but somewhere between 4-5 miles.

I listened to my Austin Marathon playlist from a few years ago. It’s a super random mix of my favorite songs from throughout my life. Highlights include John Michael Montgomery’s Cowboy Love from one of my first cds in 4th grade, our wedding song by Jackie Greene, and lots of Eminem. Each song reminds me of a different time in my life and I love it.

When I get home, I hear James right away – apparently he did not have a good nap (told you I would jinx it!) I take a quick shower and play time resumes.

James is in a pretty good mood despite his short nap and we all play with random stuff around the living room and kitchen. Really, mostly my husband plays with him while I sit and watch. I’m feeling tired and chugging both water and cold brew coffee.

James nurses again and a little while later I make him lunch.

He eats a pancake (I made a big batch last weekend and now have a bunch in the freezer), scrambled eggs with spinach and onion, and roasted sweet potatoes.

My husband starts up the grill while James is eating and James stared out the window in a trance – he loves watching his Dad!

After cleaning up lunch and a little more play time, it is time for nap #2. I work on this post while he sleeps and enjoy the delicious smells coming from the grill outside.

I failed to take a picture because we were trying to eat quickly before James woke up, but we ate delicious burgers and a salad I made with spinach, baby kale, strawberries, and honey goat cheese – so good. I’m not really into restaurant burgers, but love burgers straight off the grill!

The little guy woke up right before 1:00 and was ready for more play time! My husband played with him while I talked to my sister on the phone (mostly about our upcoming Disney World trip…SO excited). I heard periodic squeals and bursts of laughter from the other room and it made my heart so happy.

When I got off the phone it was time to nurse James again and then we were ready for some more outside time. It was a cloudy day and not so unbearably hot as it has been some days so we took full advantage. We headed to the backyard for some splashing in the kiddie pool, one of my favorite things lately.

We spent quite a while out there and then it was time for one more nap for James. He’s in the midst of the 3-2 nap transition and it just depends on the day, but since he hadn’t had any long naps today he needed a third one. He fell asleep almost immediately at 3:05 so apparently that splash time wore him out!

I raced out to do some top-secret fathers day errands and got home a little after he woke up.

I nursed him again and then we had a little more play time in the new playroom. The playroom is not finished, it’s just an empty room with a rug and a couch, but he already seems to love playing in there. As he wants to explore more and more, it’s nice to have another space that is set up for him.

Soon it’s time for me to make his dinner. He has part of one of the burgers my husband grilled, avocado toast, green beans, and watermelon. Dinner takes a LONG time today, which is unusual for him, but he seems really into eating his food, just slowly.

He particularly likes the avocado toast and, of course, the watermelon.

Because dinner took so long, we divide and conquer and I clean up dinner while my husband does bath time. James’s hair brush is one of his favorite things to play with at the moment.

Then it’s time to nurse James one more time, wrestle him into pjs, read him Goodnight Moon, and sing him Forever Young one more time for the day.

He is in bed at 6:15 and passes out almost immediately; I don’t hear a single sound after I leave the room.

Despite not taking good naps today, James was in the BEST mood all day, constantly laughing, and it was a really fun day.

After he’s in bed, we eat random leftovers for dinner and I drink wine and eat ice cream while we watch a new to us show (Red Oak – only okay so far). I then pass out myself, so tired and so happy.

What was your Saturday like?

Day in the Life

Day in the Life – 5.5 Months

March 17, 2017 2 Comments

Good morning! I hope you’ve had a great week and are looking forward to something fun this weekend. I’m hoping to do a day in the life post once a month, so I can remember what life was like at each little stage. This was our day on Tuesday.

I woke up at 5:20. James was squirming, but not crying or anything. I fed him so that he would go back to sleep for a little longer. He stayed half asleep while he ate and then went back to bed.

While he slept, I ate breakfast, drank coffee, and then did a 30 minute Barre3 workout (<- referral link). One thing I like about Barre3 is that you can select a whole workout, or just choose 10 minute segments, so I don’t have to worry about him waking up and needing me in the middle of the workout. This time I did get to finish the whole thing though and it felt great! I don’t always feel like doing it, but I feel so much better when I get a workout in first thing in the morning.

James started squirming again at 6:59 – perfect timing. I feel like it works best when he wakes up around 7. When he wakes up earlier, he’s still super sleepy all morning and when he wakes up much later, he doesn’t take good naps. I give him some time to wake up while I unload and load the dishwasher.

I used to go in immediately when I heard him, but have started trying to give him at least ten minutes or so to wake up first. He almost always wakes up in a happy mood in the morning and rolls around and talks to himself. I hope having time in there alone helps him feel comfortable and safe in his room as he gets older. I am also a major introvert and feel like I’d be heavily annoyed if someone came in and started talking to me right when I opened my eyes every morning 🙂

As a side note, I wish the baby monitor took pictures / videos. Does anyone know if this is a thing? I feel like it should be, I’d buy it. He is too cute squirming around in there and chatting up a storm.

We have a new favorite morning tradition. After I greet him and we snuggle for a few minutes, we go sit outside on the back patio. This has been a different experience since daylight savings, but I figured he is never outside when it’s dark, so maybe it’s interesting? I love all of the morning sounds and there is something so nice about getting outside first thing. I know it puts me in a good mood anyway. Sometimes we sing songs out there and sometimes we just listen and enjoy the stillness.

Today it is just starting to get light and the moon is out. I think this may be the first time James has seen the moon, which makes me really appreciate all of the wonder of such a beautiful morning. It was a little chilly, so I put on his cozy fox hat – I can hardly even handle the cuteness. We sit out there until he starts to get antsy and then I change his diaper and get him dressed for the day.

We go in to say good morning to his Dad – always a highlight of the morning.

After snuggling and playing in our bed for a while, I feed James and then he plays in front of his mirror. He has been initiating wrestling matches with his blankets lately and it is highly amusing to watch. I sit next to him and read about the upcoming milestones to expect in a baby development book until he wants attention.

I hold him upright while he bounces – his absolute favorite activity of the moment! I feel like he has very little interest in practicing sitting up because he just wants to MOVE. Bouncing is much more his speed.

He is getting sleepy eyes so we sit in the glider while I read him “Polar Bear Polar Bear, What do you Hear?”. I then turn on the white noise, sing him a song (Forever Young – our goodnight song), and put him in his sleep sack for his nap at about 9:10.

While he naps, I work on my Baby Sign Language post and this post. I also clean the kitchen, dining area, and living room. Yikes, I need to work on cleaning the floors more often before he starts crawling!

James woke up a little after 11. I fed him and we set out on the day’s adventure! My husband was working from home today, so he joined us for lunch.

His favorite taco place (Taco Deli) is right next door to my favorite juice / smoothie place (Juiceland), so it works out perfectly. They also have outdoor seating, which gives the little guy a lot more to look at. We go here probably once a week.

When we got home, James had some play time before his afternoon nap.

He goes back and forth between two and three naps these days. When he takes a long morning nap, he often only takes one afternoon nap. This is especially true on days like today where he is in the car / on our laps for a lot of his awake time and hasn’t gotten to roll around get his energy out.

He napped from about 2:30-3:30 and then we sat in the backyard again for a little while. It was seriously beautiful out today. He played a little more while I folded laundry.

I fed him and when my husband was done with work, we went for a long family walk.

Today was the first time we put him in the stroller without his car seat / converter. He’s been really squirmy in his car seat lately so I looked up when he could go in the stroller without it…8 weeks. Whoops. #newmomfail. He seemed much happier in the stroller this way so I’m excited to hopefully be able to take some longer walks!

After our walk, James played some more and then we took his 24 week pictures…hard to believe!

Then is was bath time…one of his and my favorite times of the day. After plenty of bath time fun, I fed him, gave him a massage and we all read Goodnight Moon together before putting him to bed. I seriously love this stage. It was a great Tuesday.