Daily Snapshot III

Clockwise, from left:

Early morning run. The alarm goes off at 4:25 a.m., and I sneak into Si's room. I grab him out of the crib, nurse him and put him back down. Most people dream feed at 10 p.m. to get more sleep; I do it to make Si sleep longer, lessening the mother runner guilt. The goal is to be finished with the routine by 4:40 so I can make a pot of coffee, go to the bathroom (let's be real), grab a snack and leave the house by 5. 5:05 at the latest. On this morning, I get out around 5:02 but have to detour thanks to a stopped train and wind up 5 minutes late. Tami and I run 5 delicious miles albeit chilly ones.

I'm Farmer Joe. Si is a, well, demanding baby. He likes to be held. He fusses a lot. He doesn't like to play independently. Recently, I was able to turn him on to a LeapFrog refrigerator toy. He might press the button 3,000 times in 5 minutes but I can actually get stuff done.

Salad train. Like make my lunch. I went to Aldi this past week, and I bought more produce than I have in a long time. The smaller section made it much easier to grab supplies for salad lunches – lettuce, broccoli, green peppers, red onion and tomato. I grab a can of tun and call it a done meal.

#project366. The most challenging yet rewarding project. I grab the picture about 7:55 every morning as we leave the house by 8 to get Miles to school on time. Si doesn't like to sit still and wants to crawl off (now, thanks!). The VTech alphabet train is the best and entertains both boys

Oh, pumpkin. I drop off Si at daycare before heading to the Y to teach a circuit class. We nurse and cuddle a bit to help with his anxiety. Class was fun. We did 45 seconds of a bodyweight exercise followed by 15 seconds of a more intense/plyometric version.

Work and all the food. I arrived at work at 10 on the dot ready to hustle. The system was going to be shut down from noon to 4 p.m., and we were hoping to get four hours of work finished in two. I ate part of my lunch while I worked – fresh pineapple (99 cents at Aldi!) and my salad. Once we logged off, we went to the hospital. I grabbed soup and a dessert, which I kindly split with my co-worker. Well, maybe not so kindly. I basically offer to share sweets to cut the guilt. After eating, I ran errands – returning an ill-fitting romper to Victoria's Secret, grabbing a snack at Poptique and stopping at the library, where a Dunkin Donuts coffee HOPPED into my hand. I also made some rounds for work and took the stairs. You know, because of the pie and popcorn.

Clockwise, from left

For me? I arrive home from work at 6 p.m. and discover that my friend had sent me an early birthday present. It's a super cute, super sweet bangle that is inscribed on the inside. It was super amazing on that day.

Can we cuddle? Dinner that night was ravioli for the boys and zoodles for me served with pesto, spinach and diced tomatoes. While Mark made the ravioli, I nursed Si and cuddled with Miles. We've found that dinner time is much more pleasant if Si gets that time before we sit down. Otherwise ... well, not pretty. There's been a night or three where he goes in the crib to cry while I shovel food.

Bath buds. Mark bathes the boys at 6:45 p.m., and I read stories after. Si just started pulling himself to stand, and he chose to do it in the tub. He thinks it's hilarious.

And you know what? I do, too.