Evidentally this is completely normal at this age. At least that's what everyone tells me. Which makes me think I must be some sort of wussy mom. Because Jack is just about the limit of what I can handle. And if #2 ends up being like him ... well, we'll just have to wait and see. I keep telling myself that people have 2,3,4+ kids every day, it's certainly not impossible. But I'm just having a really hard time picturing it.
Out of curiosity, I decided to keep track of what a typical day looks like with Jack, this is what happened:
7:15am – kick crib so mom knows I’m awake
7:20am – drink a few sips of milk, throw cup on ground when done
7:23am – eat lots of Crunchy Corn Bran, pound on tray when ready for more
7:28am – take two bites of oatmeal and 5 bites of applesauce, wave hands in front of face to signal “all done”
7:35am – eat three more handfuls of Crunchy Corn Bran, push on tray to tell Mom I’m done
7:45am – Mom gets me out of high-chair, try to pull wrapping paper off table, Mom blocks
7:46am – try to pull scissors of table, Mom blocks
7:47am – play quietly behind curtain, make Mom wonder what I’m doing
7:49am – pull salt shaker off table, shake all over windowsill until Mom takes it away
7:51am – yank Mom’s recipe folder off shelf, spread all over floor while Mom is eating breakfast, tear pages out of folder until Mom stops me
7:53am – attempt to pull stack of papers off table, Mom blocks
7:54am – successfully pull another stack of papers of table while Mom isn’t looking
7:55am – Mom transports me to Living Room with instructions to “play with toys”
7:56am – lean over safety gate and shake the Christmas tree branches
7:57am – successfully remove one Christmas bulb from tree
7:58am – throw entire weight onto safety gate to reach more ornaments
7:59am – find a secret way to crawl behind safety gate and under the tree
8:00am – Mom looks up from checking email and catches me, says “Look don’t touch” and fixes gate
8:02am – grab one more ornament off tree, fall into corner of gate, cry for help
8:04am – Mom transports me to other side of Living Room
8:05am – chew on Christmas bulb while planning next activity
8:06am – open drawer on stand, pull keys out of drawer
8:07am – alternate putting different sets of keys in my mouth
8:08am – walk over to tree, throw one set of keys on other side of gate
8:09am – walk over to Mom checking email, throw other set of keys onto laptop
8:10am – wonder around Living Room looking for new activity
8:11am – wonder too close to Mom who wants to “get my boogers”
8:12am – yell “Maaa” with hands up in air, Mom pulls me up on her lap
8:12am – sit quietly next to Mom for .5 seconds
8:13am – crawl over Mom’s shoulder and pound on window
8:14am – crawl over pillow and couch arm, attempt to dig out potted plant
8:15am – Mom puts me on floor, reach hands for up
8:16am – Mom wipes more boogers, try to crawl over her and laptop to reach cup of hot tea, Mom is too quick
8:17am – back on ground, cry to have Mom pick me back up
8:17am – back on Mom’s lap, put head down on shoulder, lift head up, put head back down for quick back scratch
8:19am – attempt to chew on Mom’s arm, back on floor
8:20am – cry and dance, Mom picks me up and we go look at the Christmas tree together, I point at ornaments and say “goo” and she says “mm hmmm”
8:23am – Mom puts me on floor with toys, play with toys, then pull more keys out of drawer
8:24am – put Blockbuster membership card in mouth, accidentally drop it in toybox
8:25am – bring Dad’s cell phone holster to Mom, throw on laptop
8:25am – back to Christmas tree to shake more branches
8:26am – Mom says “no”, back to sitting on her lap, blow raspberries
8:27am – give Mom lots of hugs, try to touch her teeth, she says “no” and I get angry
8:28am – back on floor, cry a little, Mom says “do you want to go upstairs” and removes gate from stairs
8:29am – first step, try to take things out of diaper bag, second step find pen, throw down stairs, third step, play with Daddy’s razor sharpener until Mommy takes it away, continue up stairs
8:30am – find socks on room floor, find pacifier under crib, head to bathroom where Mom finds me standing over the toilet
8:31am – Mom says no and shuts bathroom door
8:31am – sit in hall, point at lights and tell Mom a story
8:33am – crawl into Mom’s closet, take shoes off shelf, insert red heels in mouth, attempt to open hidden Christmas presents
8:34am – remove books from Mom’s bedstand, one at a time, while she is making bed, laugh at Mom
8:34am – back to closet to throw more shoes off the shelf while Mom picks up books, Mom says no and moves me out of closet
8:35am – walk down hall, come back and go back to closet, Mom pulls me out and holds closet doors shut
8:36am – attempt to open closet one more time, walk down hall, turn around and throw more books down on floor
8:37am – walk to clothes hamper, pull dirty clothes out onto floor, stop and stare at “Babywise” lying on floor
8:39am – throw G’Ma’s Christmas gift on floor, play with Daddy’s alarm clock, pull on window blinds, Mom picks up books
8:40am – discover rolls of wrapping paper, collapse on pile of pillows while Mom is still trying to make the bed
8:41am – throw Christmas cards on floor, walk to Mom’s bedstand and throw books on floor, start to read “Supernatural Childbirth”
8:42am – Mom finishes making the bed, I throw the Christmas cards on the floor again
8:43am – pull trash out of trash can and run around room with it, while Mom picks up Christmas cards
8:44am – throw Christmas cards on floor, pull more trash out of can, play with wrapping paper from trash can
8:45am – walk to hamper, pull dirty clothes out onto floor, crawl back to trash can, sprinkle floor with dirty tissues, turn trash can upside down and dump the rest out onto floor, sing to self while pounding trash can like a drum
8:47am – Mom sends me to my room to play with toys
8:47am – successfully plays with toys in room
8:52am – realizes Mom is in bathroom, goes to her room and throws Christmas cards on floor, then to bedstand to throw books on floor
8:54am – Mom returns, thumb through “Babywise”, hand book to Mom, thumb through “Supernatural Childbirth”, hand book to Mom, reach up to Mom
8:55am – get diaper changed, throw book on the floor, roll over three times, throw stuffed animal on the floor, attempt to stand twice, Mom finishes changing diaper
9:00am – naptime, lights out, snuggle with Mom for .5 seconds, then reach for crib
7:20am – drink a few sips of milk, throw cup on ground when done
7:23am – eat lots of Crunchy Corn Bran, pound on tray when ready for more
7:28am – take two bites of oatmeal and 5 bites of applesauce, wave hands in front of face to signal “all done”
7:35am – eat three more handfuls of Crunchy Corn Bran, push on tray to tell Mom I’m done
7:45am – Mom gets me out of high-chair, try to pull wrapping paper off table, Mom blocks
7:46am – try to pull scissors of table, Mom blocks
7:47am – play quietly behind curtain, make Mom wonder what I’m doing
7:49am – pull salt shaker off table, shake all over windowsill until Mom takes it away
7:51am – yank Mom’s recipe folder off shelf, spread all over floor while Mom is eating breakfast, tear pages out of folder until Mom stops me
7:53am – attempt to pull stack of papers off table, Mom blocks
7:54am – successfully pull another stack of papers of table while Mom isn’t looking
7:55am – Mom transports me to Living Room with instructions to “play with toys”
7:56am – lean over safety gate and shake the Christmas tree branches
7:57am – successfully remove one Christmas bulb from tree
7:58am – throw entire weight onto safety gate to reach more ornaments
7:59am – find a secret way to crawl behind safety gate and under the tree
8:00am – Mom looks up from checking email and catches me, says “Look don’t touch” and fixes gate
8:02am – grab one more ornament off tree, fall into corner of gate, cry for help
8:04am – Mom transports me to other side of Living Room
8:05am – chew on Christmas bulb while planning next activity
8:06am – open drawer on stand, pull keys out of drawer
8:07am – alternate putting different sets of keys in my mouth
8:08am – walk over to tree, throw one set of keys on other side of gate
8:09am – walk over to Mom checking email, throw other set of keys onto laptop
8:10am – wonder around Living Room looking for new activity
8:11am – wonder too close to Mom who wants to “get my boogers”
8:12am – yell “Maaa” with hands up in air, Mom pulls me up on her lap
8:12am – sit quietly next to Mom for .5 seconds
8:13am – crawl over Mom’s shoulder and pound on window
8:14am – crawl over pillow and couch arm, attempt to dig out potted plant
8:15am – Mom puts me on floor, reach hands for up
8:16am – Mom wipes more boogers, try to crawl over her and laptop to reach cup of hot tea, Mom is too quick
8:17am – back on ground, cry to have Mom pick me back up
8:17am – back on Mom’s lap, put head down on shoulder, lift head up, put head back down for quick back scratch
8:19am – attempt to chew on Mom’s arm, back on floor
8:20am – cry and dance, Mom picks me up and we go look at the Christmas tree together, I point at ornaments and say “goo” and she says “mm hmmm”
8:23am – Mom puts me on floor with toys, play with toys, then pull more keys out of drawer
8:24am – put Blockbuster membership card in mouth, accidentally drop it in toybox
8:25am – bring Dad’s cell phone holster to Mom, throw on laptop
8:25am – back to Christmas tree to shake more branches
8:26am – Mom says “no”, back to sitting on her lap, blow raspberries
8:27am – give Mom lots of hugs, try to touch her teeth, she says “no” and I get angry
8:28am – back on floor, cry a little, Mom says “do you want to go upstairs” and removes gate from stairs
8:29am – first step, try to take things out of diaper bag, second step find pen, throw down stairs, third step, play with Daddy’s razor sharpener until Mommy takes it away, continue up stairs
8:30am – find socks on room floor, find pacifier under crib, head to bathroom where Mom finds me standing over the toilet
8:31am – Mom says no and shuts bathroom door
8:31am – sit in hall, point at lights and tell Mom a story
8:33am – crawl into Mom’s closet, take shoes off shelf, insert red heels in mouth, attempt to open hidden Christmas presents
8:34am – remove books from Mom’s bedstand, one at a time, while she is making bed, laugh at Mom
8:34am – back to closet to throw more shoes off the shelf while Mom picks up books, Mom says no and moves me out of closet
8:35am – walk down hall, come back and go back to closet, Mom pulls me out and holds closet doors shut
8:36am – attempt to open closet one more time, walk down hall, turn around and throw more books down on floor
8:37am – walk to clothes hamper, pull dirty clothes out onto floor, stop and stare at “Babywise” lying on floor
8:39am – throw G’Ma’s Christmas gift on floor, play with Daddy’s alarm clock, pull on window blinds, Mom picks up books
8:40am – discover rolls of wrapping paper, collapse on pile of pillows while Mom is still trying to make the bed
8:41am – throw Christmas cards on floor, walk to Mom’s bedstand and throw books on floor, start to read “Supernatural Childbirth”
8:42am – Mom finishes making the bed, I throw the Christmas cards on the floor again
8:43am – pull trash out of trash can and run around room with it, while Mom picks up Christmas cards
8:44am – throw Christmas cards on floor, pull more trash out of can, play with wrapping paper from trash can
8:45am – walk to hamper, pull dirty clothes out onto floor, crawl back to trash can, sprinkle floor with dirty tissues, turn trash can upside down and dump the rest out onto floor, sing to self while pounding trash can like a drum
8:47am – Mom sends me to my room to play with toys
8:47am – successfully plays with toys in room
8:52am – realizes Mom is in bathroom, goes to her room and throws Christmas cards on floor, then to bedstand to throw books on floor
8:54am – Mom returns, thumb through “Babywise”, hand book to Mom, thumb through “Supernatural Childbirth”, hand book to Mom, reach up to Mom
8:55am – get diaper changed, throw book on the floor, roll over three times, throw stuffed animal on the floor, attempt to stand twice, Mom finishes changing diaper
9:00am – naptime, lights out, snuggle with Mom for .5 seconds, then reach for crib
10:28am – kick crib to alert Mom to wakefulness
10:31am – kick crib some more in case Mom didn’t hear
10:32am – greet Mom with smile and kiss when she comes to retrieve me
10:33am – play with toys
10:35am – walk to tree, stand at safety gate and hit tree with flashlight, touch branches
10:38am – hit window with flashlight, play with tree branches, hit window with flashlight
10:40am – walk to Mommy, hand her flashlight, Mommy shows me how flashlight really works
10:41am – throw flashlight down, find keys, insert keys in mouth
10:41am – crawl under Mommy’s legs to other side of coffee table where Mommy’s drink is, Mommy moves drink
10:42am – crawl under Mommy’s legs to other side of coffee table where Mommy moved drink, Mommy moves drink again
10:42am – find second set of keys, put first set in mouth so I can grab flashlight and walk to window, bang window with flashlight
10:44am – Mommy announces “I smell poop” and carries me upstairs, I give Mommy two more kisses
10:48am – sit still reading book while getting diaper changed
10:47am – Mommy takes me to bathroom to wipe dry snot off my face, I point at self in mirror and laugh
10:48am – alternate between playing with keys and throwing Christmas bulb
10:53am – sit on Mommy’s lap, we play “watch how still Jack can sit when something is put on top of his head”
10:56am – crawl behind Mommy and start pulling tissues out of the tissue box
10:57am – Mommy puts me down on floor, I cry
10:57am – Mommy picks me up, I snuggle on Mommy’s shoulder
10:58am – eat a snack in kitchen while Mommy gets lunch ready
11:04am – eat lunch
11:30am – play in “Jack drawer” while Mommy eats lunch, attempt to pull wrapping paper off table, Mom stops me, pull papers off table, Mom stops me halfway through, go back to “Jack drawer”
11:34am – Mom takes a phone call, I attempt to pull Mom’s soup off the table, Mom stops me and continues with phone call
11:35am – play with his plastic dishes in Living Room
11:40am – see Mommy watching me and run out to kitchen with ball in hand, throw ball across room
11:41am – play with bottle cap on windowsill, attempt to pull wrapping paper off table, attempt to pull mail off table
11:42am – try to pull leaves off plant, Mommy says “no”, give Mommy innocent look
11:43am – attempt to pull things out of trash can, Mommy says “no” and turns can around
11:44am – attempt to pull wrapping paper off table, Mommy says “no”
11:44am – play with magnets and pictures on fridge
11:45am – attempt to get into trash can but Mom outsmarts me, bang hands on fridge, then pull hand towels off oven door
11:46am – take a break for milk, yell “Mama!” and hand Mom the sippy when I can’t figure it out, Mom helps me hold the sippy high enough to get a good sip
11:47am – pull tray off of high chair, go back to playing in Jack drawer, Mommy announces it’s time for a walk
11:48am – dance to music of Mommy’s cell phone ring
11:49am – throw toys down stairs while Mommy talks on the phone
11:55am – Mommy again announces it’s time for a walk, we head upstairs, I'm detoured by candles on steps
11:57am – I bust into bathroom, throw hair gel into trash can, Mommy removes me from bathroom
11:59am – Mommy finds me in her closet, throwing shoes on the floor
12:00pm – Mommy puts my shoes on, I head towards Christmas tree to play with ornaments
12:01pm – Mommy picks me up and takes me down to stroller, I try to grab Daddy’s work boots off garage shelf
12:02pm – Mommy and I go for a walk, I'm still and quiet the entire trip
10:31am – kick crib some more in case Mom didn’t hear
10:32am – greet Mom with smile and kiss when she comes to retrieve me
10:33am – play with toys
10:35am – walk to tree, stand at safety gate and hit tree with flashlight, touch branches
10:38am – hit window with flashlight, play with tree branches, hit window with flashlight
10:40am – walk to Mommy, hand her flashlight, Mommy shows me how flashlight really works
10:41am – throw flashlight down, find keys, insert keys in mouth
10:41am – crawl under Mommy’s legs to other side of coffee table where Mommy’s drink is, Mommy moves drink
10:42am – crawl under Mommy’s legs to other side of coffee table where Mommy moved drink, Mommy moves drink again
10:42am – find second set of keys, put first set in mouth so I can grab flashlight and walk to window, bang window with flashlight
10:44am – Mommy announces “I smell poop” and carries me upstairs, I give Mommy two more kisses
10:48am – sit still reading book while getting diaper changed
10:47am – Mommy takes me to bathroom to wipe dry snot off my face, I point at self in mirror and laugh
10:48am – alternate between playing with keys and throwing Christmas bulb
10:53am – sit on Mommy’s lap, we play “watch how still Jack can sit when something is put on top of his head”
10:56am – crawl behind Mommy and start pulling tissues out of the tissue box
10:57am – Mommy puts me down on floor, I cry
10:57am – Mommy picks me up, I snuggle on Mommy’s shoulder
10:58am – eat a snack in kitchen while Mommy gets lunch ready
11:04am – eat lunch
11:30am – play in “Jack drawer” while Mommy eats lunch, attempt to pull wrapping paper off table, Mom stops me, pull papers off table, Mom stops me halfway through, go back to “Jack drawer”
11:34am – Mom takes a phone call, I attempt to pull Mom’s soup off the table, Mom stops me and continues with phone call
11:35am – play with his plastic dishes in Living Room
11:40am – see Mommy watching me and run out to kitchen with ball in hand, throw ball across room
11:41am – play with bottle cap on windowsill, attempt to pull wrapping paper off table, attempt to pull mail off table
11:42am – try to pull leaves off plant, Mommy says “no”, give Mommy innocent look
11:43am – attempt to pull things out of trash can, Mommy says “no” and turns can around
11:44am – attempt to pull wrapping paper off table, Mommy says “no”
11:44am – play with magnets and pictures on fridge
11:45am – attempt to get into trash can but Mom outsmarts me, bang hands on fridge, then pull hand towels off oven door
11:46am – take a break for milk, yell “Mama!” and hand Mom the sippy when I can’t figure it out, Mom helps me hold the sippy high enough to get a good sip
11:47am – pull tray off of high chair, go back to playing in Jack drawer, Mommy announces it’s time for a walk
11:48am – dance to music of Mommy’s cell phone ring
11:49am – throw toys down stairs while Mommy talks on the phone
11:55am – Mommy again announces it’s time for a walk, we head upstairs, I'm detoured by candles on steps
11:57am – I bust into bathroom, throw hair gel into trash can, Mommy removes me from bathroom
11:59am – Mommy finds me in her closet, throwing shoes on the floor
12:00pm – Mommy puts my shoes on, I head towards Christmas tree to play with ornaments
12:01pm – Mommy picks me up and takes me down to stroller, I try to grab Daddy’s work boots off garage shelf
12:02pm – Mommy and I go for a walk, I'm still and quiet the entire trip
Phew! I ended up keeping track of the whole day but the list is so long I thought I'd only include this much on the blog. First off, I meant for this to be a typical day, but it wasn't. This would be considered a difficult day. Not all days are like this. Plus I was still getting over being sick and probably not giving Jack the attention he's used to, and Jon worked extra late that day.
It is rather comical to read through Jack's day like this, but I have to admit, it was a great learning experience. This is not how I pictured raising a 1 year old. It is more obvious to me than ever that I really need to work on giving Jack some more structure. He needs to learn to entertain himself for longer periods of time, and he needs to learn how to focus on one or two objects for longer periods of time, rather than running about from activity to activity. So you can bet my goal for the next few weeks, or maybe I'll wait til after Christmas, is to institute a regular roomtime or independent playtime. Also, what's not included here is the most difficult time of day - the late afternoon when I'm trying to get dinner ready. Jack is always hungry and clingy when I'm trying to make dinner. 
This day was particularly bad because my grocery trip ran late and by the time we got home Jack was more than ready to eat. My other goal is to make sure Jack gets a good sized snack in the afternoon to hold him over until dinner and to start prepping dinner during his nap so that it goes more smoothly after he's awake. These are all part of "Operation: Organized" slated to begin at the New Year, because really, what better time to get your life in order than 3 1/2 months before a new baby arrives, right? :)
This day was particularly bad because my grocery trip ran late and by the time we got home Jack was more than ready to eat. My other goal is to make sure Jack gets a good sized snack in the afternoon to hold him over until dinner and to start prepping dinner during his nap so that it goes more smoothly after he's awake. These are all part of "Operation: Organized" slated to begin at the New Year, because really, what better time to get your life in order than 3 1/2 months before a new baby arrives, right? :)
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2 comments:
J! I loved reading this, as always! :)
My friend susanne has a son who is close in age to Jack & she is due in April also, (I think) with twins! Yikes!
Anyway, she writes a baby blog and wrote a few posts on independent play time recently-- they wreevery interesting to read, thought it might be helpful to you! You can find them on her blog:
blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com
a :)
So weird, I just saw your comment but I was going to tell you I saw her blog on your page last week and was reading it. SOOO GOOD! I really felt convicted to keep up with independent play time after hearing how it helped her. Twins - wow! I need to bookmark her, my new hero! :)
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