Day in the Life: Henry Day

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This past Sunday was a fun Day in the Life for me to record because it was my “Henry Day.”  The Husband and I really want to make an effort to do things alone with each kid – not just when they are little, but when they are bigger, too.  Obviously, Claire doesn’t appreciate this too much right now, but Henry sure does!  The Husband takes Henry to soccer lessons once a week; my alone time with him is more spontaneous (and harder to schedule because of Claire’s age).  Here’s what we did!

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4:00 AM:

 

Claire wakes up and eats 3.5 ounces off a bottle that I pumped earlier.  I lay her down and she spits up EVERYWHERE. I frantically strip the first sheet layer off and manage to save the second sheet (pro parenting tip – double up sheet layers for moments like this!). I manage to get her back down at 4:22.  I don’t fall asleep until 5 AM.

 

6:36 AM:

 

Claire wakes up to breastfeed.

 

7:30 AM:

 

Claire wakes up AGAIN to breastfeed.

 

8:45 AM:

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Claire and I get out of bed.  She is super smiley!  The Husband had gotten up with Henry; I hear them downstairs eating breakfast.  I pump off a bottle and feed Claire.

 

9:15 AM:

 

I go downstairs and eat breakfast.  I have a peanut butter-rich smoothie with strawberries and spinach mixed in.  I also have a giant coffee.  Kristien and I discuss the day – he wants to hang out with his mom while she runs errands, so we decide to split up the kids; he’ll take Claire and I’ll take Henry.

 

10:00 AM:

 

I start the process of getting ready to leave for the playground.

 

10:30 AM:

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Henry and I leave.  It takes me eons to leave the house these days!  We go to the playground for a while.  Some parents are smart enough to bring towels to wipe down the wet slides – geniuses!  We have a snack at the park.

 

11:45 AM:

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Go get my car washed and vacuumed.  My car was DISGUSTING and will probably be disgusting again in, oh, a week.  But for now – it’s really clean!  Yay!

 

12:15 PM:

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We go to lunch at Whole Food’s.  Henry really likes picking his food out at the hot bar.  It’s wonderful to have lunch out with just the two of us!  Afterwards, we get ice cream from the gelato station.  Henry now believes that I’m the bestest, coolest mom ever.

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1:00 PM:

 

Head home.  Kristien, Claire, and my in-laws get back around the same time that we do.  I say hi to everyone and chat for a bit and then I take Henry upstairs to nap at 1:20 PM.

 

1:25 PM:

 

Pump a bottle.  Unfortunately, on this day, I get “ahead” of Claire with pumping, so I end up pumping all of her feeds during the day instead of actually breastfeeding her. I prefer to breastfeed her when we’re at home and use bottles when we’re out, but sometimes that means that we get off rhythm.  Oh well!

 

1:35 PM:

 

Go downstairs and do some work.  At 2:00 PM, Kristien gives me Claire because he’s heading out to meet a friend for racquetball.  I head upstairs with her for a bit to cuddle.  I put her down for her nap after about ten minutes.  Both kids are asleep at the same time!  WAHOO!  I race downstairs and start frantically working.

 

3:35 PM:

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Stop work and pick up living room.  I do a living room pick-up every day at nap time; it keeps me from going crazy over the kiddie chaos that inevitably happened in the morning.  Throw some laundry in.

 

3:50 PM:

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I do 20 min of PiYo before getting nervous Claire and Henry are going to wake up.  I stop the DVD because I need to do some other things before they gets up.

 

4:15 PM:

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Make a snack and eat it while pumping a bottle.  Quickly hop in the shower and rinse off.

 

4:30 PM:

 

Henry is awake in his bed and playing. He’s really awesome about just hanging out in his room, regardless of whether he’s asleep or not (he didn’t actually take a three hour nap; it took him a while to go to sleep).  I go into my room and get Claire up, too.  She has a bottle, and then we wake up Henry.  The three of us play, read books, eat snacks, and do a little cooking.

 

5:45 PM:

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Kristien is home again!  We go for a walk.  Henry and I play with sticks (a favorite pastime) until one of the neighbor’s kids come outside.  They chase the dogs around for a long time – the sun goes down on us!

 

6:25 PM:

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We eat dinner (I go back for seconds of everything), clean up, and then have a living room dance/singing party to Ed Sheeran, who the Husband is obsessed with.   Claire takes a cat nap in her Dad’s arms.

 

7:00 PM:

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I start Henry’s bedtime routine.  He takes a bath while I pump again. Kristien brings Claire in; she sits on the side of the counter and looks insanely sleepy.  We swap kids – Kristien takes over with Henry, puts him in pajamas, and sings him football fight songs and the British national anthem.

 

7:30 PM:

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I start reading this week’s Book of the Week.  Claire is CRABBY so I put her in her swing for a bit, hoping it calms her down.  She is a very easy baby overall but has fussy moments at night. 

 

7:45 PM:

 

She was okay for a bit, but now she is crying.  She wants to be bounced in my lap.  I bounce her until my biceps hurt!  I decide that it’s really time to get her on a schedule. 

 

8:00 PM:

 

I think she’s sleepy so I swaddle her and try to put her down in her bassinet.  It doesn’t work – she gets fussier and fussier. Her sleep schedule is totally off, and she’s super grumpy. Poor girl! I give her a bottle. Still doesn’t work.  The only thing that really helps is doing ‘baby bicycle legs.’ At 8:25, my patience is kind of shot so I bring her to Kristien, who is our family’s Baby Whisper (I suck at calming babies but rock at dealing with toddlers – at least we each have a useful superpower!).  He takes over pumping her legs and gets her to stop crying and fall asleep.

 

8:40 PM:

 

We put a sleeping Claire (whew!!!) in her swing and watch Parenthood (all the tears!) and Girls (I laughed so hard).

 

10:00 PM:

 

I tidy up, pump another bottle, and wash my face.  I prep the coffee maker for tomorrow AM and hit “delay brew.”

 

10:15 PM:

 

I take Claire out of her swing, dream feed her 1.5 ounces, and go to bed.  She wakes up to eat at 1:30 AM and 5:15 AM – not too shabby!   I actually don’t mind the nighttime wake-ups with Claire because it’s our special quiet time together.  <3 <3 <3

{ 28 comments }

 

  • Jill January 21, 2015, 8:31 am

    I really enjoy these day-in-the-life posts! Little glimpses into other people’s lives are fun 🙂
    We have a 2 year old and a 7 year old, and our 7 year old LOVES special time with us, when our 2 year old is sleeping or otherwise occupied (*cough*Thomasvideos*cough*). We keep him up “late” (by about a half hour) once a week to play a board game with us, and make sure we have lots of one-on-one time with both kiddos.
    Our 2 year old has become a sleep champ since moving from a crib to a bed. I think he loves having all kinds of space! We often find him asleep across the middle of the bed, and when he wakes up in the morning, he grabs a book and waits a while before shouting “mama, I in here…” Glad Henry likes to entertain himself in a similar manner!
    Sweet, sweet photos. Your kiddos are just adorable 🙂

  • Brynn January 21, 2015, 8:39 am

    I love that you are making an effort to have special time with each babe. We just welcomed our first, but I know we would like to add another in a year or so and juggling two seems overwhelming. But having a great partner in crime seems to be key. I have to say how much I relate to the workout portion of your day. I do that all.the.time. Haha.

  • Faith Plvan January 21, 2015, 8:59 am

    When you get ahead of Claire with breastfeeding, have you considered freezing the milk you pumped? Pumping never empties a breast as efficiently as a sucking baby so the more actual breastfeeding you do, the fewer problems (clogged ducts, mastitis) you’re prone to. Plus you have a nice stash of frozen milk for emergencies. Just be sure not to thaw it in the microwave.

    • Caitlin January 21, 2015, 9:29 am

      Yes! I’ve frozen about 80 ounces or I give it to Henry in a cup!

  • Jessica January 21, 2015, 9:04 am

    I have a 2.5 year old and a 7.5 month old and I remember those early days! My husband had a great paternity leave but when he went back to work (he works evening/nights) I was pretty freaked about handling both kids at bedtime on my own. Getting our daughter on a schedule was a huge help and we started pretty much from birth. Obviously in the beginning they are too little for a REAL schedule, but we did a bedtime routine every night and would follow age appropriate waketimes for when to put her to bed. There were definitely some happenings of bathing my son while my daughter screamed :/ But now, she is sleeping through the night and things are much easier. Honestly, looking back it was tougher than I would admit at the time. (And our daughter was a relatively easy baby as well).

    Anyway, blathering on to say, hang in there and good luck and things will smooth out. <3

    • Caitlin January 21, 2015, 9:28 am

      Thanks!!!! We bad a bad bedtime last night 🙁

  • Kristy B. January 21, 2015, 9:11 am

    Saw on Instagram that you were looking for book suggestions for this week, so what did you come up with?

    • Caitlin January 21, 2015, 9:28 am

      I’m finishing All Joy No Fun right now!! No clue what’s next 🙂

  • Hope January 21, 2015, 9:30 am

    I love these kinds of posts, especially since I have read your blog forever and there is something nice about seeing other evolve in their lives as you do in yours. It sounds to be as though you are so so blessed right now. I say to myself all the time, “these are the good old days!” Hope you do too! 🙂

  • Grace January 21, 2015, 10:04 am

    A tip with the double sheet thing – I’ve never heard just doing two sheets on top of each other (I can’t imagine getting the first sheet off fast enough without the second one also being wet!) – I’ve always heard sheet/waterproof cover/sheet/waterproof cover. That way you can strip off the first two layers (one sheet and one waterproof cover) and leave the next two layers untouched. I also had a baby that was QUITE a spitter-upper (we called her the spitter critter lol) and I learned early on to never lay her down immediately after eating. Keeping Claire upright (and burping her) for 5-10 minutes after eating may help cut down on spitting up, that’s what helped us.

    And I’m in awe of your pumping abilities! I pumped for the first year while I was at work (my daughter just fully weaned a few months ago, and she just turned three!). I could never pump more than a few ounces at a time, and it would take at least half an hour to get that much! When I got to the one year mark and I was able to stop pumping and give my daughter cow’s milk while I was at work was the biggest relief. I guess it all has it’s trade offs, though, because I never had any issues with breastfeeding. My body just never responded well to the pump (my doctor said it’s because a woman’s body is designed to respond to an infant, not a machine, which made me feel much better at the time 🙂 ). Way to go with your pumping skills! Since you have oversupply, have you thought about donating all that extra milk?

  • molly@ this life is sparkling January 21, 2015, 10:35 am

    Ed Sheeran is the best! He is amazing live<3

  • Lindsay January 21, 2015, 10:43 am

    What was that dinner? Looks yummy! 🙂 I have a 4 month old daughter and a 3 year old son, it’s tough but it is getting at least a little easier (still hard). My daughter has been the opposite of an easy baby. 🙂

  • Rebecca @ Bring Back Delicious January 21, 2015, 12:15 pm

    I don’t know how some women are able to manage this plus working full time away from home. Doing what you’re doing is a lot as it is! Keep up the hard work 🙂

  • Jennifer January 21, 2015, 12:31 pm

    Love reading these as I am 26 weeks pregnant with my 3rd (I have an 11 yr old and 2 yr old) and am starting to feel anxious about balancing a toddler and newborn. Would also love to hear more about your breastfeeding/pumping experience this go around if you’re comfortable sharing! I exclusively pumped for 3 months last time and then was able to nurse some until 9 months. Had some issues in the beginning and would have never attempted pumping if I hadn’t heard about it from you (never thought about it being an option!). Hoping to have a another experience this time!

  • Megan January 21, 2015, 12:54 pm

    Cute post. You must buy the Ultimate Crib Sheet. I have two for each child. You’ll never have to worry about changing wet sheets again. I think the brand is Summer or Infantino.

  • Lekki Wood January 21, 2015, 1:21 pm

    Thanks so much for posting this. It has been so helpful for me to see other parents just be real. If you read a book or an article on parenting e.g. how how to breastfeed it is all full of absolutes and perfection – it’s so nice for me to see someone struggle with or cross the issues I did, like being out of sync with pumping and the baby. It’s also awesome to read ‘I was crabby’ – again, so much of what I read is either ‘it’s all wonderful’ or ‘it’s all so very hard’. I never felt I fit into either of those molds. For me, it’s a mix of the two – highs and minor crabby lows. You do a great job of normalizing life.

  • Alex @ True Femme January 21, 2015, 2:23 pm

    Claire is so precious! That sounds like a really busy day though!

  • Emma January 21, 2015, 5:52 pm

    My parents would have “special time” with me and my sister when we were little! It was probably an hour or two rather than a whole day, but I still remember it!

  • Aishah January 21, 2015, 6:52 pm

    oh my gosh, Claire is such a cuuuuuuuuuuuuutie!!! I bet she melts your heart. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on being mommy again for the second time 🙂 xoxo

  • jen January 21, 2015, 7:04 pm

    Thank you for this post! I am due in august and my daughter will just be turning 2 and I have no clue how to take care of 2! Love the insight!

  • Katy @ Have You Hurd? January 21, 2015, 8:15 pm

    This is a good look into my future as our little girl is due in April and our Henry will be 22 months. Sounds lovely, crazy, and wonderful 🙂

  • Jacquelynn January 21, 2015, 8:46 pm

    I love this post! I am just under a month away from having a baby girl and toddler boy at home, so this was SOOOOOO fun to read 🙂 Your kiddos are so cute 🙂

  • Lauren J @ The Barn January 22, 2015, 2:44 am

    How many bottles, or ounces I guess, do you pump a day? I breastfeed my little one, almost 4 months old now, but she is gaining weight SUPER slowly. We had to up her feedings back to 8 times a day, which is really exhausting for me. I generally pump in addition to feeding her to build up a freezer stash, and get about 6 oz of extra milk every day to day and a half. But I have considered starting to pump more bottles for her for feedings during the day because I’m spending 20-40 minutes 8 times a day breastfeeding. Just curious how you plan out your pumping and feedings. Thanks!

    • Caitlin January 22, 2015, 2:27 pm

      Not sure – a lot. I would say…. 30? I try to freeze 4 and give another 4 to Henry. Feeding 8 times a day is rough. I too find bottles easier than BFing. It would maybe relieve some of the pressure on you.

      I pump – in the morning (usually an hour after BFing), around 10, around 2, around 6, and before bed. I usually BF once in the middle of the night as well.

      • Grace January 22, 2015, 4:29 pm

        Caitlin, are you worried about oversupply again by pumping again so soon? I know you wrote a lot your issues with oversupply with Henry, and I was curious to see if you had wanted to try anything differently this time around. I know a lot of moms that have totally different breastfeeding experiences with their second kids.
        Lauren, for what it’s worth, 8 feedings a day is totally within the realm of normal for a four month old. My daughter nursed every two hours during the day and at least 3-5 times a night for the first four-fove months, and very slowly lengthened those feeds out to everyithree hours by six months. Co-sleeping was a lifesaver for us. Check out kellymom.com for what is “normal” for the frequency of breastfeeding – remember, a baby’s stomach digests milk in two hours, tops. It’s really tough to feed chained to nursing in the beginning, but it evens out over time and totally gets better. And four months is the middle of one of the big growth spurts, so increased nursing is totally expected and normal. The best way to regulate your body’s milk output to meet your daughter’s needs is to breastfeed on demand, and only pump to replace a feeding. It’s an amazing symbiotic relationship and except for the rarest of cases, your body will produce exactly what your daughter needs. Otherwise our species would have died out long ago! 🙂

        • Caitlin January 22, 2015, 7:20 pm

          Not really, I have oversupply now but I’m happy to have it because I’m giving some to H and freezing some.

  • Tricia January 22, 2015, 9:31 am

    My husband is so good at calming babies and I’m also better with toddlers!

  • Carolina John January 23, 2015, 1:07 pm

    I still get the kids alone for specific activities whenever I can. Lunch with daddy is their favorite, but I prefer doing stuff. Thinking about taking Ella rock climbing as soon as it warms up.

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