Baby Talk :: A Day In the Life

Happy Tuesday people!
It's time for my weekly Link Up...BABY TALK!

I LOVE reading about the daily routines of moms. When I was pregnant I was so fascinated by and curious about what life with a baby was really like. I don't think anything can really prepare you for life with a new baby, but I found comfort in knowing that eventually (even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it) life will settle in to a routine and it really will....I promise! 

Not all moms are the same and not all babies are the same, so obviously not all routines are the same. Not only that, routines can vary drastically from day to day. Even so, I want to share a typical day in our daily life to maybe help you new mamas and mamas-to-be. Our routine changes day-to-day because Jason's work schedule is kind of random, and things are pretty different for us on the weekends and on Fridays when I am home with Kenley. But, this is pretty much a standard week day and the basis for the rest of our days as well. 

6:15am: My alarm goes off.

I start my day by hitting the restroom, throwing on some sweatpants and then getting my baby! Most days she is awake and waiting for me, others I have to wake her up (this will usually depend on what time she goes to bed the night before). 

I give her 80 million kisses, change her diaper, get her dressed for the day and then feed her. 

It doesn't matter how early it is or how badly I want to still be sleeping...seeing that little face first thing makes every day so much better. 

Once Kenley is all taken care of, it's time to get myself ready. Kens will either hang with her dad or chill in her bumbo and watch me get ready. She is fascinated by teeth brushing!

After I'm ready to go, I put bottles in to the diaper bag and make sure that my pump bag is packed with empty bottles and all of my pump supplies. Next is probably the most interesting part of our day....getting out the door. Jason always helps me pack up and load the massive amounts of stuff we need in to my car. 

my laptop, my pump, my purse, the diaper bag, Kenley's bed, play mat & bumbo, the puggle (she gets to go to daycare too) and, of course, the baby.

When everything goes according to plan (which is rarely) we're out the door between 7:15-7:30am. 

Depending on the day, Kenley goes to either my dad & step-mom's, my mom's or J's dad & step-moms. Then every once and while she'll spend the day with her Auntie Natalie. It's a lot to keep track of, but we are so grateful to have family willing to help us!
Kenley is dropped off at one of her many daycares and I am on the road to work by 7:30-7:45ish. 

I make a quick stop at Starbucks (not every day, but a lot of days) and am at the office at 8:00am, err more like 8:15am. 

I work from 8:00am-5:00pm and pump at 10:00am, 12:30pm and 3:00pm.

I've been having some problems with my supply lately, but that's a story for another day. Kenley goes through three 5oz bottles a day at "daycare" so I pump what I can and send her with formula for the rest. 

While at day care Kenley follows a eat, sleep, play schedule. She usually takes two naps during the day, a long one (2-3 hours) in the morning and a short one (30 minutes-an hour) in the afternoon. And, like I mentioned, will eat 3 bottles.

Happy girl at "daycare".

Depending on traffic I get home between 5:15 and 5:30pm, and Jason is already home with Kenley. Right when I walk in the door I label and store my breast milk and clean my pumping supplies (otherwise I forget and there is nothing worse than wasted breast milk).

Now I can finally squeeze my little Kenny! I usually change in to sweatpants and then will start dinner. I'll do as much of dinner as I can before Kenley cries, then I feed Kenny while Jason finishes dinner. We've been eating dinner at the table as a family lately and I LOVE it!

Now that is FINALLY nice out, I want to start adding walks around the neighborhood in to our routines....I'm thinking after dinner will be the perfect time!

After dinner, we'll play with Kenley {activity mat, singing songs, making noises, reading books, etc} until she starts showing signs she's ready for bed. 

I start Kenley's bedtime routine sometime between 7pm and 8pm depending on her mood. While I'm getting Kenley's jammies ready and stripping her down, Jason will fill the tub and get everything ready for bath time! 

This is Kenley's favorite part of the day! No matter how tired or cranky she is, she will instantly cheer up when it's bath time!

While I'm getting Kenley ready for bed, Jason will clean up our dinner and do all of the dishes, clean the day's bottles and run the dishwasher, which is SO helpful!

After Kenley is all squeaky clean and in her jammies we will rock in our glider and she will eat, I'll tell her stories or sing her songs and we snuggle. This is my absolute favorite part of every day. 

Once those little eyes start to look tired, I put Kenley in her crib, turn on the sleep sheep, give her a bobo {pacifier}, give her a kiss and thank God for giving her to me and ask Him to keep her safe. 

Once Kenley is in bed, it's my turn to shower. The mornings are pretty busy as it is so unless I want to wake up at 5am {which I don't}, I shower at night. After my shower, I get everything ready for the next day...I have found this to be absolutely crucial for getting out the door in any kind of timely fashion - I get bottles ready, empty dirty clothes and any other items from Kenley's diaper bag and re-pack it with a clean outfit, bib and burp cloth and will make sure it's stocked full of diapers & wipes. I make sure I have everything I need for my pump and prep/organize my lunch for the next day. 

 FINALLY I can take a load off and spend some time with my hubby. 

We are usually in bed sometime between 10-11pm and I'll sneak in a quick episode of Gossip Girl on the iPad and then get some sleep so I can wake up and do it all again the next day!

Whew! It seems like SO much when I type it all out but this has become or normal. Being a working mom definitely poses some challenges and requires some extra work and organization but it's been going great for us and I am so grateful we've fallen in to a routine which seems to be working for everyone.


Don't forget that every Tuesday is the Baby Talk link up!
Join in and share a post on anything pregnancy, baby, or parenthood related!

Baby Talk :: A Day In the Life

Happy Tuesday people!
It's time for my weekly Link Up...BABY TALK!

I LOVE reading about the daily routines of moms. When I was pregnant I was so fascinated by and curious about what life with a baby was really like. I don't think anything can really prepare you for life with a new baby, but I found comfort in knowing that eventually (even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it) life will settle in to a routine and it really will....I promise! 

Not all moms are the same and not all babies are the same, so obviously not all routines are the same. Not only that, routines can vary drastically from day to day. Even so, I want to share a typical day in our daily life to maybe help you new mamas and mamas-to-be. Our routine changes day-to-day because Jason's work schedule is kind of random, and things are pretty different for us on the weekends and on Fridays when I am home with Kenley. But, this is pretty much a standard week day and the basis for the rest of our days as well. 

6:15am: My alarm goes off.

I start my day by hitting the restroom, throwing on some sweatpants and then getting my baby! Most days she is awake and waiting for me, others I have to wake her up (this will usually depend on what time she goes to bed the night before). 

I give her 80 million kisses, change her diaper, get her dressed for the day and then feed her. 

It doesn't matter how early it is or how badly I want to still be sleeping...seeing that little face first thing makes every day so much better. 

Once Kenley is all taken care of, it's time to get myself ready. Kens will either hang with her dad or chill in her bumbo and watch me get ready. She is fascinated by teeth brushing!

After I'm ready to go, I put bottles in to the diaper bag and make sure that my pump bag is packed with empty bottles and all of my pump supplies. Next is probably the most interesting part of our day....getting out the door. Jason always helps me pack up and load the massive amounts of stuff we need in to my car. 

my laptop, my pump, my purse, the diaper bag, Kenley's bed, play mat & bumbo, the puggle (she gets to go to daycare too) and, of course, the baby.

When everything goes according to plan (which is rarely) we're out the door between 7:15-7:30am. 

Depending on the day, Kenley goes to either my dad & step-mom's, my mom's or J's dad & step-moms. Then every once and while she'll spend the day with her Auntie Natalie. It's a lot to keep track of, but we are so grateful to have family willing to help us!
Kenley is dropped off at one of her many daycares and I am on the road to work by 7:30-7:45ish. 

I make a quick stop at Starbucks (not every day, but a lot of days) and am at the office at 8:00am, err more like 8:15am. 

I work from 8:00am-5:00pm and pump at 10:00am, 12:30pm and 3:00pm.

I've been having some problems with my supply lately, but that's a story for another day. Kenley goes through three 5oz bottles a day at "daycare" so I pump what I can and send her with formula for the rest. 

While at day care Kenley follows a eat, sleep, play schedule. She usually takes two naps during the day, a long one (2-3 hours) in the morning and a short one (30 minutes-an hour) in the afternoon. And, like I mentioned, will eat 3 bottles.

Happy girl at "daycare".

Depending on traffic I get home between 5:15 and 5:30pm, and Jason is already home with Kenley. Right when I walk in the door I label and store my breast milk and clean my pumping supplies (otherwise I forget and there is nothing worse than wasted breast milk).

Now I can finally squeeze my little Kenny! I usually change in to sweatpants and then will start dinner. I'll do as much of dinner as I can before Kenley cries, then I feed Kenny while Jason finishes dinner. We've been eating dinner at the table as a family lately and I LOVE it!

Now that is FINALLY nice out, I want to start adding walks around the neighborhood in to our routines....I'm thinking after dinner will be the perfect time!

After dinner, we'll play with Kenley {activity mat, singing songs, making noises, reading books, etc} until she starts showing signs she's ready for bed. 

I start Kenley's bedtime routine sometime between 7pm and 8pm depending on her mood. While I'm getting Kenley's jammies ready and stripping her down, Jason will fill the tub and get everything ready for bath time! 

This is Kenley's favorite part of the day! No matter how tired or cranky she is, she will instantly cheer up when it's bath time!

While I'm getting Kenley ready for bed, Jason will clean up our dinner and do all of the dishes, clean the day's bottles and run the dishwasher, which is SO helpful!

After Kenley is all squeaky clean and in her jammies we will rock in our glider and she will eat, I'll tell her stories or sing her songs and we snuggle. This is my absolute favorite part of every day. 

Once those little eyes start to look tired, I put Kenley in her crib, turn on the sleep sheep, give her a bobo {pacifier}, give her a kiss and thank God for giving her to me and ask Him to keep her safe. 

Once Kenley is in bed, it's my turn to shower. The mornings are pretty busy as it is so unless I want to wake up at 5am {which I don't}, I shower at night. After my shower, I get everything ready for the next day...I have found this to be absolutely crucial for getting out the door in any kind of timely fashion - I get bottles ready, empty dirty clothes and any other items from Kenley's diaper bag and re-pack it with a clean outfit, bib and burp cloth and will make sure it's stocked full of diapers & wipes. I make sure I have everything I need for my pump and prep/organize my lunch for the next day. 

 FINALLY I can take a load off and spend some time with my hubby. 

We are usually in bed sometime between 10-11pm and I'll sneak in a quick episode of Gossip Girl on the iPad and then get some sleep so I can wake up and do it all again the next day!

Whew! It seems like SO much when I type it all out but this has become or normal. Being a working mom definitely poses some challenges and requires some extra work and organization but it's been going great for us and I am so grateful we've fallen in to a routine which seems to be working for everyone.


Don't forget that every Tuesday is the Baby Talk link up!
Join in and share a post on anything pregnancy, baby, or parenthood related!

Girls Weekend

Holy macaroni! This weekend was amazing! 

I'm excited to be linking up with Sami to recap it with all of you!

Jason left town on Thursday night to help my dad with his tournament in Denver. 

SO my weekend consisted of hangin' with my girls...

Yup, it was just me, Kenley, Bailey and my dad's dog Shiloh all weekend. 

I HATE when Jason leaves town because I do not handle staying home alone well. I absolutely love having "me" time and I won't lie, having the house to myself is nice now and then, but once the sun goes down my anxiety is through the roof. But, for some reason, this time I was fine! Maybe it was all the fun stuff I had planned. 

I figured if Jason is going to be gone, I am going to do all of my favorites things, SO...

....I ate take out Chinese. 

....I watched A LOT of Gossip Girl /  Keeping Up With the Kardashians

....I got an Oreo McFlurry from McD's

....I went shopping for our family photo shoot coming up at Carter's, Baby Gap, Old Navy and Target

....I bought baby gifts for some expecting friends

...I had chips & salsa for dinner 

....I brought Kenley and the dogs to the dog park 

....I painted my nails
....I bought all of the necessary items to start Kenley on solid foods next week! 

....I got new shoes and wore sandals for the FIRST time this year

....I drank my fair share of wine once Kenley was asleep
....of course I facetimed with Jason so he could see Kenny
--and--
I did a shit ton of laundry, went grocery shopping and got my oil changed. None of which are anywhere near my favorite things to do but I felt super productive and that is always a good thing!
PLUS, thanks to a little couponing, I saved $41.29 at Target!

HOLLA!

Even though all of that was amazing, there were definite highlights to this weekend:

On Friday morning, Kenley and I took our first BYOB {bring your own baby} Yoga Class at Blooma. The class that we took focused on restorative movements for mom and baby. We started with some infant massage and then went into yoga poses for mom which focused on restoring the core and relieving back pain from carrying around that bambino. It was absolutely the best $22 I've ever spent. I loved it! And so did Kenley. I want to start going on a more regular basis.

Kenley was definitely the class clown, shrieking and screaming {with glee} from the top of her lungs. It was such a fun and special way to bond with my baby, get in a good work out {yes, I was totally sore the next day} AND connect with other mamas. PLUS, it doesn't hurt that there's a Starbucks two doors down so that Kenley and I can have a coffee date after class. 

On Saturday, my brother and I took Kenley down to campus for the Gopher football Spring Game. By now you all know what HUGE Gopher fans we are so I was beyond excited to bring Kenley to the stadium for the first time. We met up with our friends Pat & Nicci and their two daughters and had a great time. 

It was a BEAUTIFUL day {finally} and Kenley did great. It was really, really special to spend the day with my brother and my baby girl at one of my favorite places on Earth. 

Sunday, I FINALLY got to find out the gender of Baby Roe!!! I know it's hard to believe, but I DID NOT know the gender before the party. It nearly killed me and Carolyn but I am so happy that she kept the secret because finding out with her family and closest friends was so special. 

Kenley and I both guessed that Baby Roe was a boy, so we rocked our blue and Kenley appropriately matched the "Waddle it Be" theme with her blue duck jammies.

 

 I was absolutely thrilled to tears {literally, I actually cried} to find out that Jake & Carolyn are expecting a LITTLE BOY! I could not be more excited for them and I cannot wait to meet my little Beebo and start arranging his marriage to Kenley.

see....tears!

Our weekend didn't end there, my mom and step-dad came home from Arizona on Sunday and are here to stay through the fall! I am SO happy to have my mom home, I can't even tell you! So clearly, I had to meet them for dinner! We went to Redstone and it was so wonderful. 

Seriously, so so so so so happy to have them home! Damn you snow birds. 

And now it's Monday, but I'm not too mad because my hubby gets home this afternoon. 

I cannot wait to see him!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends as well! 

My Sorta Second Job

Happy Frickin' Friday everyone!!! 

I apologize for my extreme absence lately! But I have been crazy busy. Not sure if I've explained this before or not, but I mention it every now and then...so I might as well try and explain why I am so darn busy this time of year. 

My dad runs an elite AAU basketball program called D1 Minnesota (formerly Minnesota Pump N Run). Pretty much my dad recruits high school basketball players to play for his program during their off season. He has three teams (17, 16 and 15 year old boys) comprised of some of the best basketball players in the state of Minnesota. His teams travels around the country playing in highly competitive tournaments, allowing the boys to play other elite players from all around the country and also to get recruited by college coaches. There's a ton more that goes in to it, but I won't bore you with all the crazy AAU details. 

In addition to D1 Minnesota, my dad also runs three NCAA Certified tournaments a year, two in Minneapolis and one in Denver. 

These tournaments aren't affiliated with D1 Minnesota but obviously his teams play in them. Basically, my dad invites other competitive AAU programs from around the country to come and play in his tournaments. Along with the teams, my dad invites college coaches to the tournament so that they can watch and recruit players. It's definitely the coolest part about helping run the tournaments. I've had the opportunity to meet Bill Self (from Kansas), Josh Pastner (from Memphis), Bo Ryan (from Wisconsin), John Calipari (from Kentucky) and many others! 

My big job for the tournaments is to put together books for the college coaches. These books have a roster for every team playing in the tournament with information on each player....height, graduating year, address, phone number, high school, etc. Basically all the information a coach would need to recruit a player. It's definitely a HUGE undertaking since each tournament has over 100 teams playing in it. Then once the tournaments start I do everything from checking in the AAU teams, helping the college coaches, selling admission, updating brackets, you name it. 

It's a TON of work but it's so much fun. My family is definitely the definition of a basketball family and if these tournaments aren't proof, I don't know what is. All of us kids (and Jason) help and have even recruited the Beeb and her hubby Jake to help out each year too. 

So anyways, tournament season is in full swing which is why I have been too busy to find the time to blog! We have a little break until the next tournament now, so hopefully I'll be back to blogging on a regular basis! 

Have a great weekend my friends!