A Day in the Life of a Momma: Imagined vs. Reality

When I was preggers I had this picture in my mind of just how wonderful and magical a day in the life of a momma would be. 

I envisioned a day full of cuddling, giggling, reading in the park, shopping...

Here's how I imagined a typical day to go:

My Little Angel {don't be fooled--scroll down, you'll see}

7:30 a.m. Baby W begins to coo in his crib ready for mommy to come get him.  He gives me a sleepy smile as I walk in and scoop him up. 

7:35 a.m. Baby W gets in bed with mommy and daddy and snuggles himself back to sleep for another hour allowing me time to get my beauty-sleep.

8:35 a.m. Baby W is awake and ready to enjoy a nutritious and well-balanced breakfast of rice cereal and bananas. 

9:35 to 10: 15 Baby W joins Momma as we go on a rejuvenating 3 mile run, followed by 100 push ups and 100 sit ups while the little guy watches from his cool jogging stroller {because I won't be a momma who let's herself go}.

Because my abs WILL look like Jessica Albas did

6 weeks after having a baby* hmpff*

10:15 to Noon: The next few hours are spent dressing Baby W in an adorable outfit, heading over to a local shopping center and casually perusing through our favorite stores {namely Nordstrom's, Gap and Old Navy} while strangers stop to admire my smiling and patient baby.  I am dressed in my most super cute hot-momma outfit with my coordinating diaper bag and stroller.  Teenage girls are looking at me thinking, "When I grow up I want to be a momma like her"--because I make this look good {that's how I imagined it anyway}.

Because I will ALWAYS look this 'put together' and super hot even as a mom

{thx for setting the bar Jessica Alba}

Noon to 4:00 p.m. Baby W enjoys a lovely lunch with his Momma and then falls into a peaceful sleep in his car seat while I head to the grocery store to pick up some things for the gourmet meal I'll be cooking later that night.  Lil W continues to snooze while I shop, unload the groceries and prepare the meal. 

4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The little guy wakes up from his nap just after I slip my rotisserie chicken into the oven, what perfect timing.  I scoop him up and feed him a bottle as we look into each others eyes and cuddle on the couch. After his bottle I set him in his play pen where he proceeds to entertain himself for the next hour while I finish preparing dinner and sit down to enjoy it with the hubby.  After dinner, Daddy and Lil W head off to bath time and feetsie pajama time.  Daddy then sits with Baby W in his cushy rocking chair and reads him his favorite books until he begins to yawn, ready for bedtime.  Mommy and Daddy smooch him goodnight, tuck him in his crib and shut his door as he puts himself to sleep until 7:30 the next morning {because my child will sleep through the night}.

7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Mommy and Daddy head out to the living room to cuddle and watch Glee while sharing a bowl of popcorn. 

{How glorious is life as this momma, huh}

And now for the reality:

{Picture taken during the Week of Curious Crawling}

5:45 a.m. Lil W begins to cry from his crib as I stumble into his room in a futile attempt to get him back to sleep.  Baby W has decided he will be getting up for the day--even though it's still pitch dark outside.

5:45 to 6:30 a.m. I head out to the living room, put the little guy in his hi-chair and doze off on the couch while Lil W giggles loudly at his Baby Einstein DVD and throws his pile of puffs all over the floor.  I realize I have dozed off as a puff hits my face and I open my eyes to a baby who wants out of his hi-chair.

6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Baby W gets more breakfast in his lap, in my hair and on the floor than he does in his mouth. Eat the nutritious rice cereal...not a chance--Baby W will only consume his three favorite mashed fruits {bananas, apples and pears}. He then gets his first of many daily baths and I wrestle his wriggling body into a new diaper and clean outfit.  I set him in his play pen so I can hurry to brush my teeth and put on a baseball cap.  While I am throwing my hair in a pony tail I realize the room is unusually quiet.  I check on Baby W and see that somehow his diaper is off and he is sitting in a puddle of his own pee. Small obstacle, I reassure myself as I pick him up to clean him...but wait, whats that smell--yes, there is also poop all over his bum and back and hands and play pen.  So we're off to our second bath of the day.

9:30 to 10:30 Baby W is dressed in his 2nd outfit and I am wearing my work out clothes--not because I will be going on a run, but because they are the only thing that's clean {and let's face it, they're comfortable}. I pack up the diaper bag with all the necessary snacks, bottles, diapers, toys, etc {it weighs about 30 pounds} and we head off to a fun day at the mall. 

10:30 to Noon We arrive at the mall and I load up the stroller with all the baby paraphernalia. Baby W reluctantly lets me strap him into the stroller and I take a deep breath as we enter Nordstrom's {ahhhh, finally}. I arrive at the fabulous shoe sale rack and take a quick look at Lil W and see that he is missing one of his shoes. I spend the next 30 minutes retracing my steps in search of the missing shoe--turns out it was back in the car where Lil W removed it on the drive over. And now it's baby lunch time.

And now I feel like ths mom:

{photo courtesy of Parent Connect}

Noon to 4:00 Baby W decides he would rather have my slice of pizza than his mashed sweet potatoes and he also doesn't want to be at the mall or in his stroller anymore.  Somehow I manage to push the stroller and carry my 20 pound baby, my 30 pound diaper bag and my boxed up lunch {that I never got a chance to eat} back to the car--meanwhile, teenagers are pointing at me {and not for the reasons I imagined while pregnant}.  We head to the market to pick up groceries for dinner and due to a baby who has yet to nap, we end up leaving with only diet cherry pepsi in our cart {not what I had in mind for dinner, but certainly a necessity}.  We drive home and the little guy falls asleep just as I pull into the driveway--perfect. I finagle him out of his car seat and manage to slip him into his crib for a late nap.

4:20 to 7:00 Twenty minutes later Baby W is standing up in his crib letting me know he's awake and ready to play; so we enjoy some quality time with his toys and a trip to the park.  An hour later I am getting Lil W's dinner ready when Daddy gets home from work wondering what the adults will be having for dinner {oh yeah, I was supposed to cook something, wasn't I?}.  I head out to Taco Bell for a Mexican Pizza, Crunch Wrap and crunchy tacos while the hubby takes over on baby dinner and bath time duty.

7:00 to 9:00  I get home and the hubby and I take turns eating Taco Bell and watching the baby {enjoy a home cooked meal together, Ha!}.  Baby W yawns--our signal that he's ready for bed.  So, at 7:30, we tuck the little guy in and head out to the couch for some hubby-wifey time.  At 7:35 Baby W lets us know he has other plans for our evening.  Three attempts later, the little guy is finally asleep at 8:45.  Exhausted, Mommy and Daddy collapse onto the couch.  Mommy finishes her last crunchy soggy taco and boots up the computer for some "me time" {translation: blogging time}.  The hubby is half asleep on the other couch as our eyes meet and we share a slight nod acknowledging our shared exhaustion...and our shared happiness.

Because at the end of the day {8 diapers, 3 outfits, 1 missing shoe, 2 cold take out meals, 3 baths and 0 naps later} this little guy is our entire world, and no amount of exhaustion can change that.  No amount of exhaustion can compare to hearing him say momma as he wraps his arms around my neck, to holding him close after his first yucky trip to the hospital, to watching him grow and discover the things this world has in store for him, to looking at his precious little face and realizing he has shown to me a kind of love I never knew possible.

So, as I frequently say:

All in all--totally worth it!