This week I am documenting a week in our lives along with the Ali Edwards community. Here are some photos and words about yesterday, if you’d like to see…

The story of Monday morning started Sunday night. I put Meredith to sleep in her bed and decided to go to my own bed, which I hadn’t slept in since last week. I don’t know what time, but at some point she came into my bed and I didn’t resist it because I don’t make rational decisions when I’m sleeping.

I woke up to Liam wanting to nurse at about 4:30 a.m. and once he fell back asleep I got out of bed around 5:30. I had a nice quiet morning to myself which is always a good way to start a week. First coffee, then feed the cats.

After a Bible study, I made breakfast and packed our stuff for the day. The kids woke up around 6:30 and as I approached the bedroom I heard Meredith singing a silly made-up song about Liam to him. Adorable. When I walked in, Liam was excited and reached for me, saying, “Mama! Mama!” I turned on a lamp and Meredith covered her eyes saying, “It’s too bright! Go away from me!” But she got happy pretty quickly.

The story of the kids’ morning was they got to watch a little Daniel Tiger while I got them dressed and finished getting ready. Meredith decided to wear the same church she wore yesterday (and slept in). I choose my battles. We noticed that her summer sandals are already too small, so she wore her Toms and I made a note to get her some new ones.

Daycare dropoff was quick and easy. Liam was happy because breakfast was being served, and Meredith was cautious and quiet as usual. I adore this picture of her because you can see how she is looking around the room shyly, checking out what kids were there. You can see the food around her mouth from the snack I gave her in the car, and the scar on her arm from her dog bite.

After getting gas and listening to Voxer messages & podcasts I made it to work.

We barely had any patients due to a transition in doctors, so I spent awhile catching up with my coworker and updating her on clinic happenings before heading over to pre-op to make phone calls and fill out charts.

The story of my afternoon was that I left work two hours early and went to the gym. I’ve been trying to be consistent about a weight lifting program, but it’s hard. The program is hard, but mostly being consistent is hard because of life. But I jogged a half mile, then did squats, bench press, and deadlifts.

When I got home from the gym I still had a free hour, so I did blog work, chatted with my Voxer friends, and tidied up my craft room. Then I headed out to pick up Liam.

Our story right now is that we split daycare pickup. The kids seem to do better with that one-on-one attention right away, so since it’s possible for us we do it. I always get Liam because I’m the one who has a car seat best suited for him. He’s always happy to see me, in fact picking him up is usually one of the best parts of my day. But he hates being put in the car and after kicking and screaming a bit he self-soothes with his thumb and hair.

So Liam and I got home and I nursed him, and then we just had some fun playing time. He is learning to point to his body parts and of course my favorite is belly button.

It wasn’t long before David and Meredith came home. I always see them coming inside through this back window that looks to the garage. All of a sudden the house gets MUCH louder.

The story of this photo is that Liam is obsessed with drinking out of big cups with straws. He saw David’s cup of ice water (with a straw!) and just had to have a sip. He is usually not happy unless he can hold it himself, too.

I let the kids watch more Daniel Tiger while I put together dinner. We had leftovers so it was just reheating various items and it didn’t take long.

The kids ate pretty well and Meredith got up to dance a few times. Liam made a complete mess as usual. He is a very messy boy.

After dinner, while Liam finished up and I cleaned off the table (and then wiped him down), David and Meredith went to the kids’ room to play “all ball” which is a game they made up. They gather every ball they can find and take turns throwing them into a bucket to see who can make the most. Meredith is a people person, and she is not one to play by herself. She likes any game that is interactive.

Because we’ve been working so hard on our sleep, we’ve been trying to stick to a bedtime routine that includes baths most nights. This is a big change for us as we have generally been doing baths once or twice per week. Liam loves baths, especially when the water is still running, but Meredith resists them. We told her we wouldn’t be washing hair so she complied without too much of a fight. She asked David to tell her a story and he started one that was a teeny bit scary so she held his hand.

Bathtime was quick, then we let Meredith have some yogurt as a snack and we spent some time just talking on the couch. Finally Liam got fussy and David took him for a drive, which is how we have been putting him to sleep. We went through this phase with Meredith too, and I’m not going to worry about it.

The story of bedtime is that we just started trying to get Meredith to sleep in her own bed a few weeks ago, and it’s been a struggle. Lately I have been sleeping in her bed with her, until Sunday night when I went back to my own bed once she fell asleep. Last night we read three books and then she threw a little fit because she couldn’t fold her blanket right, so I turned out the light and closed my eyes and it didn’t take her too long to fall asleep.

This was a very normal Monday for us and a good day to start this project. I love that we just spent the evening at home as a family, that we sat at the table for dinner (doesn’t always happen), that there were no real meltdowns or arguments, and that bedtime went smoothly. I loved just relaxing with David before bed.

I’m so glad I got a day like this recorded.