Project 31 Day 29: My Day, Today.

Day 29.  Write about "a day in the life of me."  (Pics are great!)

Beware. This entry is somewhat boring, as it recounts the daily monotony that I've come to enjoy as my new normal. As I sat here relaying the ins and outs of my day, it occurred to me that things sound sort of hum-drum, but even though there may be moments that feel somewhat hum-drum-like, the moments when everything feels right somehow make up for it. I say all that to say this: read at your own risk. If you get bored, I apologize. Come live a day in our life with us, though, and I promise you won't be bored. We do our best to make the most of each day by being silly, taking chances, trying new things, and exploring our surroundings.

I can't remember the last time I set my alarm clock. Ever since the girl came into my life, I haven't had a need for one. Her sweet murmuring gently stirs me from – or startles me out of – sleep every day, and although I do miss being able to hit the snooze button on my old alarm clock, I have to admit that I don't miss the alarm itself. I always hated it. 

Today was no different. At seven something this morning, the girl started stirring. I had been up with her at 2:30 (after having a bit of insomnia last night), so Joey did a wonderful thing for me—he got her up and gave her a morning bottle, and let me snooze for a few more precious minutes. When I got up, I saw father and daughter sitting in the serene morning light, quietly playing together and simply enjoying being together. It’s a treat for Addie to have play time with her daddy in the morning, and I could tell she was eating it up.

Soon, Joey reluctantly had to go get ready for work, so I found something to occupy Addie's attention while I stumbled through the kitchen in my endeavor to brew my morning coffee, get her breakfast ready, and load up Pandora with what would soon become the soundtrack to our morning. Disney songs played in the background as I sang and made silly faces at the girl while I spooned blueberry banana oatmeal into her anxious mouth. (Did you know there's a Disney station on Pandora? A recent discovery that makes me happy. And who wouldn't want to sing silly songs to this sweet girl?) And while I was in the midst of singing "Kiss the Girl," Joey kissed his girls goodbye and headed out the door.

This is a fairly typical scene—and after it’s over, we get ready to explore our day. Today? Today she took a nap not long after breakfast, which let me take an invigorating shower and drink my coffee in the quiet of the morning. When she woke up, it was just about time for lunch, after which we loaded up the car and drove to the mall to meet Joey for his lunch break. We got my ring cleaned (a long-overdue necessity), shopped for a new lamp (which we didn’t actually find), and window shopped in the kids’ stores, drooling over the new fall fashions that would look so adorable on the girl, that I have to actually turn away from them so that I don’t start feeling like I’m a bad mom for not buying her a closet full of designer baby clothes. (I avoid the mall as much as I can because in all honesty? It sort of makes me feel bad about myself. I slip into feeling “less than,” as if I’m not good enough because I don’t have the latest greatest fashions, and neither does my child.) 

After the mall, we headed out to the grocery store to get formula (why am I always buying formula? The stuff goes so quickly!), and then Addie was ready for a nap by the time we got home. A bottle, a clean diaper, a sleep sack and a binky and Addie was down for the count. I had a few minutes to get a small bite to eat myself before she woke up, uncomfortable and irritated. The good news? She went right back to sleep when I picked her up and rocked her for a minute or two. Another 45 minutes was my own, and I used it to start working on our menu plan / grocery list for the next pay check.

After naptime, I confess that I turned on Veggie Tales and let Addie eat a small snack while watching it. A short time into it, though, a neighbor came over to drop off a book she’d told me about and a recipe she’d raved about. She and her 17 month old son came in and played with us for a little while, and before we knew it, it was nearly time for Joey to come home.

And so, I started washing dishes to make room for the dinner preparations while Addie played in her saucer and watched Sesame Beginnings. And then who should arrive? Joey, to his daughter’s delight. I think that is my most favorite time of the day—the moment when Joey comes home and Addie gets more excited than she has been through the whole day. It makes my heart smile, and I know it makes Joey’s heart soar.

Dinner time. Bath time. Bottle time. Bed time. It went fast this evening. And now here it is, just barely 7:00 and I am enjoying the quiet moment to record the ordinary goings on of my day. And although my life is fairly ordinary, I believe deep down in the heart of who I am that it’s actually quite extraordinary indeed, and I am blessed beyond what I could imagine would ever be possible. Life? Yep, it's pretty darn good.