7:15am Zuri wakes up talking, I'm already awake because it has been so consistent, but I do NOT want to get up!
7:45am Zuri is still talking away, sometimes she gets quiet so I think maybe she went back to sleep! But I know that isn't really likely. I get up and get dressed, brush my teeth and go into Zuri's room. She is usually still laying down talking. I always walk in and ask "Is there a monkey in the room??!" And she laughs and hides under her blankets. I tickle her and tell her "good morning!" Sometimes she quickly stands up and starts pointing at things and talking, other days she lays there wanting more tickles. I then tell her that we need to say "good morning to the butterfly (on her wall)" and we wave, then we say "good morning to the owls (on the other wall)" and we wave. I ask her if she wants out of her crib and I tell her she has to give me a kiss. She gives me a kiss and we count "1-2-3!" and I pull her out of the crib and she gives me another kiss. She then usually runs either straight to her shoes to grab some, or lately she has been immediately climbing up on her chair and wants to read books.
8:00am Zuri is reading books in her chair while I am finding her clothes for the day. I keep accidentally dressing us in similar colors for the day but that is not on purpose! So, I am making an effort not to do that! I find her clothes and she wants to keep reading on the chair. I try to distract her with Barbar (the elephant) cartoon, sometimes it works, other times I end up changing her while she is reading in the chair.
8:15am Breakfast time! She hasn't been a big breakfast eater lately, so it has been hit or miss. Today was toast and applesauce, because she didn't want a sausage sandwich or pancakes the two days before, so I was offering a whole different meal. She will usually eat a yogurt at breakfast too, but today I ran out of time because we had practice. I usually have cartoons on while she is eating, or something that I want to watch, just depends on the day.
8:40am Zuri is out of her chair and playing. I make my breakfast and sit down and eat, Zuri will occasionally come by and want a bite of whatever I am having.
Telling me what a train says "CHOO CHOO!"
9:30-11:30 Today was my last day of morning practice, but if it is a practice day, Zuri goes with me to practice and usually a parent plays with her while I coach practice. If it is a no practice day, Zuri and I go to the gym. While in the car she watches a video on her leappad (currently Dora is a favorite) and finishes her morning milk and possibly some fruit. She still LOVES the gym and every time I drop her off, she wants to be handed off to a worker there and they usually immediately take her to the basketball court because that is where she wants to go. When I pick her up from daycare, she is either at the basketball court carrying or throwing basketballs around, or in the main area in a corner playing with books, or a toy on her own. When she sees me she gets really excited but doesn't want to leave the daycare, she wants me to go with her and play! I give her a something small to snack on, like some of the sprout snack treats or a pouch on the way home from the gym.
12:00pm I try to get home from wherever we are by 12:00 because she starts getting a little sleepy. We get home and she helps me feed the dogs and then I make her lunch.
12:30pm Lunch time for Zuri. Again her appetite has been up and down. Today she got Subway for lunch, which she loves and eats quite a bit of. Other days, she has tomatoes, cheese and a protein. I try not to offer her something else if she doesn't eat, because I am not going to make five meals just for her to eat one. We watch Word World on tv and and I have to remind her to eat.
1:00pm I make my lunch and sit down. Zuri is playing and comes by and eats part of my lunch. We could eat together, but then she wouldn't eat her meal and would only want mine. Her meal is much better than mine and I want her to eat some of her veggies etc.
1:20pm I take Zuri upstairs for her nap. She laughs hysterically because she thinks the dogs are "going to get her." They are not even looking at her but she thinks they are funny. I worry because she seems so wound up and I'm not sure if she will go to sleep! I change her into her "nap" pants (loose long pants, instead of shorts) and take her ponytails out. We sit in the chair, she sits next to me, and finishes her milk from lunch. She wants to read, but I know that would only really really delay our nap time. She holds her two blankets while sitting there.
1:30pm I ask Zuri if she is ready for her nap and she usually laughs and grabs her blankets, if she isn't ready she will lean backwards and not let me pick her up, so I know she needs another minute. Once she grabs her blankets she gives me a big kiss and then holds me off so I can't give her anymore kisses. I lay her down and give her both her blankets and give her another big kiss, she laughs and covers her face. Then gives me a kiss. I tell her it's time for her nap and I will see her when she wakes up and to sleep good.
1:45pm I go back down stairs and clean up the kitchen from lunch and watch part of a show that I have recorded while I am cleaning up. Then I go upstairs and I answer my emails for the day and do any other work that needs to be done. Some days I do the cleaning that is quiet, other days like today I lay down and take a nap and watch tv while Zuri is napping.
3:30pm Zuri is awake and talking. I leisurely go in and get her, as I really am not ready to re-start by day! I go in and ask if there is a monkey and she laughs and laughs, or starts telling me some long story. I tell her that she needed to sleep longer, but she thinks I am funny. I get her redressed and redo her hair, this is why her afternoon hair is always a bit crazy.
4:00pm We run errands. It seems like most days we have stuff we need to do. I don't always want to be doing something during this time as it would be nice to just have her playing, but when we are home, I am either cleaning and doing work around the house, or making food for the night or something for the next day. I give her a Honest Toddler Juice and some crackers or some small snack. We usually go and sit outside around 5:15pm for her to get some more energy out.
This picture cracks me up, because I am definitely WHITE!
Outside playing!
Zuri's excited face when she see's Pedro
5:45pm Pedro gets home. We are usually outside when he gets home. Zuri gets really excited and doesn't want to be picked up by Pedro, she wants to drive his car. Yesterday she actually climbed into the car and got on the seat. Pedro usually says he wants to go inside and so we go inside. Pedro puts his stuff away and sits down on the sofa. Yes, he gets home and then sits down on the sofa, I'm sure he will deny this, but sadly it's true. Lately we have had watermelon and he asks Zuri if she wants some, I don't mind, but I tell him not too much as it is dinner time for Zuri and she just had snacks earlier!
6:15pm Pedro is playing on the Ipad and watching ESPN while Zuri is running around. I am making Zuri's dinner. For some reason she won't let Pedro pick her up and put her in the chair so I ask her if she is ready for dinner and she runs to the chair and I put her in. Dinner varies greatly, lately I have been trying some enchiladas (Amy's) or some other thing I can think of. I feel like she is constantly eating the same thing! Oddly, she won't eat peanut butter and jelly, although I keep trying!
6:40pm Zuri is done eating and I ask her if she is ready for her bath. Pedro is still doing the same thing. Zuri goes upstairs and she has a bath. She loves bath time and recently thinks it is so fun to have bubbles in the tub, so she grabs the bubbles and wants me to put them in. Which is fine, except she likes to drink the bathwater. Oh well.
7:05pm We are done with the bath. I tell her to go yell for her dad. She goes to the top of the stairs and yells "DAD!" He comes up with her milk and makes her give him a kiss for the milk, she laughs and tries to avoid doing this until she realizes she really wants the milk and wants to read some books. After getting the milk she comes in the room, closes the door by moving the stuffed animal I have put to prop the door and comes to the chair and wants me to help her up. She sits next to me and we read and read and read some more. She is really about the animals right now and likes when we go through the books and make all the animal sounds. If I pick a book she doesn't want to read she shoves it back to where I got it, same thing for when she is done with a book we are reading. She also likes trains and so one of the books she says "choo choo" and I know which book she wants, however it is the "Mr Brown" Cat and the Hat book and has lots of other sounds in the book, but she likes the cows and the trains.
7:25pm After much delay, I tell her we have to go brush her teeth. She usually wants to bring something with her, a book, a stuffed animal or she just runs and hides and laughs. I get her tooth brush and bring it to the hall, she lays down and I pin her legs down and tell her to say "AHHH" this usually works, otherwise I have to tickle her feet and brush her teeth. Pedro comes upstairs near the end of this and tells her goodnight and asks for another kiss. She runs and hides. Eventually we can get her to give a kiss by turning off the hall light. I take her to the room and she turns off her light and gives me a big kiss and then she wants to sit in the chair with me with her blankets. We sing a few songs, twinkle twinkle with the hands is her favorite, then the ABC's, Funny Little Dutch Girl, Miss Susie (one of the songs I actually know the words to!) and then we count our fingers, hers and mine. We sit a few more minutes in quiet and I tell her it's time for bed and she grabs her blankets gives me a kiss and lays in her bed. I tell her goodnight and she laughs and I leave. She talks for a bit or goes right to sleep.
7:30pm-9:00pm I go back downstairs and have to make dinner for us, if I didn't make it earlier. Today I had asked Pedro to do the diapers and he did the first wash, but forgot to do the second one, because he was busy watching football, so I finished those and made dinner. We usually eat dinner and watch a show and Pedro get's ready for bed and goes to bed, while I play on the internet or read. I'm usually in bed by 9:45 and watching tv. Then the day starts all over the next day.
This is pretty much the way it goes every day all day. Even on the weekends when Pedro is home, I would say it is exactly the same, except maybe the morning activity is something other than going to the gym, but usually it is the gym.
