Sisters

Stay At Home Moms

A day in the life of a stay at home mom...

When I was teaching I was under the impression that stay at home moms had one of the best and easiest jobs... was I ever wrong about the easiest part! I had no idea how time consuming feeding an infant was, how tiring it would be to chase a 9 month old around the house, how heavy those infant car seat carriers would become, and what an adventure it would be just to leave the house. This blog is dedicated to all of those stay at home moms out there!

I'll begin at Maddy's bedtime. She usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 9:00 PM and she'll sleep till about midnight (plus or minus a few minutes). I'll get up and make her a bottle which she'll drink for about 30 minutes before she nods off again. Then she'll sleep till about 6 AM and require another bottle. Now she's ready to play. She'll play till about 9 AM and then she'll eat baby food mixed with rice cereal and formula. Just before noon I feed her another container of baby food and I give her another bottle. She takes her one and only nap around noon. Again I was under the impression that babies under the age of one slept several times a day, I was wrong. Maddy's naps last anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours. Let me tell ya... I can get a lot done in 3 hours! The 1 hour nap usually allows me to put the dishes away and make myself a sandwich. After Maddy's nap she is awake and on the move till she goes to bed.

I can hardly believe that she is already 9 months old! She does something new all the time and is such a good baby. I love to hear her say da da and mu mu but her laugh makes me melt. I am so very thankful that I am able to stay at home with her, watch her grow, and meet all of those baby milestones. She had her 9 month appointment last Wednesday. She weighs 18 lbs. 13 oz. (50th percentile) and is 28 inches long (75th percentile). They also gave her FIVE shots and pricked her finger to check her iron! She is a trooper!

Funny story: After Maddy and I returned home from church this morning I was putting a few things away in the kitchen while Maddy was playing with her toys on the floor. I noticed her pulling a couple of toys out of her diaper bag... I didn't realize that she'd pulled her powdered formula out and opened the lid and was dumping her formula all over her legs and the carpet! As soon as I realized what had happened I took a deep breath and smiled, then I looked for the camera. After I cleaned her and the carpet up I had to vacuum out her diaper bag too.

Go Dodgers!

Jill, Joel, Maddy and I drove down to L.A. yesterday afternoon to watch the Dodgers play San Diego. Poor Nick stayed home to study for his paramedic exam and totally missed an amazing game! The game started at 7:10 p.m. and we arrived early enough to watch the Padres batting practice. The first inning was the best part of the game... they scored 6 points that inning. The sixth run was scored after the batter bunted the runner home! It was a totally cool play. On top of the fact that the first inning was extremely exciting, we had great seats complements of Angela and Ryan. Thanks guys! When it was all said and done the Dodgers won 10-1. Go Dodgers!

Friday, Sept. 19th

Papa Tim, Maddy, and Rei.Rei kicking the ball. Nick and his team.
Coach Nick

The Stephen's Visit

Natalie, Sidney, and Tyler drove up from San Diego on Friday, September 12th... that's right... one week after we drove down to San Diego to visit them! We are just so excited that they are living in California this year. The following pictures were taken on Saturday at Sarah and Aaron's home.

Remembering 9/11

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:5-8)

Soccer Season Has Begun

This year Reilly's team is called the Purple Hearts. Nick is coaching once again and totally doing a great job. It's amazing how much progress kids make from one season to the next. Last year Reilly ran with the "pack of bees" and this year she is starting to grasp the concept of "getting open". She is already making great passes and scoring goals from coast to coast.

Thank you Papa Tim and HPS Plumbing for sponsoring Reilly's team!

Our Dishwasher

Maddy loves our dishwasher! When she hears me open it's door she crawls as fast as she can to get to it. Her favorite thing to do is to pull herself on top of it's door and open and close the detergent dispenser door. She would much rather play with our dishwasher than any of her toys.

San Diego

This past weekend we drove down to San Diego to visit the Stephen's family and Grandpa Chip. Tyler, Sydney, and Rei began Saturday morning with a tea party that included orange juice, strawberries, grapes, and honey comb cereal.

Then in the afternoon Sydney gave me a manicure and pedicure. She sure made me feel pampered! Thanks Syd.

The trampoline was a big hit day and night.

Saturday afternoon while Sydney was pampering me, Nick and Grandpa Chip went and saw the Dodgers play the Diamondbacks. And the Dodgers won! That evening we had dinner with Natalie, Lance, Tyler, Sydney, Chip, Janie, Seth, and Holly. The picture above is Chip, Natalie, Nick, and Maddy after dinner. We didn't take a group picture... maybe next time.

Our Nursery