I know every parent thinks their kid is the most funny, the greatest, smartest etc. But I really believe my kid is all of those things. I tried to catch a picture of him at the pool the other day and walked away with the greatest series of pictures ever. I scroll thorugh the pictures on my phone before bed most nights (because Topher has been in bed for a few hours and I miss him!) and I couldn't stop laughing when I got to these. I had tears streaming down my face. I mean, really. This kid is such a ham!
And I couldn't resist a few others I've captured lately. He just makes the best faces!
This one is right after waking form a nap. I set him on the couch and he grabbed his Friend Magazine and just started flipping through. Ain't no thing, ma.
Last year was the first time I'd ever gone strawberry picking here in New England and we loved it! There is nothing like fresh, ripe strawberries in the summer! I don't know how anyone eats the ones from the grocery store after tasting these beauties!
Like last year we went up to Parlee Farms for our berries. They have really great staff and they also seem to have larger fields with more fruit than some of the other farms I have seen and heard of.
I was a little surprised at how quickly Topher picked up the concept of choosing the bright red berries and putting them in the basket. He did eat a lot but I would say more than half of what he picked went into the basket and not in his tummy. I love getting to see the world through his eyes and watch him explore and experience things for the first time. I don't think he remembers our trip to the farm last summer but maybe next year he will recognize it when we go back.
We ended up having biscuits and strawberries for dinner because dad was working late and we just couldn't resist! With what we had left over after a few days of eating them plain I made a little batch of freezer jam so we can enjoy the bounty of summer all year long!
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.
7:30 a - Second breakfast, diaper change with Dad while mom eats breakfast in bed.
Yes, we eat spam in this house. And yes, Thomas brings me breakfast or at least leaves a snack on my nightstand every morning while I feed the baby. He's pretty much the best.
9:00 a - Third breakfast
10-11:15 a - Nap time for Topher while mom tries to get some work done.
11:15 a - Noon - Whack toys around in the Jungle Gym. We've discovered that binki clips work really well for holding toys within his reach. He won't actually take a binki so at least we get to use the clips for something.
Noon- Lunch for mom and the baby. I had butternut squash gnocchi from Trader Joe's (soooo good!) and of course the baby had more milk.
1:00 p - Fold laundry and get the nursery cleaned up. I went through the baby's drawers and took out all the things that are too small and put in his 6-9 month clothes. He's not even 4 months old yet! Stop growing! Also, let it be know that I changed 4 diapers during this hour.
2:00 p - Off to Lexington to get mom some new eye glasses. He fell asleep in the car on the way there but woke up again as soon as I got him out in the sunshine.
3:00 p- Back home, Topher fell asleep in the car so I let him keep napping in the car seat while I got the dishes done and a little more work.
3:50 p - Baby wakes up and eats second lunch.
4:30 p - Hanging out with mom, sitting in the bumbo and chewing on some toys.
5:15 p - Dad is home! We love it when daddy comes home. Topher's eyes just light up when dad walks through the door. These two have such a special connection. Thomas has a way of getting the most delicious belly laughs out of Christopher. It's my favorite thing to watch.
7:00 p - We finally get dinner made for us, the baby eats and we try to put him down for a short nap. He refuses and we decide to go out and run some errands instead. We ended up finding him a winter coat on super clearance at REI for next winter.
8:20 p - Home again, baby gets a little snack and hangs out with Dad before bed.
9:30 p- Bath time! I think Topher would spend hours in the bath if he could. He loves to splash and kick around. He's always happy in the water.
10:00 p - Last feeding of the night and then off to bed. I love this time of the day with the baby, he's so smiley and sleepy. We usually try to read him some books and the scriptures while I feed him and then we swaddle him up nice and tight and he's off to sleep. He has continued to be a great sleeper at night and we usually get an average of 7 hours in one stretch. I am so glad that he likes sleeping at night!
That is a pretty typical day around our house. Some days are definitely more productive than others but I just love being able to stay at home with him every day.
