Just like that, sweet baby Emmett is racing towards toddlerhood. While he isn't walking on his own yet, he's obsessed with crawling, cruising and pushing his wagon around all the time. It was a gift from his great aunt and great grandma for his first birthday.
Speaking of which, his first birthday party was a blast! We had an awesome turnout of 30ish adults including lots of family and over 10 kiddos from 5 months to 5 years old. Since the party skewed towards the adult set, we served breakfast tacos, mimosas and bloody maries. We had lots of fun games and snacks for the kiddos too, and Emmett (kind of) enjoyed his smash cake. It was all a little too much for him though, and he went down for his nap way earlier than usual and missed the last 30 minutes or so of the day :)
Ever since he hit 12 months, life has sped up. I always knew things would get hectic when he got this age, and boy was I right. I wanted to slow things down and try and capture a whole day. For those who find that sort of thing interesting (or wonder what stay at home mommyhood is like) - this post is for you. Hint, there's a lot of NOT staying at home and adventuring!
6:40 a.m. - I hear Emmett fussing, and he's turned on his little
"baby TV" in his crib. I double-check the video monitor, and he is up and ready to party! I grab him and nurse him in bed, then we snuggle and play for a little while.
7:10 a.m. - I set him down to crawl and say hello to Benji (one of his favorite things to do in the morning) and then play with his bin of toys we keep in the bathroom while I hurry to get dressed for the day. My mom uniform is leggings, tennis shoes, a shirt and jacket if needed since we are go-go-going all the time. No time for makeup or fancy clothes right now unless something special is happening!
7:20 a.m. - Diaper change! I thought I smelled a dirty diaper, but he tricked me. While we're in his room I pick out his outfit for the day. It's a surprisingly warm day for mid-January, so I grab a few layers so he can be comfortable all day.
7:25 a.m. - We head downstairs. I find a caraffe of coffee that Luke set aside for me. He's been getting up super early this week to get some more time in at work since he's got a big presentation next week. Normally he's around for the morning ritual and breakfast time, so Emmett and I are missing him a lot. They usually make the coffee while I get ready for a few minutes in peace, so having the coffee already made is a pleasant, much-needed surprise ;) I fix breakfast while Emmett plays with some toys.
7:30 a.m. - Breakfast! I made some of
Tina's overnight apple cinnamon steel cut oats yesterday knowing it would be more challenging without Luke to help. I just had to throw it in the microwave for an easy breakfast (topped with raspberries, pomegranate and toasted pecans)! I usually have a little smorgasburg for Emmett since his appetite changes daily. Today I kept it simple with Cheerios, blueberries, some of my oatmeal, and a pouch I made of full fat Greek Yogurt with some pureed sweet potato mixed in. He happily chatters his baby babble through breakfast, but doesn't eat the whole thing.
7:55 a.m. - Breakfast is over and Emmett is frantically pointing outside. He wants to play! I get him dressed for the day, grab his wagon and we set off. He can keep a pretty good pace, but the longer we go, he tends to get a bit more distracted. He likes to pause to watch cars drive by, and he'll plop down if he sees a stick or leaf that needs playing with. And, we saw the neighborhood guineas which was exciting! He made it a full half block before it was clear he needed a break. I plop him in the wagon and push him home my self - quite the leg workout!
9:00 a.m. - We stop by back home and trade the wagon for a stroller. It's mom's turn for exercise! We head off on our walk. Emmett passes out by 9:15 and I get another 25 minutes in for a 2.24 mile walk. I listened to the latest
Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast while he slept - I love always learning something new on my walks!
9:45 a.m. - While Emmett shakes off his stroller catnap, I throw together a beef stew in the crockpot, tidy up and set up for hosting my playgroup. Emmett is moving about again and this time I smell a dirty diaper! We get him changed and then drop Benji off in our neighbor's yard. We read books (including 3 renditions of
Moo, Baa, La La La - per Emmett's request, not mine ;) ). Emmett saw me pull out his baby slide so he demands several turns going down the slide in a row. We snack on a couple graham crackers.
10:30 a.m. - Playgroup pals show up! There are 3 6(ish) month olds and a two year old older brother. We start out hanging inside munching on snacks and visiting, but Emmett points outside to the backyard and wants to go outside again (with all this walking and hiking, I think I've created an outside monster!). We move the party outside and the kiddos have a blast.
12:15 p.m. - Everyone leaves and we run across the street to grab Benji. I throw together lunch for us both while Emmett plays. I'm not really feeling last night's leftovers, so I make half a sandwich and pull together a few other scraps, including some of the beet hummus I made for playgroup (originally developed for one of my clients). Emmett enjoys a brown rice/quinoa blend, spiced black beans, broccoli and corn, apples and a yogurt pouch. He doesn't eat it all again (I got out a lot since he's been eating a TON lately).
12:45 p.m. - Lunch is over. We have a blast playing with his activity board his grandpa and grandma made him for his birthday, reading books, and playing fort under the kitchen table.
1:21 p.m. - We head upstairs to nurse. He's been going nonstop and is showing signs of tiredness for sure.
1:35 p.m. - Sweet, sweet nap time! I quickly clean up from lunch and then plop down on the couch to prop up my feet. I start working on this post. I post a hike that I'm leading next week for
Hike It Baby. I cruise some
recipes on the Whole Foods Market website for a post I'm working on for their
blog (I do a
few posts a month for them freelance style, it's great!). I respond to a few emails for the
North Austin Mothers' Club - I'm the membership VP so all people interested in joining get to hear from me! :) I actually still have some time after all this (thank you crock pot meal!), so I finally start working on Emmett's first year photo book.
4:07 p.m. - He's awake! This guy has playtime on his mind and starts pointing towards the backyard straight away. I put his shoes on and we go outside. He points to the garden and we end up hanging out there for a good 20 or 30 minutes. He's having a blast!
4:45 p.m. - I convince Emmett it's a good time for a walk. I put him in his carrier and grab Benji's leash and we head towards Walnut Creek Park for a quick hike. It's a nice mix from our usual neighborhood walk and Benji loved some off-leash time.
5:25 p.m. - We are walking back up our street when Luke drives up - dad's home! We're all excited to see each other and we bundle inside to catch up. I nurse Emmett while Luke and I chat. Then they play for a bit while I do a few things in the kitchen.
5:50 p.m. - It's time for a family wagon walk around the block. We run into some neighbors and chat and enjoy the sunset.
6:20 p.m. - Dinner time! We sit down to our beef stew and toast. At the last second I decide Luke's beer looks good so I pour myself a small glass. Emmett loves bread soaked in broth and pounded more than his fair share. He also enjoyed the beef and some corn. He was not having the broccoli or carrots, and kept throwing them to Benji. Ah the joys of impending toddlerhood... :)
6:50 p.m. - We clean up and play downstairs. Emmett is having so much fun playing with all of us. He's surprisingly good at making his cars "go" and playing ball.
7:15 p.m. - Time to head upstairs for start bedtime. Emmett loves bath time, and Luke and I have quite the sassy song we sing every night for the tub. After that it's jammies, books, bottle, brushing teeth, goodnight book and bed.
7:53 p.m. - Lights out! I finally hop in the shower, then Luke and I chat while we finish cleaning up the kitchen. I enjoy a cookie and then we kick up our feet and watch some Downton Abbey.
9:30 p.m. - Time to get ready for bed and do some reading.
10:00 p.m. - Lights out!
