#daily processing

[whentherewerebicycles]

we got early breakfast with Liz and the boy was in the best mood—just making friends and chatting happily with everyone who walked by. he’s now halfway through his first nap and I’m wasting this time on my phone in bed (as usual). should get prompts for this fic exchange soonish though and then I will have a little project to be working on during downtime moments. my mom is coming over at 11 and we are going to run a bunch of errands including getting passport photos for the baby and doing returns at costco, target, and old navy. then when he goes down for his second nap I might walk the dogs while she hangs out in the house. hmm I should also think about what sides I’m bringing to 4th of July party tomorrow… and I tutor at 7pm so can’t forget that.

[whentherewerebicycles]

ok well I got up with my very grumpy sick baby since 4:55am and have so far been unable to nap during his first nap so I guess it’s just daytime now. we are going to my nephew’s birthday party at 11 but I have to get some stuff done before that. ok let’s see:

5-7 morning routine with baby

7-8:30 lounge in bed & try to nap

9-10 shower/get ready and put together some kind of outfit that isn’t just leggings and a tshirt

10:10ish leave to pick up birthday card and then head to bday party (don’t forget to bring diapers + bottle)

11-2ish bday party

afternoon: my parents are on a Mission to babyproof my entire house before they leave town so I will mostly be supervising the baby and doing tasks as assigned while they finish that project

evening: maybe watch severance with liz & A?

[whentherewerebicycles]

baby woke up sooooo sad at 4:55am and flatly refused to go back down so we have all been Awake for a while lol. he’s still so so unhappy poor kid idk what’s going on. I gave him some tylenol in case it’s teething? I was snuggle-wrestling him in the big bed and he would giggle for a second and then immediately return to 😩😩😭😭 just put him down for his first nap and I can hear him grousing to himself sooo sadly lol.

okay let’s see. yesterday was so wide open and today is just back to back meetings. here we go:

5-7 morning routine

7-7:15 I am allowed to scroll in bed

7:15-8:15 shower/get ready while baby naps, make breakfast, make a PB sandwich for lunch, take dishes down and tidy up a bit

8:15-8:45 daycare dropoff and then come home? I think I’m gonna take my first mtg at home so I can miss rush hour

9-10 GH mtg

10-10:30 commute (make sure I have a mask)

10:30-11 work emails

11-12 class visit

12-1 work tasks tbd—maybe finish slides

1-2 LT mtg

2-3 CB mtg

3-4 CJ mtg

4-4:30 wrap-up tasks

4:30-5 commute

5-6:15 short walk with dogs if it isn’t raining then bedtime routine

evening: finish this novel (thank u all for the book recs)

[whentherewerebicycles]

I have so effectively tuned out all political news that I didn’t even realize the inauguration was today. this is probably not the ideal way to be forever but for right now I can highly recommend it. nice to just think about your sweet little baby and how snuggly & warm he is. here’s the day:

8:15-8:45 comments for AM

8:45-9:45 AM mtg

9:45-11 lounge & read in bed until the baby wakes up

11-1 ugh walk the dogs maybe although it is bitterly cold out. feed the baby. put away laundry. snuggle the baby

1-2ish baby naps while I shower/get ready and prep for tutoring

2ish leave for D’s

3-4 AH tutoring

4-5ish swing by liz’s on the way home

evening: feed the baby, pack his daycare bag, pick out an outfit for tomorrow, cry because the long weekend is over, finish cutting down RH essays, submit AM for TC, bed by 9:30ish

[whentherewerebicycles]

today should be a chill relaxed day for us. we are back to 6-6:30am wakeups (after a long glorious period of sleeping in till 7:45) but it’s for the best with his daycare schedule I think. I have friends swinging by in a bit to drop off three garbage bags full of baby clothes and toys so I think a big chunk of the morning will be dedicated to sorting through those and putting away the stuff he’s outgrown. he is officially in 12 mo clothes now… baby sizing is pretty nonsensical and inconsistent but still: gigantic boy!!

goals for the day:

order costco diapers

sort baby clothes

work on my budget for an hour or so

put away baby clothes

finish this novel

start the next one

review drafts for tomorrow’s student meeting

walk dogs for 30-40 min

brainstorm fun outings I could do with the boy on the weekends this month

order contacts? sigh

answer asks from last week?

[whentherewerebicycles]

okay! friday:

7:30-9 morning routine with the baby

take first day of daycare photos 😭

leave at 9ish to do dropoff

cry a lot on the drive home probably

run by grocery store to get purées to leave at daycare… I think he will be ready to graduate from purées soon but I’m nervous

finish annual self-assessment (I have a document for this somewhere so it shouldn’t be too hard and will be a good way to reorient myself. this is the big task for the day)

read CJ’s updates document and program planning documents

read team meeting minutes + annual report

clear out inbox (I’ve been sort of keeping an eye on it over my leave so it shouldn’t take too long)

finish VK edits

I want to eventually do some journaling about work priorities but I feel like I need to check in with the rest of the team first to get a sense of what’s changed

walk the dogs

I can pick the baby up as early as I need/want to… he’s been sleeping super well during the day so he can do the last nap (or even the last two naps) at home while I finish up if needed. then it’ll be the weekend and we can go back to our usual schedule before the real week starts!

[whentherewerebicycles]

to-do list for today:

email C about scheduling tomorrow

edits to RH essay (45-60 min)

assemble late christmas gift for my sitter

10:15-11 shower/get ready

schedule pediatrician telehealth

10:45-11:30 hang out with baby & sister

11:30-12:50 sitter time (edit EP LOCI, email to close out TW, spend 20 min reviewing VK's final essays)

12:50-1:15 telehealth appt

1:15-2 RH mtg (and ideally finish VK if we wrap up early)

2-2:40ish walk the dogs with liz

2:45ish pack up the baby's bottle and take him to daycare

3-4:30ish (?) trial run at daycare

5-5:45 snuggle nap in the big bed :)

evening: pack his bag for daycare, make bottles in advance so I can streamline the getting-ready process tomorrow, and spend more time snuggling with the baby. last night of leave wahh!! it's good though gosh it's been such a magical time!!

[whentherewerebicycles]

okay I need to emotionally prepare myself for what might be a looooooong and challenging trip with the baby tomorrow. it will be exhausting even if everything goes right and there is so much that could go wrong. but every time I successfully navigate a high difficulty parenting thing with him I feel really accomplished and proud of us after so we can do this we can handle this. here is my plan:

9:45pm tonight go to sleeeeeep girl do not stay up late reading you need to be rested for tomorrow

8-9 morning routine + start laundry

9-10 grocery store run and switch laundry

10-11:30 baby naps please god please take a really good nap We All Need This. during this time I will pack up dog food, fold laundry, and finish packing.

11:30-12 drop off dogs at petsitter’s

12-1 feed the baby, GIVE HIM A QUICK BATH, shower/get ready, run dishwasher

1-2:30 nap or quiet time in crib (I will be taking out trash, vacuuming out the car, mixing bottles, emptying dishwasher)

2:30 pack up baby, pick up sandwich, and then pick up liz who will then take us to the light rail and take the car. remember baby carrier!! DO NOT FORGET BOTTLES OR WHITE NOISE MACHINE

3:30-5 light rail—he will be in the stroller and will eat around 3:30/4. at 4:15ish I will offer him another nap by covering his stroller and putting the white noise machine in there.

5-6 security—keep him in stroller I think. be sure to change him before boarding.

6-6:30 boarding—transfer him to baby carrier and gate check the stroller. remember we can board first which will be helpful for getting settled. backpack goes overhead and tote bag with baby supplies goes under the seat. I’ll want to have my kindle, phone, his bottle and burp cloth, pacifiers, baby headphones, and his hat within easy reach.

6:30-10:30 flight—I’ll try to feed him around takeoff in hopes that he gets sleepy. I can read on my phone or kindle if he sleeps. and if he doesn’t sleep and just shrieks instead I can put him in the front carrier and walk him up and down the aisles. hopefully people will be nice because it’s christmas etc 🫠

10:30-11:30 (aka 12:30-1:30 local time) drive to my parents’ and collapse into bed 😵‍💫

in the morning: baby’s first christmas!!!!!