Life These Days

I have been back to work for two weeks now, and we've developed somewhat of a routine with our family of four. The mornings and evenings still tend to be a bit unpredictable with sleep schedules, toddler tantrums, and hold-ups at work, but we are surviving! Here is what a typical week has looked like so far....

Although I set my alarm for 5AM, only once in the last 10 workdays has Eli slept until then. We have typically been getting up any time between 2AM and 4AM for a nighttime feeding. These feedings are fairly quick as Eli has become more focused and efficient while nursing. Sometimes I do a diaper change, but other times, I put my faith in the nighttime diapers and he is back in his crib in under 30 minutes. 

I am usually able to go back to sleep pretty easily until that 5AM alarm. Some mornings I have squeezed in a DVD workout before hopping in the shower and getting myself ready. Boomer gets up during this time and also gets ready. Then he wakes Emmy around 6AM. He takes care of getting her dressed and brushing her teeth before they head downstairs. I join them downstairs to finish any final prep and packing for the day. My mom arrives around 6:30AM before we all head out the door. It is quite an early morning for everyone, but both Boomer and I have to be at our schools by 7:30AM, so it generally means driving to work as the sun is rising. I am so thankful that my mom comes over to our house so that we don't have to rouse Eli from his crib. There have been a couple of mornings when Eli was awake when my mom arrived, but generally he is still sleeping. If he is sleeping, then my mom will stay at our house until he wakes up. They are usually heading to her house between 8AM and 9AM, where they spend the rest of the day. I love getting pictures from my parents throughout the day. Eli gets a lot of exercise from tummy time and his music ring mobile. 

Grammy has also introduced Eli to new things, like reading...

...and going for walks around the neighborhood. 

If Grammy has any errands that day, Eli will tag along and take his nap in the car seat. If they are at home, he takes his naps in the pack-n-play, wrapped up tightly in a swaddle. 

In the afternoons, Grandpa will often get big sister Emmy from daycare around 3:30PM. It is so helpful to only make one stop to pick up both kids. On a particularly pretty day, Emmy joined Eli and Grammy on a walk around the neighborhood. Luckily Grammy has a double stroller just for this reason. She has all the toys and gadgets!  

On some occasions, it is a full house at Grammy and Grandpa's in the afternoons, with cousins Zander and Maddox there, too. The cousins play pretty well together until all the Mommies and Daddies get off work. 

Speaking of work, things at East Surry have been going well! I've received such a warm welcome back from my coworkers and my students, and I am adjusting to being a working, nursing mom again. I feel like I am often multitasking and rushing from one thing to the other since pumping twice during the work day requires a total halt to any productivity. I am currently pumping around 9:30AM and 12:30PM. I have luckily found two different places that are conveniently located to the teacher workroom where I then store my pumped milk in a small cooler in the refrigerator. The locations (a storage closet and an empty classroom) are far from glamorous, but they do the trick.  

In addition to pumping twice during the workday, I am also pumping on the way to and from school. When I arrive home, my front seat and back seat are full: the back seat with kiddos and then the front seat with all of my gear. The unloading process is a bit daunting, but I make quick work of getting everything inside and prepped for the next day. 

Dinner has been a bit tricky. I haven't quite figured out how to work an 8-hour workday and still have a home-cooked, nutritious meal on the table by 6PM. Our dinners are somewhat spontaneous and sometimes decided via text messages just minutes beforehand. Currently we have rotated between a few of our favorite fast food restaurants. On Friday, we had dinner with Grammy and Grandpa at Big Burger Spot. I did cook at home one night, which was worth documenting. 

The time after dinner and before bedtime passes quickly in a whirlwind of dishes, laundry, baths, and diaper changes. Boomer and I divide and conquer all the tasks, and we have fallen in to a pretty smooth rhythm to be as efficient as possible. We joke that having two kids means you never get to sit down ever again! My mom has been giving Eli his baths during the day, usually twice a week (such a big help!), so that leaves only one kiddo to bathe. We bathe Emmy every other day. She loves the time to play with her bath toys and make-up silly conversations between them. 

Then it's my favorite time of the day, when Emmy and I read together in her room. Her favorite books continue to be the Fancy Nancy books that we get from the library, as well as her Little Red Riding Hood puzzle book. Tonight, she threw me a curveball by pulling out one of her old favorites, Richard Scary's The Greatest Little Word Book Ever. Despite it being months since we last read it, she still remembered several of the sentences and words. 

 

We end the day with one final feeding for Eli, which includes nursing plus a little extra from the bottle. Once both kids are in their beds, there is a sigh of relief - we have completed another day! 

After the work week is done, I wouldn't say that our weekends have been any slower. Two weekends ago, while I went to Raleigh for a wedding shower for my friend Jen, Boomer and the kids went to Star to see Granny. (Paw Paw was visiting his parents in Woodstock.)  

This past weekend, we went to the Science Center, where we got to see the two new tigers, as well as the meerkats, sharks, and wolves. 

This Sunday, rather than gearing up for another week at work, I'm at the start of my Spring Break! Emmy and I went for a stroll around the neighborhood this afternoon. The temps were in the low 60s, and it seems that spring may finally be on its way. Yay for Spring Break!