Blog

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…

Picking up from yesterday, I came back to my own bed at 2:00 a.m. Liam woke up so I had to nurse him. He woke up again at 5:00 a.m. to nurse. I really wanted to get up before the kids to do my morning routine, but by the time Liam settled back asleep it was 6 and that’s usually the time I start getting ready. But I really wanted to do my Bible study, so I made coffee and packed a lunch and then sat for ten minutes to do it.

I’ve been doing the study No Other Gods by Kelly Minter and then Voxing about it with my friend Lauren. I like it; the daily homework is shorter than Beth Moore studies and there are no group video sessions that I’m missing out on by doing it myself. So it’s good to find a new Bible study author that I like since I’ve done almost all of Beth Moore’s!

The kids were still asleep and I was running later than usual, so I rushed through making breakfast. While my skillet was heating up I heard Meredith calling for me. I went into my room and they were both awake. She started crying because she wanted me to hold her. I don’t know what it is that sets her crying sometimes, but after a few minutes she was happy again. I put her on the couch with Liam to watch TV while I finished breakfast, but Liam leaked out of his diaper. I changed him and brought him into the bathroom with me. River (the cat) entertained him. It’s a love/hate relationship between Liam and the cats. :)

We left on time and again I gave Liam his backpack to wear once we got to daycare. He even hung it on his hook. We are supposed to sign the kids in and out each day and I do try to sign them in, but we are bad about signing out.

At work again and my coworker Jenny was there with me. We had a regular day of patients planned, but two of them ended up cancelling. In total we had six.

Lunch break. I always read while I eat lunch. This is what I bring most days to eat.

We finished up our patients around 2:30 and I went for my walk around hospital campus. It had been raining a lot of the day, but it had stopped at this point. So nice to have cooler temperatures.

I left work twenty minutes early and went home to rest for a bit. I finished my book!

David and I met at daycare; I got there a few minutes before him. All the kids had been put into one room so when I stepped inside Meredith saw me and said, “Look! Liam is here!” Then she began asking over and over, “Where are we going to go? Where? Where Mommy?” She is always looking to the next thing, not content to just sit and be. When David got there she ran to him and said, “Daddy, I wanna go with you!!” They went to the grocery store because I had run out of eggs. Meanwhile, I took Liam home.

He nursed for awhile and I started a new book, then it was snack time. Pears and Canadian bacon. When he was done, he held out his bowl and said, “Mo! Mo!” so I gave him another bowl of pears. He still wanted more after that and since David and Meredith weren’t home yet, I heated up five frozen meatballs for him, which he ate. Later he ate more pear, a PB&J sandwich, and a slice of cheese. Yeah, this kid can eat and his favorite thing is meat.

It was a difficult evening, actually. Meredith for some reason was very emotional and was crying over every little thing, or crying over nothing. We had to send her to her room several times where we heard a lot of screaming. It also didn’t take me very long to lose my patience. These tantrums of hers were a daily thing for much of age three, but they have been fewer and farther between for which I am so grateful.

Oh, and we just had sandwiches for dinner and half of us ate on the couch.

To get things calmed down we had to divide and conquer. I got Liam ready for bed and sent him off with David for his nighttime ride. Liam loves it and is always glad to go.

Meredith was crying for something else to eat, so after some intense discussion we settled on some yogurt and a granola bar. She brought it back to my bathroom to eat at her little vanity while I got ready for bed. She had to bring three spoons with her.

I made the rounds of the house and turned off lights and put things away. The cats were settling down for the night.

Finally, Meredith and I went to her room. She “cleaned up” a few of her toys which was really just an excuse to play with them a bit before bed. She was really stalling and I had to get stern with her before she finally picked books to read. It also took her a really long time to settle down for sleep and I was on the verge of leaving her alone in her room for a break. Sigh.

Thoughts about today: it was another pretty normal one for us. Nightly baths don’t seem to be happening like I planned for them to, but that’s okay. Some serious meal planning needs to happen this weekend. And hopefully tomorrow the emotions will have settled down. :)

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 morning didn’t go exactly as I wished it to. First of all, Meredith came into our bed at midnight so we still have some work to do there. And Liam started fussing at 5 so I couldn’t get up to do my own morning routine. When he finally finished nursing and I got up at 6, he was awake too.

Like I said, you do what you have to do to get ready when you’re a working mom. Sometimes that means letting your toddler sit in the sink and play. :)

While I got dressed, Meredith woke up and immediately began crying. She was saying, “No one is going to play with me!!” What she meant was that she wanted me to play with her RIGHT THEN. Instead, I carried her to the couch, wrapped her in blankets, gave her a cat, and turned on Daniel Tiger. She was placated. Then I was able to make breakfast.

Getting the kids ready in their room. Meredith scraped her foot the night before and she’s still milking it. She needed an “ice pad” and “couldn’t walk.” Also, that cabbage patch doll was mine!

I put Liam’s backpack on him for the first time, and he thought it was the best thing ever. I tried to take it off to hang on his hook and he cried, so I left it on. Such a big boy.

At work it was a slow day (again) so I made myself some coffee. We have a new single serve coffee machine that is so fast and pretty good. I can’t quit it.

I gave chemo to one patient and we had a meeting with our director since both of my coworkers were there. We are trying to figure out how to help give chemo to inpatients.

After finishing up with my patient I went to lunch at the doctor’s office (a drug rep was giving an inservice and brought Zoe’s Kitchen) and then I went to my own doctor for my annual physical. Those paper gowns are so lovely, huh? I read while I waited, and almost fell asleep. The only problems I brought up with the doctor are my occasional dizzy spells and possible iron deficiency.

When I left the doctor the sky was beautifully gray and it was raining!! So exciting.

At home I checked the mail and my next postal book club book was there – MOMO by Michael Ende. I added it to the pile of books I’m currently reading or need to read in the next month.

I changed clothes and then I went back to my work gym. I ran for a half mile, then did squats, shoulder press, and deadlifts.

David and I have been talking about eating healthier as a family and we’ve gradually made some good changes but today we just spontaneously decided to be a little more drastic. I’ve been phoning it in for dinners a lot lately so I used this extra time to cook a somewhat healthy meal. The cats are all over the place of course.

Meredith makes her dramatic entry home. I tell David to take the chicken out of the oven and then I go pick up Liam (remember David only has one car seat in his truck).

Dinner! I was happy that we sat down at the table together again.

Got everyone ready, then we walked down the street to meet our neighborhood friends Jack and Case at the pool. Unfortunately the baby pool was closed and my kids don’t have floaties (mom fail?) so it was a bit more stressful than I expected since neither of mine can swim and we just had to hang out on the steps. They were both pretty scared at first but (contrary to the photo) were loving it by the end. We stayed until the pool closed at 8 and then Meredith cried. “I’m saaaad!!” she wailed. She doesn’t deal well with disappointment or the end of something fun.

David met us at the pool and took Liam for a drive to put him to sleep while I walked Meredith home. She was a bit grumpy but did well going to bed once we got home. I didn’t mean to, but I fell asleep in her bed and stayed there until 2 a.m. when I moved to my own.

Another day in the books!

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…

Tuesday morning I woke up at 4:40 a.m. in Meredith’s bed. I hadn’t meant to sleep there, but she woke up multiple times during the night and at some point I fell asleep and stayed. I came into my bed where David and Liam were, and Meredith woke up and joined us soon after. All of us slept until around 7 a.m. I tried to take a picture of us cuddling, but it was too dark and I didn’t want to use flash.

The story there is that I took the day off work because there weren’t enough patients. Since I knew I wasn’t working, I stayed up a bit too late on the computer the night before. So I was very grateful the kids let me sleep until 7. We got up and got going; Liam soon needed a diaper change. He is outgrowing the changing pad for sure but it’s still easier than the floor.

Yup, more Daniel Tiger for the kids. I pretty much let them watch a little bit every morning. It is what it is; the show is really cute and educational, and when you’re a working mom you do what you need to do to get things done sometimes. While they watched I made breakfast and got everyone dressed.

Ugh, dishes piled up in the sink. Since I was off they got left there overnight which doesn’t usually happen.

This is my breakfast almost every single day. I’ve gotten really efficient at scrambling eggs. I had a couple ibuprofen because my muscles were so sore from lifting weights the day before.

Loading the car. Meredith buckled her own car seat, which is only the second or third time she’s done so. It feels like a milestone because car seats are just the worst.

The kids both wanted to open the doors to school themselves.

I took these pictures looking through the window after I had dropped them off. Liam is already eating more breakfast (they almost always eat some eggs at home too, which I encourage because maybe then they won’t eat so much of the carby stuff they serve at daycare) and Meredith is just looking around the room.

Back at home and I felt instantly relaxed being alone in the house with no plans for the whole day. I took a long, relaxing shower and then did a little work on the computer in my craft room.

Time for more coffee. That mug was sent to me by one of my oldest friends who I never get to see anymore. She read some of my updates when we were having a really rough time with sleep and sickness, and just randomly sent it to me to cheer me up. It has famous first lines of literature on it, so naturally I love it. And that French press I recently had to buy to replace my old one which Liam shattered. Meredith did the same thing when she was a baby, so apparently I didn’t learn my lesson to keep them out of reach. But I love this new one; it’s bigger and more colorful.

I decided to take some time to work on a quilt I’ve been planning to make for Meredith. I accidentally sliced my hand (not deep, but it did bleed) so I needed Band-aids.

While I worked I watched Lizzie Bennet diaries on YouTube. My sewing machine is a hand-me-down from my husband’s grandmother. Every time I start to use it after a period of inactivity the tension is off. I’m starting to think I should get a new one.

After awhile I started to feel a little stir-crazy and anxious. Sometimes it’s hard for me to just rest and relax. I left the house and got lunch at Potbelly sandwiches. Then my best friend called me and I hadn’t talked to her in months and we chatted for an hour. So nice.

I had to pick up a couple of holds at the library and I decided to stay there and read for awhile so I wouldn’t be distracted. I’m reading The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje and loving it. On deck is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.

Back at home it was getting late so I hustled through a few chores. Cleaned the cats’ litter boxes, watered plants, and made a big salad to take for work lunches the rest of the week. Then I fed the cats and left for my in-laws’ house. David was meeting me there.

My mother-in-law tries to pick up the kids from daycare once a week if she can. She takes them to visit her father (we call him Pappy) at the nursing home right down the street from us. Meredith especially has a special bond with him.

When I pulled up at their house, my father-in-law was holding Liam out front waiting for me. Liam ran to me and gave me the best hug. I love that kid, he is so full of life.

Our iPad is so old that it’s practically nonfunctional, so the kids are allowed to play on Mimi’s. They are learning to share but Liam doesn’t understand the concept so sometimes there are fights.

When we got there the kids had already eaten dinner so David and I sat down to eat together while they played. It was a roast with carrots and potatoes and fruit salad. When I was done, Meredith came to me and said dramatically, “Mommy I’m sooo hungry.” She was angling for dessert and she got it because Papa loves indulging us.

Meredith played hide and seek with Papa and had me pile all the cushions on top of her. She still doesn’t really “get” the game but she has a blast playing it.

When it was time to head home, David took Liam in his truck to drive him to sleep, and I took Meredith to put her to bed. Amazingly, she fell asleep in the car on the way home, but then she woke up when I laid her in bed. We read a few books and then I tickled her back which she loves and calms her. She fell asleep pretty quickly and I got up to work on this post.

After a little bit, one of the cats scared David and he yelled, waking up Liam who cried. I went to nurse him in bed and just stayed there for the night.

This was obviously an abnormal day for me since I usually don’t have a day off like this, but it was so nice and needed.

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.