A Day with Topher III

You know those days that start out full of promise and good intentions- and then just fall apart? I feel like that was my day on October 19, 2016. I decided the night before to do another installment of my "A Day with Topher" series so I saw it through but kept thinking, why did I choose the worst day ever to capture?? I hope this serves as a real life snapshot of what life is like for mothers. Not all days are like this and I realize a lot of people have it much harder than I do but this is a true picture of what our day was like.

9:30 PM the night before - I put Topher down for the night in his little sleeping bag with his blankie and glow elephant. I usually watch him on the monitor until he falls asleep and then I take his blanket away so he doesn't wrap it around his head in the night. I love it when he's so smiley and content to go right to bed!

4:30 AM- A little earlier than usual, Topher wakes up and wants to be eat. I think he just wants to know that mom and dad are still there and we haven't abandoned him in the night. He usually just eats and goes straight back to sleep which I count as a huge blessing.

8:30 AM - Dad is getting ready for work and Topher hears him in the bathroom and wakes up. Sometimes he will cry in the morning but most of the time I just hear him in there talking to himself. I nurse him a little more and we head downstairs for the day.

9:00 AM - Breakfast! Today it's very under ripe kiwi and toaster waffles. We really need to do our grocery shopping today! Topher likes to watch cars from the front window while he has breakfast. This kid is obsessed with cars!

9:30 AM - Crawling around the house, trying to get to the fireplace so he can cover himself with soot, tearing apart mama's plant and hitting everything with his toy hammer. We also play with the bristle blocks, try to bite mom's knee and attack the laptop where mom is supposedly working.

 

10:00 AM - I have a call with my boss. Thank heavens he doesn't mind Christopher yelling in the background. If I'm talking Topher has to be talking which makes for some interesting calls. Christopher attempts to crawl under the dining room chairs that are blocking the fireplace, gets stuck and screams until I rescue him. Towards the end of the call he takes to just screeching for no reason at all. Luckily my boss just laughs.

10:30 AM - Nurse and put buddy down for a nap. He fights it for a while but he's been so good about putting himself to sleep these last few months. While he's going to sleep I frantically plow through a bunch of work, tidy the house and get ready for the rest of the day. Usually.

11:11 AM - He is still fighting going to sleep and the neighbor has started mowing his lawn. Of course they did! Noise doesn't usually wake him up once he's asleep but it makes it a little more distracting if he's trying to put himself to bed. This is the one day when I actually need to leave the house by a certain time and he won't sleep. Great.

12:30 PM - Pull baby out of bed -he's NOT happy about this- and head out to Salem. We are teaching with the Sister Missionaries from our church today!

2:30  PM - On the way back from Salem we decide to go to Costco and pick up a few things. The nicest guy helped us load our groceries in the parking lot and everyone was charmed by Topher.

4:00 PM - Topher falls asleep in the car just before we get home- literally two blocks from the house. I try to sneak him into the crib but he doesn't fall back asleep.

^^Just look at that sad face!^^

 4:30 PM - He's still screaming. I nurse him for a minute and put him back in the crib.

4:55 PM - Get him out of the crib, crawl around the nursery, have a snack

5:15 PM - Try once again to put him down for a nap. He screams some more.

5:25 PM - Still screaming but at least he's laying down. That's something, right?

5:28 PM - Nope, now he's standing at the edge of the crib banging on the top rail- his signature "come and get me right now!" move.

5:35 PM - Finally hear the last cries from him and he falls asleep. It's only an hour an a half past the normal time he begs to go down for a nap. He'd normally be waking up in about half an hour for dinner.

6:15 PM - I am starting to work on some dinner for myself (Thomas is getting home later tonight than normal) when I hear some crying. I have the windows open and tell myself it's someone else's baby. Yeah right! It's mine and he's screaming. Please note that he normally takes a two hour nap in the afternoon. It's been approximately 40 minutes.

6:30 PM - Baby is up and we're having dinner together on the couch whether I like it or not. The dining room is all messy because we're doing some big projects in there soon so the couch it is. Christopher likes to touch my salad but he won't actually eat any of it. He just picks up pieces and puts them back down. I poke chicken in his mouth which he realizes he does like and then he attacks my salad with my fork. It's times like these I wish I had a walk-in pantry or a closet or somewhere I could go eat alone.

I did record him eating with the giant fork because it's just so cute and I know this phase will be too short!

7:00 PM - I unwisely attempt to unload the dishwasher. This is Topher's favorite thing. As soon as he hears it open he looks up from whatever else he's destroying and crawls at top speed for the open door of the magical dishwasher. I put him on the opposite side of the living room and run to empty a few things before he gets there. As I am holding my leg in front of the door to block him from climbing in with the dishes, he is getting more and more mad until he finally bites my middle toes as hard as he can. I don't know if I have ever seen him do something like that out of anger or frustration. I laugh/yell and pick him up deciding that the dishes can wait till dad gets home.

7:02 PM - Reading books and praying that dad gets home soon. Please just get home already!

7:10 PM - Dad calls! And reminds me that it's Relief Society Temple night and I was planning to go. I need to leave in about 20 minutes. The hose is a total tip but I text my friend and arrange for her to pick me up so we can go together.

^^Notice the Costco goods still not put away and the baby heading back to the dishwasher^^

7:30 PM -Thomas pulls into the driveway right as my friend pulls up. I throw the baby at Thomas and run out the door.

8:00 PM - Much needed time at the Temple to just be quiet, not have a baby whining at me or pulling on my shirt. I get some time to think and worry and feel peace. It almost didn't seem like it would be a good idea for me to come- Topher needed to go to bed early, the house needed to be cleaned (see pics above ha!), I was so tired and not really prepared to go. Sometimes I think I take for granted that we live about 17 minutes from the Temple but tonight made me remember that we really are lucky.

10:30 PM- Arrive home and sit in the car talking to my friend until about 11.

Midnight - Finally get into bed after writing a few emails, having a snack and getting ready for bed.

12:05 AM - Hear Christopher cry. Take a few big breaths and get him out of his crib. Nurse him a little, he falls asleep and allows me to cuddle him for a few minutes. He hardly snuggles anymore so I try to enjoy the few moments he lets me hold him close. I have to say that today was one of the harder days we've had in a while. It's a true miracle that at the end of it all I can look at that sleeping little face and feel so much love and peace. I start to miss him a little and almost can't wait to see his smile in the morning. Almost. He can definitely sleep through the night, I am okay with waiting till morning to play again.