I guess I can be a pretty nosy person – after all, I love to read blogs… isn’t that the ultimate nosy?  It’s fun to peek into someone else’s life and see how they live.  I especially love ‘Day in the Life’ posts.  But my favorite type of ‘Day in the Life’ posts have always been written by moms because I was always curious what moms did all day.  Especially if they were a working mom or a stay-at-home mom (SAHM).  I do a bit of ‘lifecasting’ on this blog but rarely share all the nitty-gritty details – but I figured it may be fun to document one day.

 

Some background:  I am a SAHM who also works.  I run my own small business (which includes this blog, the Operation Beautiful blog, my speaking engagements for OB, my books, and freelance writing projects – I do about two projects a week).  I also do a lot for my husband’s business (a holistic clinic).  Henry is about 15 weeks old, and we’re a one-car family.  My husband goes into work on Tuesdays – Thursdays and works from home a half-day on Monday and Friday.  I do a lot of my work on Monday and Friday when Kristien is watching the baby.  On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I’m on baby duty, which I loooove.

 

Alright… here we go!

 

2:41 AM – Henry wakes up and starts to cry.  He sleeps in a pack and play next to our bed, so I reach over and pick him up.  I shake the Husband awake; he gives him a little bottle when I pump (why I pump instead of breastfeeeding).  Once I’m done pumping, I refill the bottle and take over the feeding while Kristien crawls back in bed  Then, Henry gets his diaper changed and is rocked back to sleep.  The whole process takes until 3:11 AM.

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5:30 AM – I can hear Henry squirming around.  It takes about 15 minutes for him to really wake up, and then I lean over, give him a little kiss, and drop a toy in his pack and play.  He amuses himself with the toy for another 10 minutes or so while I attempt to come to life, and then he loudly announces that he wants UP so I get out of bed.

 

5:45 AM – Another diaper change.  I try to give him the rest of the bottle that I pumped at 2:41 AM but he’s not having it.  All the sudden, he is really decisive about when he wants to eat and will shove the bottle away or pull it close.  It’s cute.  Instead of eating, he plays on the playmat or hangs out on my chest while I lay on the couch and wake up.

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6:20 AM – We have a poop explosion, which necessitates an outfit change.  Around this time, Uncle Nick (my brother-in-law who lives with us – it’s awesome!) comes downstairs and makes coffee.  He offers me some but I pass, hoping to go back to sleep when Henry goes down for his nap.

 

6:32 AM – Try again with the bottle.  Still not interested. 

 

6:40 AM – I am awake enough to do morning chores.  Henry and I feed the dogs and let them out to potty.  I clean the kitchen.  I drink a huge glass of water.  Back to the playmat for more games.

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6:55 AM -  I hit publish on today’s Operation Beautiful post.  I pre-write all the Operation Beautiful posts on Mondays, and I usually pre-write five or six HTP topical posts on Fridays (for example, posts like Post-Birth Review of Bradley Method Classes, How to Wash a Sports Bra, and The Only Child were all pre-written – I know you guys like fresh content, and since I’m frequently occupied by Henry, I write stuff in advance so I can just hit publish on a busy day).

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7:09 AM – Yay, the sun is rising.  I hate being awake when it’s dark as night outside.  Henry celebrates by yawning.  This means that the first nap is approaching.

 

7: 11 AM – I slip quietly into our master bathroom with Henry, and I pump another bottle for him.  We curl up in the glider, and he finally eats breakfast and passes out in my arms.  I transfer him to the crib and fall back into bed.

 

8:15 AM – Henry wakes up, and Kristien gets up to take care of him.  Luckily for me, Kristien’s first patient is at 10 AM, so I get to sleep a little bit longer.

 

8:30 AM – I wake up and am excited to realize that there is a tray of breakfast next to me (no, Kristien did not know I was writing this post today… he is just awesome like that).  Oatmeal.  And OMGCOFFEE!  Guzzle.   

photo 1

The three of us sit in bed talking, and then I send an email to my BFF Lauren (the one who lives in Singapore). I had sent her the first two chapters of this young adult novel that I’ve been working on, and she is giving me feedback.

photo 2

8:57 AM – Henry hangs out in his pack and play while I jump in the shower.  I have always wondered how moms get stuff done with their kiddos are awake – especially showering!  When he was little, I could put him in a pillow on the bathroom floor, and he’d just hang out, but now that is older and likes to roll around, I have to trap him in the pack and play to keep him safe.  As long as he has a toy, he is cool.

photo 3

9:20 AM – Another poop explosion?!  What the heck?  Henry has a costume change, and I throw the poopy clothes into the wash.

 

9:34 AM – Henry hangs out in his beloved jumper while I go over the new office lease for the clinic.  We are still negotiating, but I have a conference call with the landlord later today and hope to wrap it up ASAP!

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9:45 AM – I start writing this post. Three minutes later, it becomes obvious that Henry wants out of his jumper.  I pull him out and give him a bottle.  He slams five ounces and immediately makes grabby hands towards the jumper.  He wants back in!  I resume writing.

 

10:06 AM – I insert pictures into this post and proofread everything.  Then, at 10:16, I hit publish!

 

Stay tuned for Part II.

 

So – what have you done today?

{ 80 comments }

 

  • Laura October 3, 2012, 10:29 am

    Wow. Your day is BUSY!

    • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 10:30 am

      Busy with diapers!!! Lol

      • Claire October 3, 2012, 11:19 am

        Man, I can’t imagine dealing with all those “pooplosions” – in 10 months of parenting, I’ve never experienced one (I guess I’m lucky? Or maybe it’s the cloth diapers we use, I don’t know?). Do you think Henry needs to go a size up in diapers? That’s what I’ve heard is the reason for them.

        • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 11:27 am

          I don’t know! Sometimes I think I suck at putting them on. I have heard explosions are less likely w cloth.

          • Vicki October 3, 2012, 1:52 pm

            I think they might be too. I get poopsplosions when I have my kiddo in a disposable, but almost never in cloth (and this is probably because I also kinda suck at putting the disposables on!). Sometimes I get leaky poo out of the pocket diapers we use, though. The bulletproof ones for us seem to be prefolds snappi’d on with a cover.

          • Amanda K. October 3, 2012, 2:35 pm

            responding to vicki’s post — YES! i use prefolds with the snappis and NEVER have blowouts. it’s amazing 🙂
            whenever we use disposables (trips and stuff) i’m always shocked by blowouts.

          • Hope October 3, 2012, 3:20 pm

            We’ve only had two exposions in 10 months and we use disposables. It all depends on the baby and user error I think.

          • Claire October 3, 2012, 3:59 pm

            Vicki, that’s funny – I’ve always used prefolds with a cover since the day we’ve gotten home from the hospital with my baby, and we’ve never had a blowout. There’s another great benefit of cloth diapering!

        • Ashley October 3, 2012, 5:35 pm

          He probably does need to go up a size. That’s the main reason for poop blow outs in disposables.

  • Rebecca October 3, 2012, 10:33 am

    I’m exhausted just reading that! I woke up, got ready, went to work, and besides two breaks for hot tea/bathroom, I’ve been sitting at my desk. Your day really makes me appreciate my mommy friends!!!

  • Courtney @ Journey of a Dreamer October 3, 2012, 10:37 am

    Don’t you love how the poop-slplosions seem to happen all on the same day? Like nothing for months and then BAM! Crazy kiddos.

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb October 3, 2012, 10:39 am

    wow, you get a lot done by 10:00 a.m.! the life of a new mom 🙂

  • M October 3, 2012, 10:41 am

    About pumping, you mentioned in an earlier post you pump in ten minutes? I am new to it (my baby is four weeks) but it usually takes me about 20 min to get 5 ounces? Did it get faster for you over time? Do you pump til both breasts are drained? Just curious if any way I can speed this up! I already do a top grade electric pump with both going at same time!

    • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 10:51 am

      I just have really fast letdown so it goes REALLY quickly. I don’t think this is anything special I do, just more my physical boobie makeup. My only advice would be to simultaneously massage your breasts while pumping and think about your baby – that makes my letdown happen even faster.

      • Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) October 3, 2012, 12:06 pm

        I agree that massaging your boobs while pumping helps speed it up. When my daughter was firstborn it would take 20 or so minutes to drain both boobs. Now it takes 10 minutes tops to pump 5 oz. I think it just takes time to regulate and get faster. I am exclusively pumping though so not sure if that makes a difference vs someone who is nursing and also pumping from time to time? Either way don’t put pressure on yourself to pump x amount per pump session. We are all made different!

    • Claire October 3, 2012, 11:22 am

      Some women’s breasts respond better to pumping than others -I pump 30 minutes at a time and only get 3-4 ounces, since my breasts just don’t respond well to pumping, even with a hospital-grade pump. It just really depends on the person! You may be doing everything right, and to be honest 5 ounces in 20 minutes sounds great. I think Caitlin is a bit of a freak of nature (in a good way!) when it comes to pumping! 🙂

      • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 11:26 am

        Haha I think I am too based on what others have said.

  • Grammar Nazi October 3, 2012, 10:42 am

    You’ve used it twice now, so I feel obligated to let you know:

    The phrase is “All of a sudden” NOT “All the sudden”. The latter makes no sense.

  • the 3volution of j3nn October 3, 2012, 10:43 am

    Your day sounds exhausting and that’s all before noon! You are rockin’ the mommy and career girl thing. 🙂

  • Rachel Starr October 3, 2012, 10:45 am

    Sounds about right! A word of caution: last week, my son slammed a 6oz bottle then I put him in his jumper…he projectile vomited everywhere!!! Worst.morning.ever

    • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 10:50 am

      I was afraid that might happen LOL

  • Sarah @ Yogi in Action October 3, 2012, 10:46 am

    Wow! That seems like an entire day’s worth of activity- rather than just a few short hours!

    Today all I’ve done is drag my butt out of bed, get ready for the day and then arrived at work. Oh, and drove to work twice because I got to work and then realized I had left my laptop at home, so had to turn around, get my computer and then drive back to work. Seems pretty small now that I’ve heard your day!

  • Alison October 3, 2012, 10:47 am

    We have the exact same routine at 3 am! Shove the hubby and hand him a baby + bottle while I sit down to pump. We’re almost 7 months in now though so it takes almost exactly 10 min to pump and 10 min to down the bottle so everyone is back in bed within 20 min. Not too shabby….and sometimes, just sometimes, we’ll all just sleep all night. 😉

  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats October 3, 2012, 10:48 am

    Lol thst’s a lot only at 10am! I guess that’s what happens when your day starts at 2:41am…

  • Ashley October 3, 2012, 10:50 am

    You are one busy lady! When my daughter was younger I went the pack n play route to get a shower in as well. It can be tough! This morning I’ve managed to shower, get us both fed, do some speed picking up around the house, get her to mother’s day out and met with a contractor about all the random crap that needs to be fixed in our house. Now my pregnant self is sitting with a bottle of water, a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie and my laptop until I get some more energy to clean :).

    I actually run a ‘day in the life’ series on my blog, and feature a different mom every Wednesday. If you are ever bored (not sure you have time for that!) and want to snoop on some other mama’s days pop on over!

    http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/search/label/a%20day%20in%20the%20life

    • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 10:52 am

      YUM

  • Anna October 3, 2012, 10:57 am

    Oh, wow, and I felt like I had a busy day.

    I have just started my final year at university on Monday, so today I had to hand in ideas for topics for my dissertation, so that the head of department can assign me a tutor. Following that I had a Spanish oral exam to wrap up my Year Abroad that I was on and that my uni has to grade me for.
    So I was pretty much all over the place in the afternoon.
    Then I took the train back home and had a very late lunch. Felt like I’d accomplished a fair bit until I saw what you got done in the small hours of the morning! 😀

  • Amanda K. October 3, 2012, 11:02 am

    I love “a day in the life” posts from bloggers, too. guess i’m in the “nosy” camp with you 🙂

    And I LOVE how you say, “When he was little…” As if Henry isn’t STILL little! I used to say that about my son when he was Henry’s age. I’d say, “When David was a baby….” and people would always give me a hard time. Now I say, “When he was brand new” or “itty bitty”.

  • Laura October 3, 2012, 11:04 am

    This is so awesome because I think people really underestimate how much SAHMs and people who work from home in general deal with in a day! There are some great advantages, but it is a major exercise in multi-tasking. 🙂 Can’t wait for part 2!

  • Sana October 3, 2012, 11:11 am

    I love sleeping too much. I hope they invent an anti-sleeping pill by the time I am ready to make babies.

  • Amanda @ Sistas of Strength October 3, 2012, 11:19 am

    Husband of the year. I want a tray to show up for me….any time of day. 🙂

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More October 3, 2012, 11:21 am

    Well, your day sure is busier than mine so far (and here I was thinking I was productive). 😉

    Woke up at 6:30 and read blogs in bed for a bit (and published my own_
    7:15am – breakfast which was a pumpkin english muffin w/ pb & banana with coffee (!!)
    8:45 – gym
    10a – home
    10:20 – now and about to hop in the shower!

  • Lauren October 3, 2012, 11:22 am

    I have a toddler and am still starting my day in the pitch black. I’m up at 5 w/ the toddler to help with potty training. He goes back to bed and I get up, have coffee, take care of business and leave for a 6.5 mile run. I get back by 7, make breakfast, hang with the family and start reading and commenting on blogs while the toddler plays with blocks. And now it’s 8:20

  • Jayce October 3, 2012, 11:24 am

    Soak up that time with your hubby home in the mornings and on Mon and Fri! I am on my own with baby from 6:30 am-6:30 pm (or later). I love it, but it can be hard to get more than the minimum done.

  • Claire @ Live and Love to Eat October 3, 2012, 11:32 am

    Holy moly! Getting to work and through the first half of my day doesn’t seem like much now.

  • Claire October 3, 2012, 11:33 am

    I love “day in the life” posts! My little girl spent about two months waking up anywhere from 4:45 to 5:30 a.m. (thank GOD we’re back to 6:30 wake-ups now!) and I would KILL to get a nap mid-morning! That’s great that your husband can be around so much during the workweek.

    Since you asked, here’s my day so far (working mom with a 10 month old):

    1:15 – baby wakes up to nurse, move to co-sleeping (she starts the night in her crib and we co-sleep from her first wake-up on). Both of us are back asleep by 1:30
    3:30 – baby wakes to nurse
    5:15 – baby wakes to nurse
    6:29 – baby wakes to nurse, 6:30 my alarm goes off 🙂 (she is obviously well trained, ha!)
    6:45 – wake up husband, give him a few minutes to wake up/get dressed, change baby out of nighttime diaper and pjs and get her dressed
    6:55 – hand off baby to husband (he takes her downstairs and makes his coffee while holding her), I shower and get dressed
    7:20 – hang out with husband and baby for a few minutes, then bike to work
    7:45 – get to work, pump until 8:15
    8:15 – 10:30 – work
    10:30-11:00 pump again!
    11:00 – finally get some breakfast 🙂 while I work

    This was an “easy” morning, two out of three mornings my husband is at work by the time we wake up (he has a weird schedule). On those days I pop my girl in her pack-n-play in the hallway while I shower and get dressed, and I leave the bathroom door open and the shower curtain pulled back a bit to I can talk/sing to her while I shower. I also leave her with a bunch of books (her favorite thing) so she usually doesn’t fuss too much. Since she’s so mobile these days it’s not safe to leave her in her room, even with the baby gate. It works out just fine!

    • Hope October 3, 2012, 3:26 pm

      I’m so glad that I’m not the only mom who has a 10 month old that doesn’t sleep through the night!! Well, I’m not glad that we’re both up at night but glad that I’m not alone. 🙂

      My husband is currently at home in the mornings to help me get ready for work but his schedule will be changing and I’ll be on my own. A pack n play with toys will be a life saver.

      • Claire October 3, 2012, 4:20 pm

        I use the pack n’ play instead of the crib mainly because my girl’s working hard on cruising/walking these days, and she hurts herself on the rails if she falls over in the crib.

        It’s really not that bad getting ready solo in the mornings. My husband works 24 hour shifts, so I got used to doing everything on my own pretty early on (he returned to work 3 weeks postpartum). Another thing that helps is having “special” toys in the pack n’ play that your baby really loves so they don’t get too bored.

        • Hope October 3, 2012, 4:33 pm

          Good thinking on having special toys for the PnP! It will be an adjustment but we’ll get used to it. I just need to get some things ready in the evening now to make mornings earlier.

          My son is also working hard on walking. It’s exciting and scary at the same time!

  • mary @ what's cookin with mary October 3, 2012, 11:36 am

    You’ve already done so much! …and I have merely finished my first cup of coffee (west coast time here though). I seriously don’t know how Mommy’s do it. Must be super human Mommy powers.

    I’ve never done a day in the life post as my blog is mostly recipes and a few random food related posts. Would be fun though !

  • Carol October 3, 2012, 11:39 am

    I’ve been up since 3:45 am! I have an almost 4 year old who will wake up EARLY EARLY every so often (it seems to be a pattern where he does this randomly every so often). Couldn’t go back to sleep, so I did some work, got ready, went to the gym at 4:45 am, came back at 6 am, worked some more, got my son ready for preschool and came back to work until 4:30 or so this afternoon.
    I love being a mom but being sleep deprived and wishing I could be a SAHM makes me a little less fun to be around!!

  • Sophie @ threetimesf October 3, 2012, 11:44 am

    Love the idea of this post – I may even do one myself!

  • Julie (A Case of the Runs) October 3, 2012, 11:53 am

    I usually wake up at 6 AM, work out until 7:15, quickly take a shower, get ready, and to work by 8 AM, until about 4:30 PM… then home, make dinner and other chores like laundry, cleaning, etc. Sometimes I will go see my 1-yr-old niece for a couple of hours after that, come home, read/check e-mail and crash hopefully before 11 PM.

    My current job allows remote working, so I am hoping to work from home when I have kids… it will be hard (because it’s still 8 hrs worth of work on top of taking care of a kid), but it sounds like a viable option. Even now, I will occasionally work from home and TRY to cook/clean while I’m there, but it still ain’t no joke. Definitely not looking forward to this juggling act.

    • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 12:04 pm

      Maybe if you get a part time nanny to help out?

  • Kristen L October 3, 2012, 11:57 am

    oh my gosh — i looove day in the life posts!! 🙂 so fun to see yours! i’m new to blogging, but hopefully at some point i’ll try doing one of these too.

  • natalie @ will jog for food October 3, 2012, 12:00 pm

    Busy busy busy! I guess that’s what I have to look forward to starting April. Lots of poop explosions, haha. I’m trying to get in all the lazy days now while i’m still preggo 😉

  • Michelle @ Eat Move Balance October 3, 2012, 12:02 pm

    I have already worked out and taught two Calculus classes this morning. I have three class left to teach this afternoon! 🙂

  • La October 3, 2012, 12:15 pm

    Henry might be ready to go up to the next diaper size. We had two explosions last week and realized that while they fit her booty width, she is so tall that the diapers are too low and thus leak up and out. Something to look into…

    • La October 3, 2012, 12:20 pm

      Oh, and here’s our day so far:

      5:30 Hear Ada over the monitor; makes a few noises and goes back to sleep
      6:45 Alarm goes off–lie in bed until 7 when husband gets up to take the dogs out
      7:10 Ada is really up now; husband feeds her a bottle (only takes 2 oz.) and brings her up to play
      7:20 I finish showering and getting ready; hold Ada and sing songs/play.
      7:45 Get Ada dressed and ready to go to daycare
      8:05 Drop off at daycare and drive to campus
      9:05 Teach first class
      10:00-12:00 Grade Tests
      I pick her up at 2:30 and she eats, naps, plays, bathes, eats, and goes to bed at 7pm.

  • Carolina John October 3, 2012, 12:24 pm

    You are so adorable. I’m so glad my kids are late sleepers. Even as tiny babies when they started sleeping through the night it was from midnight to 8 am. Now getting them up for school at 8 am is still a chore.

  • Breanne October 3, 2012, 12:28 pm

    Oh man, the middle of the night thing isn’t something I can even imagine. My Wednesdays start at 5:18 with hitting snooze and then turning on my playlist for class this morning when the second alarm went off. I stay in bed with my eyes closed, visualize the choreography, and silently cue. I usually get up around 6, get ready for the gym, and am out the door no later than 6:27. I teach BodyFlow from 7-8, shower, and then head to my “real” job by 8:45 AM. I’ve been here for just over 45 minutes and thus far I’ve checked email, returned two calls, had two false fire alarms, and written this comment. 🙂

  • sonia the mexigarian October 3, 2012, 12:47 pm

    5:30 am- alarm goes off. stumble out of bed, nearly tripping over coned dog lying on the floor to grab phone and turn off alarm. stumble back to bed, tell dog to get out of my spot and wrestle covers back from husband. try to go back to sleep.
    6am: alarm goes off again. press snooze as it’s in my hand under the pillow. dog jumps on bed, effectively pinning my legs with his body and resting his head on my butt. All i see is a blurry satellite dish on my backside.
    6:15 drag myself out of bed by reminding myself i need to be out door by 7 am. quickly wash fash, brush teeth.
    6:27: out in the hall, release the cats from their room and try not to trip over cats snaking around ankles. release all animals into the dark backyard.
    6:30-6:35:turn off alarm as I quickly water garden. notice dog messing in the jasmine and he gets scared making a sound like he’s hurt.
    6:36: rush into house, grab flashlight, check bushes for possible dangerous critter and check Lando for any injury. none to be found.
    6:45: curse at the time. feed all animals. lock cats outside for the day, quickly reopen door to console crying cat, before going back inside for good. de cone Lando and leash him.
    6:55 quickly change into somewhat presentable clothes and rush out door with dog.
    7:27: drop lando off at doggie daycamp.
    7:30:hit up the bank and then Jamaba Juice.
    7:50: arrive at work. proceed to check emails, log invoices, bills and write up deposits, clean parts
    9:40: quick break, check personal email, check HTP and reply to fun post.

    I love the Day in the Life series that bloggers do. Yes, I am always curious about details.

    Cheers to you Caitlin and all the mommas out there who get up numerous times through the night to feed baby and still manage to get out to work or get house work done. I am still not functioning right now.

  • Annette@FitnessPerks October 3, 2012, 1:03 pm

    WHOA! YOu get a lot done during those hours! WOW.

    I totally slept in today … until 7:55/ at 8:15 I hopped on the elliptical at my apt gym & did some light cardio & ab work with cables. 9:08 showered/9:15-was at my desk (I work from home as a health coach) with breakfast. Been working since!

    🙂

  • Gloria October 3, 2012, 1:07 pm

    How fun, I love this idea. I’m a 27 year old social worker.

    Today I woke up at 7am, ate and got ready for work. Left at 8am and tried to do a home visit on the way to work with a refugee client that doesn’t speak much English. Wasn’t home, even though I tried my best to convey when I would come last time I saw the client.

    Get to work around 8:30am – try to catch up on progress notes, make phone calls to clients, a client stops by to see me, I work on reassessments, I try to get information from a hospital after finding out one of my clients was recently hospitalized. Then at 12:30 I walked to get lunch – now I’m eating my lunch and catching up on blogs! After lunch, I write service plans, make appts, and do another home visit.

    After work, I go to school and have lab (I’m going back to school for nursing). At 8pm, I will go home, make dinner, and watch the debate! Somewhere in there, I’ll try to talk to my boyfriend and then I’ll fall asleep and do it all over again 🙂

    Hope you have a great rest of the day!

  • Elisabeth October 3, 2012, 1:25 pm

    Ummmm…I’ve not done anything yet.

    1:00pm get out of bed (I work night 3rd shift)
    1:15pm come downstairs

    Ha! I love these posts 😉

  • Dominique Bain October 3, 2012, 1:29 pm

    So I’m a new mom with a 3 month old and a second year grad student in enviromental science and policy. I’m also in Flagstaff, AZ so it’s only 10:15 in the morning now.

    Here’s my day so far
    2:17 baby wakes up, get her out of bed and nurse her in bed using a Nurse and Glow pillow, I fall back asleep quickly,
    4:15 baby is fussing again, try to nurse her laying down, but she isn’t having it, I sit up in bed and nurse her again
    4:30 try to get her back to sleep but she’s really fussy, I pass her off to my husband so he can try to get her to sleep, I go back to bed
    5:15 husband gets the baby back to sleep and comes back to bed
    5:45 my alarm starts to go off, i silence it quickly so it doesn’t wake up the baby, roll on my back and start trying to wake myself up
    6:10 finally get myself out of bed, get dressed quickly, go downstairs to start water for tea and oatmeal, brush teeth, pack bags for my day and for the baby ( cloth diapers, bottles and breast milk for the baby, books, lunch, calculator for me)
    6:45 get the baby out of bed to nurse her, eat oatmeal and drink tea while nursing
    7:00 wake up husband so he will get to school on time, leave for day care with baby
    7:25 drop of baby at day care, head to school
    7:35 park and grab book bag an pump
    7:50 get to engineering building, last minute prep for renewable energy test
    8:00 start test
    9:15 finish test
    9:20 go to grad office, pump
    9:40 get snack (banana bread from home and tea), sit down at computer to check email, facebook, feministing, HTP and NPR
    10:00 restart modeling project on WindPro, listen to NPR’s Planet Money will loading maps into WindPro and commenting on HTP

    The rest of my day includes a lab meeting at 11, working on WindPro for the rest of the afternoon, picking up the baby around 3:30, making dinner, washing cloth diapers, reading/homework after the baby goes to bed

  • coco October 3, 2012, 1:32 pm

    I also enjoy reading other bloggers daily routine, now that I have a one week old baby, I’m specially interested on what other moms do! 🙂

    I noticed that you dont burp Henry after feeding, is it because he doesn’t have any gas issues?I try to burp every time I feed my baby, but not always get a burp.

    • Caitlin October 3, 2012, 1:35 pm

      No, we burp 🙂

  • Grace @ Grace Dishes October 3, 2012, 1:37 pm

    Super cute photos! The rain made it impossible to run outside today so I made do with my elliptical and strength training at home. I did a thorough cleaning of our bathrooms, blogged, and answered e-mails. I like being productive 🙂

  • Amy October 3, 2012, 1:56 pm

    Hey, a YA novel! That’s what I do! 🙂

    Now I want to give you YA novel recommendations. I can’t stop myself! Have you read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo? If I Stay by Gayle Forman? Divergent by Veronica Roth?

    Ok I’ll stop. I could do this all day. Good luck with the YA novel!

  • Ally's Sweet & Savory Eats October 3, 2012, 2:38 pm

    I remember the days of an infant (which wasn’t long ago for me). It’s hard to do anything (like showering!)….things will get easier and you’ll find you’ll have more time!

  • Ellen @ Wannabe Health Nut October 3, 2012, 2:38 pm

    I just love this post! And I am very envious of how organized you are with your schedule and how you co-ordinate with the hubs. I have a FT job, but outside projects I’m constantly working on, and I have yet to set a plan or find my groove. Everything gets done, but I’d like more structure. It’s my early New Years resolution! Anyway, here’s my day so far:

    5:30am: Wake up and write my blog post
    6:45am: Make my bf a smoothie (morning ritual)
    7:10am: 3-mile run
    7:45am: Pushups, breakfast (avocado toast + hard boiled egg) + shower
    9:15am: Out the door, walk 12 min to the subway, fight NYC rush hour, grab a Grande Soy Misto at Starbucks before walking into the office and now it’s work, work, work!

  • Life's a Bowl October 3, 2012, 2:49 pm

    Haha, too funny 😛 Sorry to hear about your poopy explosions…

  • Marie October 3, 2012, 3:40 pm

    Man, we had so many poop explosions to even count. The worst is when they do it while you are changing them! We noticed that going up a size helped.

    Hmm, today, I woke up at 5am, worked out with my husband, ate breakfast with him, showered, got my 4-yr old twins up. They don’t have preschool today, so they changed, I did their hair, went down & had breakfast, back up to brush their teeth. Practiced writing some letters and numbers. Practiced their 1st grade sight words. Read some books, lunch, baked some cinnamon raisin bread and did two loads of laundry somewhere in the mix. 😉 A LOT easier than when they were babies/toddlers!

  • Sam @ Better With Sprinkles October 3, 2012, 3:43 pm

    This is such a cool read! I’ve gotten to see a lot of new moms in action (I used to work at a group home for teenage mothers) but it’s interesting to see each and every detail scrawled out.

  • Hope October 3, 2012, 4:26 pm

    I love seeing a day in the life posts from other people! Here’s mine

    1:30am- Hear baby fussing and wake husband to let him know that it’s his night. I love when it’s his night. 🙂 I’m usually awake while they are but I get to lay in bed.
    1:45am- Husband lays baby back down and I fall asleep about 15 mins later.
    645am- Trash trucks come by and wake me up.
    7am- Baby starts fussing and then “talking” to himself. I went to let the dogs out, feed them and give them their medicines, then put laundry in the dryer.
    7:10am- Make a bottle, get the baby from his room, wake up my husband and tell him to get in the shower. I snuggled with the baby while he drank a bottle.
    7:25am- Husband is showered and dressed so I hand the baby to him. I pick out clothes for baby so husband can dress him. I get in the shower.
    7:45am- Baby hangs out in the pack n play while I make lunches and my husband gives our dogs fresh water, a treat and lets them out again. We get our shoes on and put our lunches and anything else we need for the day by the front door.
    8am- Head out the door. Strap a screaming baby in his carseat (he hates the carseat). Husband goes off to work and I go drop baby off at daycare.
    8:10am- I head to work.
    8:30- Get to work and get started, drinking coffee while I work.
    1pm- Head out to the bank for work. Stop for a quick eyebrow wax on my way back because they are looking awful
    1:30- Back at work and eat lunch at my desk, continue working. (I’ll be here until 5pm then I pick the baby up and start our evening routine.)

    Ps. Henry is just too cute!

    • Hope October 3, 2012, 4:30 pm

      Oh yeah I should add that when I’m on long calls I read HTP and Katheats. 🙂 I have to get my blog time in and I don’t have much time for that at home.

  • christa October 3, 2012, 5:35 pm

    fun – i’ve never done a day-in-the-life post before…. short version of what today looks like:

    5:00am – wake up and get my butt to spin class for an hour
    6:30am – getting ready for work, making breakfast, getting out the door and across town
    8:00am – 5:30pm – work, work, more work. i manage benefits and compensation for the company.
    6:00-8:30pm – marathon training (i am a TNT coach)
    9:00pm – home, make/eat dinner
    10:00-11:30ish – try to unwind with TV and a book.

    same thing tomorrow….except trade the spin for swimming!

  • Karen October 3, 2012, 6:50 pm

    I love “day in the life”posts:)

    I have a suggestion for you… For night-time or early morning feedings, try changing Henry’s diaper BEFORE you feed him. I used to do that all the time. It was actually rare that either baby pooped after a feeding in the night, so they would often nurse themselves right back to sleep instead of staying up to play at dark:thirty.

    • JessicaE October 3, 2012, 10:25 pm

      Yes, this! If I have to change the diaper I try to first thing.. or at least in between sides 🙂

  • Hotpotatokate October 3, 2012, 7:03 pm

    Wow! There is NO WAY in hell my kid would let me get that much other stuff done in a day! When he’s awake, I might get a shower in, and I can (sometimes) pump if I pop him in a bouncer and read and sing to him, but otherwise, it’s pretty much baby, baby, baby all day long!

    • Erin October 4, 2012, 9:06 am

      My 3 month old is the same way. She is pretty fussy, so I can rarely put her down to play and get things done.

  • Kelly @foodiefresh October 3, 2012, 7:20 pm

    It’s so interesting that you insert your photos last. I always put them in my post first, arrange them, then let them drive what I write. I’m such a nerd that I find this stuff so interesting, right?

  • C. October 3, 2012, 9:17 pm

    I guess I’m a little confused as to why you pump when you’re home with Henry all day. Isn’t it just an extra step and more time-consuming? I understand pumping bottles for when you’re out of the house, but when you’re physically with him it just seems counter-intuitive to pump a bottle and then feed him that bottle, when you could just nurse him. I’m honestly curious, not trying to snark!

  • suzie October 4, 2012, 11:22 am

    here is a day in the life of the opposite of SAHM/blogger in the world of corporate work and no real down time:. i do however have the luxury of getting into work late bc its really about getting the work done, not when you do it.

    8am: wake up and putting on running clothes
    8-9:30ish: go for a run
    9:30-10: shower, get ready and out the door in record time bc running is more important to me then being to work on time
    10-11: leave and arrive at work. check blogs, drink coffee, procrastinate doing anything
    11-3: work work work..lots of it..too many projects..check blogs every now and then to keep head from exploding
    3-3:30: quick walk to find something to eat and bring it back to eat at my desk
    3:30-8: continue more work. usually go to a meeting or 2. take a walk around the office to steal candy from secretary’s desks.
    8-9: finish up project and think about what work is best done at home. sometimes possibly get a new assignment.
    9-9:30: leave work, take subway and arrive home (i have a short commute)
    9:30-10:30: eat dinner with bf and put on tv and relax for a little bit
    10:30-12am: more work while watching tv (so much more fun on the couch!)
    12am-1am: watch an episode of something in bed after putting work away
    1:30-2:30am: sleep

    wow, that is really depressing..

  • Katy @ HaveYouHurd October 5, 2012, 7:53 am

    I LOVE THIS!!!! So interesting. And gets me excited to have a baby. Minus poop explosions.

  • Erin October 5, 2012, 4:31 pm

    Have you thought about moving him to his own room at night yet? We found that really helped our daughter (she will be 2 in January) sleep longer and better. We moved her to her room when she was 4 weeks old. We started by moving her pack and play to the loft area outside our room, because her room was far from ours at the time. She immediately started waking up less and we decided to move her to room about a week later. Shortly after moving her to her room, she slept through the night and has ever since. I think it really helped us to not hear every noise she made and it probably helped her to not hear us too. It can prevent you from intervening with Henry too quickly as well. Some of these times when he wakes up, he may not really need to eat. He may be able to soothe himself back to sleep if you let him. Also, we stopped changing her diaper overnight unless she pooped. Get overnight diapers, a size bigger if you need it, slather him up with diaper cream (we use vaseline), and let him stay in the same diaper all night. Changing his diaper could be waking him up more at this point. We started this at 4 weeks as well with our daughter.

    Here’s our day so far (I work 4 days a week, but have today off with my daughter):
    7:00- get up to shower
    7:30- she wakes up. We get her dressed and ready for the day
    7:45- everyone has breakfast
    play time, I finish getting ready
    10:30- we go to the library, she plays and looks at books
    11:00-head home, play outside on our swing set
    11:30-get lunch ready and eat
    12:15- get her ready for naptime
    12:30-2:30 or 3 – naptime!! 🙂
    3ish on- play time, walk outside, errands, etc
    5:30- dinner
    6:30-start bedtime routine
    7- she’s out for the night!

    • Caitlin October 5, 2012, 4:37 pm

      I think he would be fine but I am not ready yet!!!

  • San Diego Crepe Caterer October 6, 2012, 12:53 am

    I admire how you are able to accomplish all those things in a day. What’s your secret to keeping your energy up? Your baby looks so adorable.

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