A Day in the Life

It's hard to believe that it was over a year ago that I did this day in the life post. A year later, not much has changed, and yet everything is different. :-) This is our Tuesday 7/8. It is pretty typical of most days around here. Except for my glorious Friday work from home day, when I take the kids to get doughnuts before school and don't have to commute.

5:30: My morning starts with Ben up way too bright and early, climbing into our bed to wake me up. He is excited for swimming class, so he crawls into our bed already in his swimsuit. I was half awake at this point, since Mike was already up and will be on his way out the door soon. This month he is on the 8-5 shift, so he generally leaves the house before we are up and is home a little bit after I get home with the kids at 6.

5:45: Ben finally succeeds in rousing me out of bed, so I quickly get myself ready. I started taking my shower and drying my hair at night after Liv was born, because when she was younger it was more unpredictable as to what time she would wake up. Even though she wakes up at a more consistent time now, I still shower at night. I hate getting up early, so this buys me 30 minutes in the morning. Meanwhile, Ben brushes his teeth and chooses which stuffed animal he wants to bring to school today for nap.

6:15: I head into Liv's room to get her up and ready. Ben is already in Liv's room "entertaining" her for a bit, but he can't get her out of her crib, so she is happy to see me and get out of baby jail. Ben's idea of entertaining her is to run around yelling crazy stuff and flinging himself into her chair. But it works--Liv finds absolutely everything that Ben does to be hilarious.

Liv is always so happy in the morning. Her good mood helps me be a little less grouchy. I'm just really NOT a morning person.

I try to get Liv dressed, but she is not much for sitting still. These are her usual antics. Here she is trying to grab all her hair accessories out of the drawer that I opened to grab some socks. I change her diaper in this position too, usually. She hates it when I lie her down on her back.

It takes me about 10 tries (and 15 min) before I get her diaper and clothes changed. Usually I just hold her sort of like this and do it. (Ben took this picture unbeknownst to me until I was uploading them to the computer.) She refuses to cooperate. For me, anyway. She was a little angel for Grammy.

6:35: Finally in their swimsuits and ready for water day at school! This is Ben's first year in Junior Summer Camp, so he gets to take a bus to an indoor pool. Liv's water play is just playing in a kiddie pool and water table at daycare.

We all head downstairs, with Dee leading the charge since she's been waiting for me to feed her and let her out. I put Liv in her high chair with some cereal while I feed Dee and get Liv's shoes on. It would be nice to just put her down and let her play or run around, but she still refuses to walk much and wants me to carry her around, so this works best.

Ben helps himself to an applesauce while he waits for us. He is making a face here to be funny; he calls this one his "mad" face.

6:50: The kids are loaded into the car, along with all of our crap. Purse, laptop bag, lunch box with the kids' breakfast stuff in it, a bag for Ben's towel and change of clothes, and a bag for Liv's towel and change of clothes. And my sweater, since the AC is always running at the office.

As is her daily ritual, Liv takes off her right shoe (only the right) on the way to school. (And yes, I know "they" recommend you keep kids rear-facing until they are 2, but she hated it and cried all the time. I just couldn't take it anymore. So when she outgrew her carrier, we just went forward facing.)

We listen to the Frozen soundtrack and sing songs on the way. Ben's singing sounds more like screaming, but he tries. Liv loves to shriek to the music like she is singing too.

7:05: We arrive at daycare. They prefer that I drop off Ben first, so while I'm getting his breakfast set out, I put Liv in a chair since she won't walk. (Seriously cannot wait until this one decides to walk. She is able to walk, she just chooses not to.) Anyway, she loves sitting in the big kid chairs. She likes thinking that she is a big kid. And I guess her own Nutrigrain bar wasn't good enough. She had to steal Ben's too.

Ben likes a hearty breakfast. And it is the same thing most every day--yogurt, yogurt drink, cheerios, cutie, and Nutrigrain bar. This is in addition to that applesauce that he ate at the house.

Once we're in Liv's room, I get her breakfast set up. Milk, banana, yogurt, and a Nutrigrain bar for her. Her teachers feed her the yogurt. She has not mastered using a spoon yet and makes a total mess if you let her do it herself.

7:25: I wave goodbye to Ben as I head out after dropping off Liv, since the bigger kids' classrooms are up front. They are lined up to head to their own classroom now that their teacher has arrived for the day.

7:35: I am trying to break the habit, but this day I stop at Starbucks for an iced mocha and breakfast sandwich. So tasty. So expensive. I try to limit it to once or twice a week. On days when I don't stop, I usually don't eat breakfast. Which is bad. I just don't like much breakfast food like yogurt, cereal, etc. And I am unwilling to get up earlier to eat before the kids are up.

8:05: I arrive at my desk and wait for my computer to boot up. I aim to get in at 8 but usually arrive around 8:15, so I'm happy with 8:05. In last year's post, I was still working at Tellabs. It's been a busy, crazy year, that's for sure.

The work day is busy and flies by, as it usually does at this job. If I take a quick lunch, I try to leave at 4:45. The difference in traffic leaving at 4:45 versus 5 is crazy. Unfortunately, I end up getting out later, about 5:10. Traffic is awful, so I'm later than usual getting the kids. I usually get there about 5:30, but today it is closer to 6. Liv is not a fan of my late arrival. She is over-hungry and over-tired. She cries most of the way home. :-(

Until I remember the crackers that I have stashed in the console! Those keep them quiet for a few minutes. (Not either kids' most flattering picture.)

6:10: We are finally home. Ben likes to eat dinner as soon as we walk in the door. I forgot to defrost chicken for dinner, so I heat up some refried beans and onion to make bean burritos. While we wait, I give the kids some fruit and crackers. Daddy cracks Liv up pretending to steal her food. (And notice that her dollies must be at the high chair with her. She loves her dollies!)

6:20: The beans are ready. Liv loves refried beans, but what a mess! Ben doesn't like beans, so I start some water boiling to make him buttered noodles--a favorite. Mike and I take turns feeding Liv and shoving food into our mouths while standing at the kitchen island. Ah, the calm, leisurely lifestyle with toddlers. ;-)

Hugs from my love bug. She was covered in refried beans, so of course she wanted hugs and was clinging to me.

6:45: Liv's such a mess that it is straight to the bath for her. Since Ben's noodles aren't ready yet, I convince him to take his bath now too so we can get it out of the way. Liv loves the bath, but only if Ben is in there with her.

7:00: It's getting close to bedtime and Liv's tired. After she's had enough, she stands up, rubbing her eyes, letting us know she is all done.

She alternates between crawling around like crazy on her chair and ottoman and lying down. When she is tired, she often will just stop and lie down on the floor in the middle of playing, then pop back up and continue on. I should have known she wasn't just going to calmly let me get her dressed.

7:15: Meanwhile, Ben's buttered noodles are finally ready just after bath, so he digs in and eats two bowls. He requests train crash videos on youtube for some "quiet time." Hmm. I don't know how that equals quiet time, but I just roll with it.

7:30: Mike takes Liv up to bed. We still take turns each night. Liv is still so easy--just carry her up, put her in her crib, turn on her humidifier and walk out. As long as she has a few binkies, she is happy and puts herself to sleep.

8:00: Ben plays for a little while, and then we tell Ben it is time to go up to bed. He is not pleased, as usual. Here he is crying on the stairs on the way up. Poor kid. He is really in a stage of fighting bedtime right now, throwing a mini tantrum most nights.

8:10: I finally get him upstairs after some drama. After potty and brushing teeth, he picks out his books. This night it's Llama Llama and the Bully Goat and Santa Comes to Chicago. Interesting choice in July, but what the heck. Usually he gets to choose three books, but this night I took away one book because he was misbehaving on his way to bed, so we're down to two. By misbehaving, I mean throwing things when we told him it was bedtime.

Notice Ben's blanket. It was a Christmas gift, but Ben resurrected it for the 4th of July since it is red, white, and blue. Now he sleeps with it every night. Underneath it you'll find about 30 stuffed animals. Mommy Cat, Daddy Cat, and Baby Meow Meow are his current favorites. But his Build-a-Bear dog was recently added to the favorites list after Lily showed us her Build-a-Bear on Skype.

8:45: After I put Ben to bed, I head down to clean up the kitchen, pack the kids' breakfast for tomorrow, and tidy up the house a bit. Mike walks Dee, and then watches some TV.

9:30: We head up to bed. Mike falls asleep right away, since he gets up much earlier than I do. I read for a while, and then call it a night around 11. And then get ready to do it all over again. It's like Ground Hog Day. :-)

Denise and Brad's Wedding

Denise and Brad tied the knot on Saturday, June 28. Ben was the ring bearer, Liv was the flower girl, and Mike was the best man. And I chased after the kids and tried to keep them happy. :-) Which means I took very few pictures. Can't wait to see what the professional pics look like. But here is what I did get.

Liv really likes the wagon. After giving her countless rides around the house, Grammy and Grampy can attest to that. Liv spent a good part of the time just climbing in and out and messing with it.

Dad and Ben before the big event.

Ben really thought it was a hoot to snap the guys' suspenders all night.

Liv chilling out before pictures. The ceremony got underway around 5:30 and she usually naps from 4-5. She didn't get an afternoon nap in, so she was fading a bit. But she was a trooper and stuck it out until 8, when Grammy and Grampy rode to the rescue and picked up the kids.

The happy couple!!! Both looking awesome.

Ben hanging out with the groomsmen. Liv is a doll, so a few people offered to hold her for me for a bit while we waited for pictures.

Getting ready to walk down the aisle. Liv would not wear the flower wreath, would not take out her paci, and would not actually throw the petals. Best. flower. girl. ever. ;-)

Ben was very determined on the way down the aisle. He had a job to do, people!

Liv finally thew the petals about 10 minutes after the ceremony ended. I have no pics of the ceremony because I was too busy keeping Ms. Olivia quiet.

It was hot, and Ben must have been dying in that outfit, but he never once complained. Such a trooper!

Daddy comes to the rescue to give Mom 5 minutes of peace.

Look at that adorable little face. My little love bug.

And that's all I've got...

Popcorn!

Most Friday evenings are movie night around here. I let Ben choose the movie, and then we make popcorn and settle in.

This night, I'd bought him Cinderella, as he'd been requesting it for weeks (because Cinderella is his best friend Jessica's favorite). He was eager to get the party started since he had a new movie to see, so rather than waiting for Liv to go to bed like we usually do, we started early. Which meant Liv got to see the popcorn maker for the first time.

You can see from this face that she was mesmerized by the popcorn maker.

As is Ben, even though he's done this about 50 times. Some things never get old.

Mmm. Licking her lips in anticipation.

Finally, some popcorn. Even though she'd never seen the popcorn maker in action, Liv has had popcorn before, and she is very much a fan. (We are all big fans of the bag you buy at Costco--can't remember the brand off the top of my head).

Here she is signing "more."

Raiding the popcorn bowl for herself. I guess we weren't moving fast enough for her.

Split Lip

Apparently, it is a Tammaro rite of passage to fall and split your lip open. It was like deja vu when I got the call from Creative World telling me that Liv had tripped and hit her lip on a low shelf and split her lip.

I headed over to get her, then we headed to the offsite Edward ER a few miles from daycare. This is the same place I took Ben when he did the exact same thing at 2 yrs old. They are never busy, so you get in and out quickly.

Liv was not thrilled to be there. It was almost noon, and she'd missed lunch (because they didn't want to feed her while her lip was cut open) and she was overdue for her nap.

They told me she barely cried when it happened. She was happy and calm when I picked her up. She was saving the drama for the ER.

I was trying to get a good photo of her cut, but her bottom lip is so pouty, it is very hard to see the cut (which is good). You can see that the inside of her lip was swollen and bleeding and starting to bruise. Under the bottom lip, it was cut open and bleeding as well.

The doctors conferred and decided stitches (like Ben got) weren't needed. They used a glue instead. I was grateful that we didn't have to go through sedating her and the numbing shots to the lip like we did with Ben--that took years off of my life. But she still had to be confined in a papoose-type thingee while they cleaned and treated her lip. She was not a fan, to put it mildly! I mean, this is the child who won't lie down on her back for 30 seconds to get her diaper on. I have to put on her diaper with her on her stomach.

To add insult to injury, she wasn't allowed her paci for an hour while the glue dried. That was one of the longest hours of my life. She cried these heart-wrenching sobs, staggered loud breaths like she was going to hyperventilate. And she kept trying to get to my purse, because she saw me put her paci in there.

Finally, the paperwork was done and we were free to leave. She calmed down a bit, and fell right to sleep on our way home.

Once we got home, she woke up, shoved her weight in blueberries in her mouth for lunch, and then took the rest of her nap. She woke up like nothing had happened.

Poor baby is healing well. Now if she'd just take the antibiotic they prescribed, all would be well. Alas, Liv and meds are like oil and water--they don't mix. :-)

Liv's 15 Month Well Visit

Liv had her 15 month well visit yesterday. We switched doctor's offices, and Mike and I were both very happy with the new doctor. He was incredibly nice, very good with Liv, despite her antics, and gave her a very thorough check.

She is 21 lbs 7 oz (51%) and 30.5 inches (44%). Everything checked out well with her. He was unconcerned with her laryngomalacia, as long as we feel it is getting better (which it is, though it is definitely still there).

I also brought up our concern that she is not walking yet, but lately she has been taking 3 or 4 steps. He felt that since she is making progress, we shouldn't worry. We are going to reasses at her 18 month, if she isn't walking by then. I mentioned that her feet really turn out, and that maybe that is why she struggles to walk. He said it could be a factor, but he checked her feet and range of motion on her ankles, knees, and hips, and they were all fine. He said it is just the way she is made, and as long as she starts walking soon, it is fine. Likely, she will correct this on her own as she gets older.

During the entire appointment, Liv was wanting down to explore, getting into everything (including the garbage which was hidden away in a cabinet), crawling around like a crazy woman, clapping for herself, grabbing at Dr. Lo's medical tools, and just generally acting like our sweet, crazy Livvie Lou. He told us she had quite a personality and was a sweetheart, and that he would not likely forget her. :-) At one point he sat back and jokingly wiped his brown and said he'd had his workout for the day now. I had to laugh because that is exactly how I feel after spending time with her too--she keeps you on your toes!

We were also concerned that she doesn't say many words, but he said that at 15 months, 4 or 5 words is all that is expected. Liv says hi, daddy, mama, and doggie, so he was happy with that. She also signs "more," which is super cute. Ben walked and spoke so much earlier, that my perspective is skewed. He jokingly told us that Ben is ruining it for Liv. So true; I'll stop comparing them all the time. Liv just marches to the beat of her own drummer.

What's Livvie enjoying these days? Her dollies are top. She loves to hug and carry around dolls. Her paci is a must, of course. She also loves to climb on tables and the ottoman. If there is a table, she wants up on it. She still loves being carried around. Recently, she's really into "row, row, row your boat" and likes me to sing it while I pull her up and down. She loves to listen to Frozen music in the car--she screeches with excitement like she is singing along.

Foods--Blueberries are still tops, along with most fruit and eggs. She likes to eat anything Ben is eating, just because it is Ben. She adores the two munchkins we give her on "Friday doughnut day." She still has milk in a bottle once or twice a day. We are working on cutting that out. Usually it is just before bed, but she doesn't seem to be as interested lately, so we may be able to get rid of it now.

Sizes--Size 3 diapers, though she is ready to transition to size 4 soon. 18 month clothes; she can still wear12 month dresses, but they are a little short, so they work more as shirts. Size 4.5 shoes. We got her "real" shoes instead of Robeez to see if that would help with walking.

(This picture is obviously not in the timeline with the others, but it showcases her new big girl shoes and her love of sitting on tables/counters.)

Sleep--Still an awesome sleeper. She goes to bed around 7:30 and gets up between 6-6:30. We still just place her in her crib, say goodnight, and leave. She goes right to sleep on her own. Sometimes I'll take her up with her milk and try to rock her while I feed her--she generally wants nothing to do with that. She just turns toward her crib and stretches her arms out, asking to go to bed. So cute. She naps once a day at daycare (11:15 - 1:15), but at home she still takes two naps usually. About 10-12:30, and then 4-5.

Our sweet, happy, crazy Livvie Lou is doing great. Can't wait to see what is in store for us next with her!

(Notice how her foot here is turned out and her toes are scrunched up? That is how she has her feet most of the time, even when she is trying to walk...)