A Typical Day

A Typical Day at the Happy Happenings household (all times are approximate and subject to change at the request of "the boss.")

12:00am- I am sleeping or I am awake praying that Hailey will not wake up.

12:30am- Hailey calls to me from her crib. I go in and rock her back to sleep. I wait until she has been asleep for several minutes and then I gently lay her back down in her bed. Her eyes pop open and she stands up with her hands out for me to pick her back up. I pick her back up and we do the above over again. Again, she wakes up as soon as I lay her down. I bring her into my bedroom, lay her down on the bed next to me and nurse her back to sleep. I think about moving her back to her bed and decide I am much too tired to do that.

3:00am- Hailey is awake and wants to nurse again. I know she doesn't really need to, but if I also know that if I want to sleep I will have to nurse her again. I nurse her and we both fall back asleep.

4:30am- Rich's alarm clock goes off, he hits the snooze button. Hailey does not wake up. I lay awake worrying that the next time it goes off it will wake her up.

4:39am- Rich's alarm clock goes off, he hits the snooze button. Hailey is still asleep. I am still awake worrying she will wake up.

4:48am- Rich's alarm clock goes off and he gets up. Dottie gets up and scratches and shakes her head, causing the tags on her collar to jingle. Rich quickly ushers Dottie off to go outside. I pray that Hailey will not wake up.

5:15am- Rich comes in to tell me he's leaving for work and to give me a hug and kiss. I pray Hailey will not wake up.

6:00am- Hailey is awake and wants to nurse. I feed her and we both fall asleep.

7:30am- Hailey wakes up, sits up, looks around the room, claps her hands and starts babbling. We play for a few minutes and then get up.

7:45am- I change Hailey's diaper. I get on the computer and put up my post for the day (I write my posts the day before, so this takes only a few seconds to do). Then I get breakfast for myself, Hailey and Dottie. Hailey spits most of her fruit and cereal back into my face and feeds her toast to Dottie. She throws her cup onto the floor and giggles at Dottie who is waiting for more toast.

8:15am- After breakfast I clean up the mess while Hailey empties out the kitchen cabinets. Then I spend a few minutes checking my email.

8:30am- I change Hailey's diaper again (for some reason it is always soaked about an hour after she gets up), get her dressed and put on her sunscreen. Both of us hate the sunscreen part. We both brush our teeth and then I get dressed.

9:15am- We go on our daily 2 mile walk. I talk to Hailey about what we see on our walk and she babbles and yells "Da-Da" most of the time.

9:50am- We are home from our walk and go straight to the playroom. Hailey dumps all of her toys onto the floor and then plays with the door stopper (it makes a funny bonging noise that she just loves). We sing some songs, read some books, and play some toys.

10:30am- Hailey nurses and then I change her diaper.

10:45am- Time for a morning nap. I rock Hailey and she tries to keep her body completely stiff so that she does not fall asleep. Finally she gives in and goes to sleep.

11:00am- I take shower, start some laundry and do other quiet cleaning (clean bathrooms, dust, etc). If I finish my chores before Hailey wakes up I do my blog visiting.

12:00pm- Hailey is up from her nap and is playing with the toys I left at the end of her crib. She plays by herself, giggling contentedly so I do a bit more blogging.

12:15pm- We have lunch. Remember breakfast? Same thing- Hailey spits her food out or throws it on the floor.

12:45pm- I clean up from lunch while Hailey empties the kitchen cupboards. Once she finishes that she chases Dottie around trying to touch her paws. If she is able to get a paw or better yet, Dottie's tail- she screeches and giggles. Dottie has recently learned to hid behind the couch and although Hailey tries to follow her back there she gets distracted by the door on the end table and works on opening that up.

1:00pm- I change Hailey's diaper. If we have errands to run this is when we do it. Otherwise, we play for a while in the living room. I also vacuum the house and mop the kitchen at this time of day.

1:45pm- Time to go to the totally baby proofed playroom where I can sit down for a few minutes. If it's not rainy or too hot outside, we play outside for a while- otherwise we spend the next 45 minutes in the playroom.

2:30pm- Hailey wants to nurse. I fed her and change her diaper.

2:40pm- We read books.

3:00pm- Time for an afternoon nap. I rock Hailey and she tries to keep her body completely stiff so that she does not fall asleep. Finally she gives in and goes to sleep.

3:10pm- I blog! I write my post for the next day and comment back to everyone who has left me a comment. I try to visit all of the blogs I have listed on my sidebar.

4:15pm- Hailey is up from her nap and is playing with the toys I left at the end of her crib. She plays by herself, giggling contentedly so I do a bit more blogging.

4:30pm- Hailey plays in the living room (usually in her cage) while I start thinking about what to make for dinner.

5:00pm- Hailey wants to nurse, so I feed her and change her diaper.

5:30pm- Rich is usually home now and he entertains Hailey while I actually make dinner.

6:00pm- We eat dinner. Remember breakfast and lunch? Dinner is the same- food spit out at me or thrown onto the floor for Dottie.

6:30pm- Rich plays with Hailey while I clean the kitchen and sneak in a bit more blogging.

7:15pm- Back to the safety of the playroom.

8:00pm- I give Hailey her bath, get her ready for bed, nurse her, and brush her teeth. She spends a few minutes saying goodnight to Rich.

8:30pm- I read Hailey her Bible story, say her prayers with her, and sing her to sleep.

8:45pm- I straighten up the house and prepare to do the same things all over again tomorrow. I make Rich's lunch for the next day. Sometimes I sneak in a bit more blogging, although I really try to follow my "no blogging after 9pm" rule.

9:30pm- Rich and I watch some TV. Or if Rich is watching the boring old history channel, I read while he watches TV.

10:30pm- I get ready for bed.

10:35pm- I go into Hailey's room and watch her sleeping. She has usually rolled over onto her tummy with her little bottom sticking up in the air. I listen to make sure she is breathing. I look at her angelic face in the soft glow of her Winnie the Pooh nightlight. I am overwhelmed with emotions as I think about how much I love this little tiny person. My heart is so full of love for her and I wonder how a parent who loses a child is ever able to go on with their life. I thank God for this treasure He has given us to raise and I pray that she will grow up to serve Him and be healthy and happy. Hailey sighs in her sleep and I whisper "I love you more than you'll ever know" as I tiptoe out of her room.