A Day in the Life of Micah (3) and Amelia (15 months)

Here is a day in the life of Micah (3) and Amelia (15 months) from Amelia's perspective.

Micah's New "Room"

I wake up and it's dark in my crib so I pull myself up to my knees, grab the crib bars, and holler.  After a few minutes, Micah stirs in his toddler bed in the adjoining walk-in-closet, and I get excited when I see his star light click on.  "Amelia, it's 7 o'clock! My star light turned on!" announces Micah.  I stop hollering and rock back and forth excitedly "talking"as fast as I can when my mom comes in and turns on the big light.  I have so much to say and I rapidly sign "milk". I gulp it down while she changes my diaper and dresses me.  If I wasn't so busy drinking, I would give some input on what clothes I would like to wear, shaking my head vigorously if I don't agree or hugging them close if I concur.  I pat my head to remind her to fix my hair, but sometimes I have trouble remembering to sit still for her to do it.  Meanwhile, Micah sloooowly takes his pajamas off, goes to the bathroom, and picks out his clothes.  He likes Mom to lay out each clothing item "just so" on the floor so he will know how to put them on, but I like to crawl over the top of them and pick them up.  Micah begs Mom to play with us for a few minutes then she puts up the baby gate and (gasp) leaves the room for us to do playtime while we listen to a silly recording her and Dad made!! This is my least favorite part of the day! She dares to leave my sight!  I am tempted to continuing playing duplos or Mr. Octopus with Micah, but I head for the doorway to rattle the gate and remind Mom I'm still here.  Mom says Micah and I used to play together quietly for half an hour during playtime, but these days Mom can only tolerate a few minutes of my yelling.  

I am desperate to eat breakfast.  Micah sets the table while Mom cooks something.  Sometimes, Micah "makes" breakfast by himself by setting the table with cold cereal and milk.  My favorite breakfast is oatmeal with coconut oil and raisins.  Occasionally, I like eggs, but I try to throw my parents off by remaining unpredictable with my food choices. Micah prefers breakfast burritos or pancakes.  The highlight of the meal for both of us is our gummy vitamins.  I stay pretty quiet once I start eating.  If they forget, I always am the first to remind the family to hold hands and pray.  My Dad and Micah take turns answering catechism questions that Mom asks.  Sometimes, they turn it into a contest.  They both like to win a little too much.

It usually takes me twice as long to finish my breakfast as the rest of the family.  By the time I'm done, Mom has usually cleaned up breakfast and started a load of laundry.  After breakfast, Micah is supposed to put away the clean silverware from the dishwasher.  That takes a long time most days.  My Daddy kisses me goodbye when he leaves for work.  My mom is finishing up making her grocery list so Micah is looking at books on the couch. I dig through our living room toy drawer. 

     Mom and Micah have a morning chore they do together that varies depending on the day of the week.  I try to help too.  Today there is vacuuming going on.  I recently outgrew my fear of the vacuum!  

     Mom says it is time for a nap for me.  I have really been protesting this morning nap since Christmas.  Too many new toys to explore!  I rest quietly in my crib for 25 minutes then decide enough is enough and cry until Mom gets me.  She sets me in the living room with my new plastic tea set to play while she finishes having special time with Micah.  Apparently, while I nap, they do activities together that I would not appreciate, like reading books with too many words, puzzles with too many pieces, and crafts with too many parts.  Today they are playing Uno and Candy Land.  Candy Land is my favorite because I get to play with two game pieces, the directions, and the box while they play.  I'm not supposed to touch the board.  

After special time is over, sometimes we do a workout.  Mom rolls out the mini-trampoline from the garage for Micah to burn energy and we all watch her phone for workout video.  Micah's favorite is using the Sworkit Kids app.  I like to watch the screen and laugh at Mom but don't do much working out.  My favorite part of exercise time is when the app tells them to "take a thirty-second break", because then Mom picks me up and we play tag with Micah around the house.  Today, we don't do a workout because it is Wednesday, and Mom gets to go to the gym by herself after we are in bed.  

Instead, we sit down at the little table for a snack.  My favorite snack is raisins or honey nut cheerios.  Micah's favorite snack is yogurt.  Afterwards, I carefully take all the crayons out of their container while Micah paints with watercolors.  I get bored of this quickly and sign "all done", but not before I manage to color some red marker on my face.  I almost fall out of my chair.  I like to walk while my parents hold my hands, but I can't do it on my own yet.  Everyone says I'll be a later walker like Micah and my Mom both were.

It's lunchtime.  I play with the pretend kitchen, placing the bendy man figurine in and out of the oven, while my Mom gets the food ready.  I whine a few times to let her know I'm ready, and pull out the Tupperware box to do some "sorting".  I like plain food for lunch and carefully peel apart my sandwiches or wraps first to make sure Mom hasn't snuck anything terrible in, like meat or hummus or avocado.  Some days, my Dad gets to come home from work for lunch with us.  Most Mondays we meet him at the middle school to eat lunch with the kids there, and most Tuesdays we meet him at the high school to each lunch there, after we go to story-time at the library.  My parents say Micah and I make pretty good advertising for the church youth group.  I'm not as much of a draw as I used to be though, so it's good my Mom is about to have another baby.

After lunch, we bundle up and go outside for a little snow playtime.  We don't have sidewalks near us and the roads are covered in snow and ice so we don't go on many walks anymore.  I don't really like the snow but my brother does.  He even goes down the snowy slide at the park sometimes.  He also squirts colored water out of a bottle to make designs in the snow in our yard.  For a while, he chose yellow every time, so now Mom doesn't give him a choice and mixes up purple or green.

Back inside, we each get to pick a book or two for Mom to read to us before naptime.  I still prefer books with real pictures but occasionally I'll sit still for The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Goodnight Moon.  My favorite books are the sign language board books from the library.  Micah's favorite book right now is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. 

Micah and I both take an afternoon nap.  Most days, my Mom does too.  After nap, we eat a snack and sort laundry.  I like to give my clothes big hugs and wrap them around my neck.  After that, we play until dinner time.  Micah plays alot with his Knexs he got for Christmas.  I like to play with the pieces too.  I give them hugs and stuff them between my neck and my shoulder.  Sometimes my Mom finds them in my clothes later. 

Most of the time, I like to play with my brother.   Sometimes I dump out puzzles for him to put together.  Other times I play the piano while Micah plays the metronome.  I'm getting better at finding ways to occupy myself while my Mom cooks, but I just want to see what's going on. My Dad gets home for dinner and I love to meet him at the door.  Sometimes I sit in front of the door and block it without meaning to and then he can't get in.  Oops.  I get excited to see him.   We have dinner together as a family just about every night.  In the evenings after the rest of my family cleans up the meal, we usually have a little time to play before bedtime.  Micah and I like it when we play games together as a family, like Twister.  I crawl around the special mat and Micah stretches really far.  Other nights, we take a bath.  And some nights, I'm just exhausted and whine until someone asks me if I want to go to bed, to which I respond by giving them a big hug.  I ask frequently throughout the day to brush my teeth and hair, and always at bedtime.  After we are all ready for bed, my Dad reads us a Bible story.  I listen for a few seconds, then fold my hands to try to hurry everyone along to the praying.  They don't seem to listen to my signal until the story is over.  Usually, Micah and I go to bed at 7.  I don't mind, my dolly stays in my crib now, and I get excited each time we are reunited.  I don't like to miss anything, so after my parents lay me down, I usually crawl over to the side of the crib to watch them say goodnight to Micah.  Then they remind me to lay down again.  Goodnight!

Blogs I Follow

I gain so many ideas and words of encouragement from the various blogs I follow, I thought I would write a quick post to share them with you!

I subscribe to most of these blogs by email.  Sometimes my inbox starts to fill up with too many unread posts, but I no longer feel any regret in just deleting a bunch if I'm in a busy week.  Seriously, why should I have ever felt obligated to read every post in the first place?  It seems a bit ridiculous now.  Other weeks, I soak up every word of these posts because I need the encouragement. Perhaps you might need some too!

Frugal Living

Money Saving Mom

This is the first blog I remember ever following.  Full of store deals, coupons, freebie links, free ebook notifications, etc.  

Healthy Living

The Humbled Homemaker

One of my favorite all-around blogs that covers healthy living and homemaking topics.  Erin writes in a genuine and easy-to-follow style.

Keeper of the Home

This is my go-to site for learning about natural remedies. I also enjoy the weekly round-up of links.

Motherhood/Intentional Living

Kristy's Cottage: Grace for Motherhood, Ministry, and Life

I ended up at Kristy's Cottage for encouragement as a pastor's wife (and Kristy even wrote a blog post specifically in response to my question about balancing ministry and mothering littles on Sunday mornings), but I have recently been enjoying her posts on mothering and other topics lately.  Her blog is beautiful and uplifting.

Set Apart Motherhood

I was first introduced to Leslie Ludy's spiritual writings in my dorm bible study in college, and I am glad she recently started this blog/wrote a book on motherhood.  This is not fluffy, easy-peasy stuff, it gives me spiritual meat to chew on.

Young Wife's Guide

The sub-title "Gospel Centered Homemaking" describes it well. 

Hands Free Mama

I highly recommend Rachel Stafford's book by the same title as the blog, I tend to skim her blog posts, but they are good reminders for me to soak up the daily moments with my children and nudge me to not spend too much time looking at my phone or computer.

Misc.

Dating Divas  

My go-to website for planning date nights with Caleb. If you subscribe to receive the posts by email like I do, you get access to some exclusive printables and other freebies.

 

I'm a toddler mom.

Children seated on the alphabet train rug, some with limbs stretched, some with limbs tucked under, some yawning, some chattering.  Some focused intently on the stories, some warily eyeing the other children. Shy, bold, engaged, distracted.

Toddler story time at the library is one of the highlights of each week for my two-year-old, and it has become a comfortable routine for both of us.  For him, the predictable pattern of familiar faces and fast-paced stories, cheery songs and finger plays is much anticipated.  For me, well, everyone knows that baby story time is for the parents more than the children, and toddler story time isn't much different, though I don't see anything wrong with that!  I view it as an opportunity to get out of the house, exchange a few words with other moms, and feel good about myself for bringing my child to a positive, educational activity he enjoys.

However, this particular week was different.  We had a scheduling conflict during toddler story time, but we happened to be at the library when preschool story time was about to begin, so I thought we'd give it a try.  The children were older and calmer, but not much different really.  As far as my son was concerned, this was about the same as normal story time; in fact, I'm not sure he even realized it wasn't the usual.  No, it wasn't the children that made it different.  It was the moms.

Toddler moms come wearing worn tennis shoes or muddy farm boots, prepared to be fleet of foot to chase down children and take on outdoor adventures. Preschool moms gracefully step around in delicate ballet flats or (gasp) high heels.  Toddler moms boast a uniform of boot cut jeans, yoga pants, or leggings with an easy-pull up or down top to quickly nurse the toddler or baby sibling, all coordinated with a baseball cap, top knot bun, or overflowing diaper bag.  Preschool moms wear anything from skinny jeans to business suits, accessorized with manicured fingernails, bangles, earrings, scarves, and make-up.  Toddler moms sit cross-legged on the floor with their child, singing along with Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and swapping stories with the other moms about night-weaning and potty training.  Preschool moms sit in chairs with their legs crossed at the knee, checking their phones on the sly and observing their child interact.

At first, I wasn't sure whether to be excited that the preschool days evidently involve more sleep and personal care time, or grateful that my son still has the better part of a year before he swaps the label "toddler" for "preschooler" so I will have time to prepare myself for my own title change.  Suddenly, a wave of panic washed over me as I realized that while the toddler moms seemed to have an authentic desire in their frazzled state to make new friends, the preschool moms seemed to be finding their social outlet elsewhere with existing friends.  I felt an urgency I hadn't before, as if the make-mommy-friends clock was ticking and I hadn't realized until now that I was almost out of time and I couldn't turn the clock back.

A new line of thinking entered my head. If I keep having more children, I can keep being a toddler mom without having to move up. Can I always be a toddler mom? I'm just starting to get this down!  Hmmm, if my kids are anything like me, short of stature and young-faced, they could easily pass as younger than they actually are and could attend toddler story time unnoticed for years past their toddler days.  Plus, they'll be so much smarter and well-behaved than the other kids since they'll actually be older......

Oh, but how quickly my mind forgets the Truth.

It is the Lord who goes before you.  He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed. - Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV) 

The Truth is so simple and straightforward.  Future days and future titles?  The Lord goes with me.  Do I need worry?  No.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)  

Insecurity?  A magic number of friends? A thorough knowledge of what to expect? These verses instruct to me to lay these aside.  Besides, why would I even desire to stay stuck at a pit stop on the race?  What joy is there in that, growing stagnant next to a porta-potty?  Daily, opportunities abound for me to grow in bravery, boldness, forgiveness, and compassion.  I would much rather run full speed ahead with the Lord, throwing off those fears, even if it means arriving at the preschool mom stage.  And after I birth my last child, I'd better start saving for a personal stylist.

A Day in the Life of Micah: 1 1/2 years old

More than anything, this post is for my benefit so that I can look back on this summer and remember what life was like at our short, five-month stint in our trailer in a gravel pit cottage in the woods.

We moved to Clayton (aptly named since they used to make bricks here and there was "a ton of clay" in the area), about seven miles North of Deer Park, suddenly at the end of April because our landlord wanted to sell our former residence and we couldn't find any rentals available in Deer Park at the time. Since then, we have been inquiring about many rental options in Deer Park to try to get back there before winter sets in, for many, many reasons which I won't go into here.  God opened a door and we will be moving to a great rental in Deer Park soon, which is suddenly bittersweet has we had just started to become accustomed to life in the woods out here.  So, for posterity's sake, here's an average day from Micah's perspective, age 1 1/2, using pictures from the past four months here.

My day usually begins between 6:30-7:00am, or whenever my parents forget to tiptoe quietly enough in the living room.  One of the things my parents appreciate about this house is the blackout blinds in my bedroom, which make it pretty hard for me to tell what time it is.  No problem for me though, because I can reach the light switch from my crib!  As soon as I wake up, I flip the switch and call out "Momma!  Momma!".  By the time she opens the door, I'm usually hopping up and down on my crib mattress--mornings are a high energy time for me!

I'm pretty focused when I get up - breakfast is the first thing on my mind.  Depending on what time I wake up, sometimes I'm forced to wait to eat until my parents finish reading their Bibles on the couch.  In that case, sometimes I sit on the floor and whine, and sometimes I sit on the couch too and pray for people, repeating after my parents one word at a time.  Once, I got an owie.  Every morning I usually reminisce about that time and I say "Yeah, Jesus!" because He answered my prayer.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and it isn't unusual for me to eat almost twice as either of my parents at this meal.  A sample breakfast menu for me includes four pancakes with peanut butter, scrambled eggs, an entire banana or pear, or both, and a piece of toast.  When mom isn't sure what to give me next, I like to make the helpful suggestions of cheerios, toast, or cantaloupe.  

The benefit of me eating so much at breakfast is that it can take a little while, which usually gives my mom a chance to wash the breakfast dishes and work together with dad to pack his lunch.  She's really looking forward to having a dishwasher again at our new house.

Dad says goodbye to me then heads out for the day to go to his fitness class at the gym then on to work. Sometimes, later after he's left, I pretend I'm him.  I put on one of his shoes, have mom help me put on a backpack, and head outside, waving goodbye to mom and giving her a goodbye hug and kiss and telling her I'm going to the car.  I have her shut the door, then I knock a minute later and say hello.  

Next, my mom and I usually exercise.  I like to play with her dumbells to get "strong" while she does an exercise video or routine using an app.  I'm getting better at jumping jacks too.  My favorite parts are when she runs around the house with me and when we do push-ups.  Sometimes I make her exercises more difficult by laying on her back or grabbing her legs and adding extra weight.  My attention span doesn't usually last the whole workout, so I do a puzzle or cook in my kitchen.  

After exercising, we get to go outside!  We run around the circular gravel driveway together and I see how fast I can go.  We play soccer and baseball.  We go on the swing and the slide.  We water the hanging baskets and potted flowers. I help with my little watering can. I also stick my head under the hanging basket so the water that streams out gives me a shower.  While I keep playing with the water, my mom makes phone calls because we don't have reception inside the house.  She used to carry bear spray with us every time we stepped outside.  We haven't seen a bear in our yard in a while now, so she has slacked off on that, but we do frequently see deer and other wildlife just feet away.  I have my parents catch crickets and frogs for me so I can watch them in my bug catcher.  

Back at the beginning of the summer, mom would occasionally take me on a run in the jogging stroller.  But then, our neighbor got chased by a bear for a quarter mile on his bike on this road, so the jogs came to an end.  I didn't like how bumpy the gravel road was anyway.

Earlier in the summer as well, wildflowers bloomed in the woods right around our house, so I helped mom pick a few bouquets.  As you can see in the picture, I'm still wet from my hanging basket shower.  At this point in the morning, it's getting pretty hot outside, so we head indoors to do our chores together.  Mom has a list of chores depending on the day of the week - some we do together during our chore time and some she does when I'm napping.  Some of our together chores are sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming.  I help with the sweeping and dusting.  I don't help with the vacuuming. I go and bring mom the Beco carrier so she can wear me up and away from the vacuum.  I do not like the vacuum.  

After our chores, I play a little bit, sometimes with mom, sometimes by myself.  We eat lunch around 11:30.  On certain days of the week, Dad comes home for lunch.  Other days, he eats his lunch at work because it's half an hour round trip to go from work to home.  I prefer it when Dad is there.  I usually don't eat that much at lunch because I'm still full from my breakfast.  My favorite lunch foods are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and broccoli. Sometimes I get lucky and my mom buys hummus.  But ranch is a great substitute!  Or ketchup! I love to dip.  

Between 12:00-12:30, I head down for a nap.  We usually read some books together first.  Some of my current favorites are Soup Day, Trains, Caps for Sale, and a counting book.  I usually nap for around two hours, sometimes a little more or less.  My mom usually does thirty minutes of chores then works on other projects or even takes a nap too!  

After my nap, I always ask for a snack.  Fruit or crackers are probably my favorite snacks.  The rest of the afternoon varies from day to day.  Usually, there is a load of laundry to be sorted and folded.  Sometimes I help by putting away dishcloths and other small things.  Every other day, my mom washes diapers so I hand them up to her to hang out on the back porch to dry.  Recently, my mom has started doing "school" with me. I really like it.  I am working on learning to draw circles right now with crayons.  We make them into smiley faces.  I get to put a round sticker on my page when I'm done and we hang it carefully on the fridge.  Mom's trying to teach me my colors.  I can say them all, but I have a hard time matching them up with the right color successfully.  I don't do it on demand, but if you listen carefully, you might catch me counting from 1-10 as I play.  Sometimes, mom has a special "school"activity for, me, like playing with shaving cream, and painting the swing set with water.    

It can be a rough hour when mom makes dinner, because I like to help and see everything, and I get in the way.  Occasionally, I'll help out by reading books quietly.  Most of the time though, I like to be in the thick of it.  After dinner, I sometimes take a bath.  Back in my room, I like to goof of with some of my baby sister's things - lay in her bouncer, climb over her carseat, hold her baby doll.  Then, it's pajamas, teeth, and potty, then Dad reads me my Bible story.  I really like my new Bible (The Jesus Storybook Bible).  Then I pray with parents, repeating after them one word at a time.  I especially like to pray for my grandparents, uncles, and aunts.  Then it's off to bed, usually between 7:00-7:30.  I usually ask to go potty, again, at least a couple extra times, if they put up with it.  Goodnight!