day in the life of a baby buncher

One reader wrote in asking about a typical Baby Buncher day. The difficult thing is that no day is ever the same because babies/toddlers change so much. One minute all the trial and error has paid off and you get it all right. And the very next day, someone decides they are ready for solids, a big boy bed or hates the stroller and all bets are off again.

So here is one day, an early day, which I actually documented. (Alex was not yet two. Anna was six months old.)  Consider this a Baby Bunching Day in the Life Meme. Post one on your blog and come back and let us know here. We'll repost all the links at the end.

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6:30 a.m.My day started at sunrise. Both kids like to wake as soon as the sun peeks through their window. This has launched me into high gear to find some black out shades quickly before our all-day lightness hits. (We're in Sweden at this point.) So we all got up, changed diapers and began the breakfast routine.

7:00. Alex chows down on cereal. His first breakfast because as you know, he's part Hobbit and will need second breakfast at a most inconvenient time. Anna begins her slow eating. Most mornings I can feed Alex, myself, clean up the dishes all while doling out solids to my youngest at a snail's pace. By the time she's wrapping up her breakfast, Alex is back for more.  

8:30. Anna goes down for a morning nap. Today was Tuesday, which meant it was playgroup day. Whew....only a few hours to kill, and we would be off for at least two hours of easy fun where I just had to sit and drink coffee while Alex played. But I needed to bring a snack to share. I had nothing to bring, so I quickly made some banana muffins. This is highly unusual, but I had the ingredients and it only takes a little time so while Anna napped, I quickly made those. (Considered it an activity with my oldest.) Alex and I read, I got dressed, put on make up (hey, it's a morning out with girlfriends, might as well get dolled up).

10:05. I got Anna up, we got the car loaded up and the kids in their coats and I called my friend to tell her we were, as usual, running late. No answer. Hmmmmm, I thought. That's strange. But we kept getting ready.

10:20. I called again, now it was No answer. Strange, because playgroup started at 10. I ran upstairs to check the email. I read it wrong. Today was not playgroup. It was sledding at the park. Playgroup at her house was NEXT week. Damn! The muffins were made, the kids were ready, I was "make uped," Alex was talking about playing and I needed an activity. I called my friend on her mobile phone to get directions. No answer. ARGH. So I ran back upstairs and got the directions. I was all set to go and my friend called to tell me she was sick and not going and unsure of who was going. This park was a good 20 minutes away and Alex hates sledding so we abandoned the whole plan and I called another friend who was luckily just sitting at home. She asked me to give her 1/2 hour and we could come play.

11:00.. So the three of us went down to our town square and walked around since the sun was out.  Alex would not hold my hand while we crossed the street and threw a tantrum right there with everyone looking at me.

11:30. We went to our friend's house to play and have lunch. I brought muffins so I felt justified a bit in intruding. They played and played pretty nicely until Alex got tired. Alex started pushing and we decided to leave. But not without one last incident where he decided to head butt his friend's face and give her a bloody nose. Nice. After much apologizing and agonizing over the whole thing, we left.

1:00 p.m.Alex was bad the whole way home and I was so relieved to finally get them all down for a nap. Nap they did.

3:15. When everyone got up, I made them all play in bed for a bit because I was not ready for the long afternoon. I could hear Alex reading "Hungry Caterpillar" which I must say, he's able to almost recite. I kid you not! 

Ok, for the afternoon (keep in mind this is Sweden and the sun goes down in February at 4 p.m so we have to get out or lose our minds!), I had to go to the store to get some groceries and get more time added to my cell phone as it had run out. [Note: I realize now this is where I have lost my mind.]

4:00. I loaded the kids back into the car and off we went. We arrived at the cell phone store where we were third in the queue. Who knew it would take so damn long to add just a bit of time on. (I couldn't do it online since I didn't speak Swedish.) Alex was running around destroying the place, and Anna decided she was tired of the stroller and started screaming. So fun.

4:30 Got the time added and ran. We ran to the grocery which is in the mall. Grabbed a few items that I knew I needed, but lost my list. Everyone crying and fussing. Alex screaming to get up and Anna just screaming. I meant to stop and get white wine, which I really wanted right now, but no time.....we ran to the play area fo the mall. At least there he could play and she could drink her bottle. We get there. Alex is excited to play but immediately gets beat up by a 17 month old. He runs to tell me that the little boy pushed him. His mom and I talked for a bit and I explained that he had just spent three timeouts in the morning for the same thing so let her kid "bring it on!"

5:00. Alex finally decided enough was enough and was ready to go, but when I told him it was time he ran to hide from me. Anna was dressed in snowsuit and ready to go. Alex was hiding. We argued about leaving and he cried. She cried. I wanted to cry. I finally got him out of the playhouse and begged to walk to the door. I let him walk. About halfway to the door, he stopped and asked for my phone. I told him if he wanted my phone he would have to sit int eh stroller. No. He threw himself down in th middle of the mall and had a tantrum. As I bent down to pick him up, my period started right then and there....gushed!!!! I was like, shit we have to go right now. I picked him up SCREAMING and everyone looking at me. We walked outside, I strapped him in the stroller and ran to the car.

5:15. We drove home in frustration. And even more frustration when I realized I had to feed everyone. But at least we were home.

5:45. Manage to get some sort of meal on the table for the kids. Clean up and begin baths. In the middle of bathtime, my husband gets home to relieve me for a bit.

7:00. Anna is in bed. Alex follows not too long afterwards.

Do you see where the major issues are here? 1) Why would I make muffins? 2) After a crazy morning, I should have NEVER have gone back out. That was pure stupidity on my part! 3) If I did have to go out, I should not have stopped at the play area in the mall.

Consider this a Baby Bunching day in the life meme. You have been tagged! Post a "typical" or atypical day on your blog, come back and let us know here. We'll repost all the links here to offer some support to other Bunchers:

Baby Times Two: A Day in the Life

All You Need is Love: This was my day

A Bunch of Bensons: A Day in the Life

Home Alone with Kids: A Day in the Life

Family Oliver: A Morning in the Life

A Day in the Life of a New Mom

Lawerence Sandwich: Day in the Life

Michelle's Manical Musings on Mommyhood: We have survived 2 months of having 2 under 2!

Comments

[JessPond]

Hahaha! No way am I posting my typical day on my blog because it'd come off as too whiny considering I have a mostly IF audience. But here's the general idea (mine are 21 and 27m):

8:30-Take temp because I'm still charting. Since 2004. But hey, some day I might want more kids and since I'll be doing treatment anyway, temping is useless! But hey! I'm addicted to the one last shred of control (knowing at least what my cycles are) that I have. Husband gets up, leaves for work. I go back to sleep.

10:30-wake up again, this time to the kids yelling. Go get them up and change butts, clothes, etc. Breakfast.

11:00-playtime. LOTS of screaming. I'd say every 5 min someone is having a breakdown. Definitely at least that often. It's usually my son. I do dishes, etc.

12:30-1 (ish)-lunchtime (for them, not me)

1:30 (ish)-naptime! SWEET SWEET NAPTIME! Sure, there'll be yelling for maybe 30min-1 hr depending on how adamant they are at not wanting naptime, but at least they're upstairs in cribs "resting" and I can eat! And pee! And...do...laundry...and...ugh.

3:30-4-Naptime over. Butts changed. Snack. More playtime. More screaming.

5:30-husband home.

6:30-7-supper. All of us! At the same time! But I had to cook it, probably!

8-usually give in and let them watch a little tv, then do baths. More tv and play.

10-11ish-baby bedtime. after that I do chores and sit a while with the internet or whatever. Or, if there's enough to do, I go straight to bed after chores.

1:30-2-adult bedtime

[Cara]

Minus the getting pulled over part...this seems to be a pretty typical day around our house. {My daughter is 27mo & my son will be 1 in 2wks}
http://www.thebearandroo.com/2009/08/this-was-my-day.html

[Emily Faulkner]

Here is a glance at life at our house with my daughter who just turned two and my 11 month old son.
http://babytimestwo.livejournal.com/

[Heidi]

Here's mine: http://bunchofbensons.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-in-life.html

The kids are now 8 1/2 months, 2 1/2 and 4, but the day's have changed remarkably little.

[Mary]

http://madatmama.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-in-life-of-baby-buncher.html

So funny! Really the best are the 20 minute snippets of time where both kids have a dirty diaper, the phone rings, your shirt is half undone from nursing the baby and the UPS man shows up at the (glass!) front door. Yikes.

[AAMom]

Ok, has anyone noticed how everyday is like groundhog day? Yes the venue, or activites might change, yet the same 'difficulties' repeat themselves over and over. And no matter what you do it's the same thing again tomorrow morning. Toddler refusing to do one of the following: eat, dress, bathe, behave, potty, nap, whatever. Baby crying for food, boobs, poop, toy, sleep, holding, whatever.

It's bliss when they are napping together, but my worst time are when they are both ready to nap at the same time ( yes they both require me to help), or toddler needs to poo poo when baby starts nursing. It's a juggling act on a daily basis and I wonder when/ if my typical day will get easier, I hear that's when baby is 18 mths?

[Lindsey]

Here's what a typical morning looks like at our house --

http://familyoliver.blogspot.com/2009/09/morning-in-life_7772.html

[jen]

Oh man! I laughed and laughed at the whole nursing while the UPS guy shows up comment b/c that's happened to me, too!!

And Eric is into the head butting thing as well. Mom's the only one who has gotten bloody. So far.

Yep, just another day in paradise, right? :-)

[Lori Lawrence]

Here's a typical day at our house- so similar to everyone else's!
http://lawrencesandwich.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-in-life.html

[Michelle]

Here was a typical day a few months ago: http://routhierfam.blogspot.com/2009/06/we-have-survived-2-months-of-having-2.html

My older son was 21 months and my younger son was 2 months old. Things have gotten a little better since then, though not too much. I still only get 2 two hour stretches of sleep on a good day and the baby never naps longer than 30 minutes.

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