As is probably obvious by now, I am using this blog not only to keep our friends and family in touch, but also as a high-tech baby book for the girls. So, at the risk of boring everyone, I thought I'd take a minute to give you an idea of what a typical day is like around here! Generally, we get up around 7:30. Erin is usually wide awake and playing with her toes, sucking her thumb, or just looking around when I go in to get her. She is so quiet I never know how long she has been awake. Mary Clare on the other hand, has usually been calling, "Mommy!" for about 15 minutes. If I don't respond fast enough she starts throwing her dolls and blankets over the side of her crib. We are thinking of reconfiguring her crib into a small toddler bed in the next few weeks so it will be interesting to see how this changes her morning routine. After changing two diapers and getting Mary Clare dressed (Erin usually stays in her PJs until after her first nap), we head downstairs for breakfast. Mary Clare isn't much of an early eater so she often starts with juice and perhaps some fruit. Erin is often famished and eats oatmeal and some baby food. After Erin eats, Mary Clare and I sit down for breakfast. If Mary Clare has school, we head out around 8:45. After dropping her off, Erin takes her nap - around 9:15. If we have some other activity, we usually play at home and Erin sleeps until we have to leave. While Erin naps, Mary Clare can often be found cooking in her play kitchen (chocolate cookies are a favorite), playing with her blocks (building bridges and castles), reading books, pushing her baby doll around in a carriage (pretending to take her to the libarary and the grocery store), and anything else that catches her eye. After Erin's nap we head to either music class, My Gym (her "gymnastics" class) or the library. We usually eat lunch around 12:30, and then Mary Clare takes her nap around 1:15. Erin gets a little one-on-one time with Mommy then -- and takes her nap around 2:15. When they're both asleep, I usually get my shower (finally!), clean up the breakfast and lunch dishes, check my e-mail, watch the news, and try to catch up on other projects around the house. Often, just as I am getting caught up (around 4), Erin wakes up. Most days when I am just getting Erin's diaper changed I hear "Mommmmmyyyyyyy" from across the hall. When everyone is freshly changed we head downstairs for the afternoon shift. This usually includes an art project. Mary Clare just loves to paint and draw with her colors. Erin loves to watch -- either from the dolphin swing hanging in the laundry room or from the Jumperoo (her favorite toy). Around 6 pm I let Mary Clare watch some TV while I make dinner. We eat around 6:30, and start the long, slow march upstairs for a bath at 7 pm. Roger usually gets home while Mary Clare is in the bathtub -- when she hears the backdoor open she starts screaming "DeeeeeeDaaaaaaa come see Meeeeeeee!" Then we spend the next hour or so getting out of the tub, getting both girls into their PJs and reading books in Mary Clare's room. Lights go out around 8:15. Most night's Erin won't settle down until after Mary Clare is in bed so she actually goes to sleep after Mary Clare -- I nurse her one last time and she goes to sleep around 8:30. Then, it's time to clean-up from dinner and the afternoon's projects, and finally spend some time with Roger. Then it's off to bed and sleep before we do it all again tomorrow!
Yesterday was one of those rare days when we didn't have any activities planned so we hosted a playdate for Mary Clare's friends Luke and Chloe. Here's a photo of Luke pushing Mary Clare in her baby doll's stroller.
Erin's hand-eye coordination is getting better every day -- yesterday I was feeding her breakfast and trying to make french toast at the same time (no small trick!). I got distracted and left her bowl of outmeal on her highchair tray while I checked on the food -- I turned around just in time to see her pick it up and drop it all over her lap. You can see she was very proud of herself!
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