A Morning in the Life {1.23.12}

7:15 I wake up because my body won't sleep anymore, and because newbaby's presence in my belly necessitates using the bathroom. I put in my contacts, brush my hair, and put on a bra so I won't feel so schlumpy even if I stay in my pajamas all day. Then I head downstairs to say good morning to my little family.

7:20 It was Christian's morning to get up with the babies; they've all been awake since 5:45. Maggie is in the Jumperoo, and notices me right away. She bounces and smiles and makes happy sounds. She's so excited to see me, but then gets upset when a minute passes and I haven't picked her up yet. Max crawls over to me, climbs up my front for a hug, and immediately gets distracted and wants to be put back down. Christian finishes watching his episode of Boy Meets World, then goes upstairs to get ready for work. I stay and play with my babies.

8:00 Christian and I say family prayer together, then he kisses us all and walks out the door. Max crawls after him. He's sad when he realizes that his Daddy is gone. I decide it's a good time to eat breakfast. Babies eat oatmeal, fruit and yogurt, then Cheerios and bits of cheese and toast for finger foods. I have peanut butter toast, orange juice, and a prenatal vitamin.

8:30 I wash baby faces with a wet paper towel {Max especially hates this}, and then turn babies loose to play on the kitchen floor, tugging and chewing on their booster seat straps and chasing stray Cheerios. After a few minutes they get fussy. Max has crawled over and is sitting on top of his sister; he has also stolen her strap, and she's about to fall over. I carry Maggie back into the living room and Max follows us. I change diapers and turn on a DVR-ed episode of Oswald to carry us through until nap time.

8:35 Babies only stay interested in Oswald and Weenie through the opening sequence, then look for other forms of entertainment. At this point, actual baby toys are passed off as uninteresting. We try reading books and playing with Mommy's phone and banging on Mommy's laptop, but nothing is captivating for long.

8:55 Even though I usually try to make it until 9:00 or later for first naps, I decide that my babies are tired enough to justify a slightly earlier nap time. As I carry them upstairs, first Maggie, and then Max, I talk to them quietly. I remind them of all the fun things we did this morning, and what a good job they did at everything. I tell them they're tired now, and that I love them so much, and that they are wonderful babies -- the best babies in the whole world. I lay Maggie down and place her sleepfriend next to her, then cover them both with a blanket. Max chews on a corner of his blankie to soothe himself to sleep.

9:00 I have time to myself. Some mornings I take a shower, but my hair is looking clean enough today that I go straight to my computer. I check e-mail, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Reader, and then settle into blogging. I already have an idea in mind, so I type type type, then read and re-read and edit edit edit. My babies both make noise after they've been down for about an hour, but that's normal, and it's brief, and they both go back to sleep.

10:45 I can hear Max making awake sounds, so I know that my alone time, and the morning, are over.

*baby photo by meaghancurryphotography