Day in the Life--6 Months

As part of the "Gus is turning 6 months blogging extravaganza" (yes, updating more than once a week = blog extravaganza over here at YSGOWJ), I did a photo diary of an ordinary day in our life. This was inspired by / part of the quarterly day in the life series over at Navigating the Mothership.

It is now my pleasure to present to you, Tuesday, May 3, 2011!!!

7:00 AM  Pa is getting ready to leave for work. I wake up almost every day when Jon gets up. Most days I hope and wish and pray that Gus stays asleep so I can go back to sleep when Jon leaves. Some days I am luckier than others.

Good morning!

7:30 AM  Mama realises that Gus is, indeed, not going to go back to sleep anytime soon. This, combined with the rumbles of hunger emanating from a certain Mama's stomach, is the signal to get up and start the day.

ooh, camera

Gus reads while I get dressed

8:00 AM  Breakfast. Mama gets oatmeal with fruit, like every day. Gus gets a plastic green turtle. He thinks it is delicious.

yummy!

After breakfast and a bit of play, it is nap time. Gus generally is awake for 1.5 hours, then sleeps for 45 minutes. These cycles pass amazingly quickly--you don't get that much done in an hour and a half!

This morning, Mama decides to nap as well--she was awoken too early! (Or is it that she was up too late last night?)  I didn't take any pictures of me sleeping.

9.15 AM  Wake up again!  Like clockwork, that is. We have big plans for this morning, so it is time to get ready to go out.

Gus plays while Mama showers. this is a family-friendly blog,
 so we'll just show Gus this time

getting dressed

let's go!

10.30 AM  We're actually double-booked this morning, so the first stop is to meet some friends for coffee at a nearby church / coffee shop. Unfortunately, I had no cash and Jon had my bank card. So no cake for Mama. (I was really hungry too, due to the early hour of breakfast!) Oh, and I was supposed to see if Gus wanted to nurse / nap once we got to the cafe, but we both got busy talking / playing, so I forgot.  He didn't seem too tired, so it was no biggie. Until...

11.15 AM  We bid the ladies and babies adieu and head next door (convenient) to the community centre for our baby sign class. As soon as we sat down, I realised Gus was ready for a nap. The instructor says to let the babies do what they need to do and not force them to participate, but I wasn't too keen on sitting through class with a sleeping baby on my lap. So I nursed him, and when he came off, even though he looked pretty tired, I gently started singing the songs with him. I figured if he started fussing and wanted to nap after a few minutes, then I would give in. But the distraction worked, and he seemed pretty happy to sing and play for the remainder of the class. Score one for Mama ;) Today we learned to say Mama, Pa, home, baby, phone, and who.

Gussy enjoying the coffee shop,
and a large stuffed bear at signing class 

12.45 PM  We need to pick up a few things from the grocery store. I was supposed to get them the previous day, but Jon was kind enough to take Gus and do the shopping on Monday (bank holiday, so he was off) so I could take a nap. But, apparently, the shorthand I use on my shopping lists is not always understandable to others, especially for things that he doesn't eat in the first place. So I had to do a top-up shop today. (Plus, I think I had forgotten to put some things on the first list anyway.)  Luckily, the store is in the same place as the coffee shop and community centre. I love my neighborhood sometimes!

my list

my cart. not surprisingly, I bought way more than on my list.
including a cake to make up for the one I wasn't able to get earlier :)

my baby. that missed nap caught up with him!

1.45 PM  We are finally home (it's a short walk home, unless you are carrying too many groceries and a sleeping baby. Oh yeah, and if you spend 5 minutes trying to take a picture of yourself and end up breaking the camera. Luckily, got it sorted out). I am starving!  Gus, of course, wakes up the minute we walk into the house, as always. I set about making lunch. I am trying to get us in the habit of always eating at the table, since I want to try and teach that to Gus. At the moment, we have breakfast and lunch at the Gus-sized table and dinner at the big table.

my lunch. sandwich of homemade hummus w tomato and lettuce
and a cheese quesadilla.
 I think I'll rule out a career in food photography

Gus's lunch. 

2.10 PM  Diaper-free time!  We have some diaper-free playtime a few times a week. It started out with a half-hearted attempt to try elimination communication, but I quickly realised that I do not have the patience / concentration to figure out his cues or timings. But I do think it is good for his little tushy to get some air, so I just put down a waterproof tablecloth (Christmas white elephant gift--I told them it would come in handy!) and let him play. He has a grand old time!

Mama, I'm nekkid!

2.45 PM  Diaper's back on, because Mama has other very important things to attend to.

Why yes, that is the Gilmore Girls

3.45 PM Naptime again.

Gussy napping

Mama's important naptime activities
Oh, and that sidecar crib? Best £200 bedside table ever!

5.45 PM Gus had an extra-long nap this time. I never expect him to sleep so long, so whenever he does, I just spend the second hour waiting for him to wake up "any minute now", so I never get anything useful done. Plus, I have very important blogs to read, so I usually don't notice the time anyway :)

hello again!

6.30 PM So after a bit of play, I realise that the situation is now getting dire. Well, this is the normal, everyday situation, but I feel a bit of panic at this time every day. Because Jon will be home in less than an hour, and not only have I not yet started dinner, I haven't even started the dishes. Which need to be done in order to clear a place in the kitchen to make dinner. We kick it into high gear!

dishes and cooking. what a good little helper!

7.30 PM  Pa's home!  Best part of the day :)

upside down time! (I missed the smile in the pic,
but he does like it, honest!)

8.00 PM Dinner. We had Savoury Asparagus Bread Pudding from 101 Cookbooks. It was very yummy, but more bread-y and less egg-y than I expected, so it would have been better as a side dish than a main. And we were supposed to have salad with it, but I forgot till I sat down at the table and was too lazy / hungry to get up and make a salad. Oh well.

Jon at dinner

yum. napkin.

8.45 PM  Bedtime at last. (All my bedtime pics were way awkward, so you'll just have to trust me that it happened).  Well, bedtime for Gus. Jon and I watched an episode of Monroe. Then Jon went to sleep and I stayed up too late putzing around the internet. Yep, just a typical day in the life!