Since becoming a mother, I've only gone back to work part-time in order to stay home and take care of baby as well as manage the house. People often ask what I do during the day. Here's a glimpse of me and my life with a 9-month old. (Please note life with a 9-month old is way different than life with a newborn!)

Today

7:30am- Baby wakes up. Change and dress him. Nurse him. 

8-9am- Prepare and feed him breakfast (solids). This really takes 45 min to an hour! Put laundry in the wash.

9-9:45am- While he's playing in the living room, I clean the bathroom (floors, rug, sink, tub, toilet). Vacuum bathroom. bedroom, hallway, kitchen. Clean and organize the towel closet, throw away expired medication, and periodically get baby out from the fireplace which he's taken a fancy to crawling into. Seriously. I have to take him out at least 5 times in half an hour. Can't wait till the playpen arrives!

9:45-10am- Change and put baby down for nap.

10am- Finally eat breakfast (cookies the breakfast of champions). Do research on baby formula because we need to restock and reply to emails. Put first load of laundry in dryer and put second load of laundry in wash. Clean kitchen from making baby's breakfast earlier and plan baby's lunch menu. Wipe floors because he's been fascinated with throwing food on the floor these days.

11am- Prep baby's lunch. 

11:15am- Baby wakes up. Change his poo diaper. Attempt to nurse. 

11:30am- Get dried laundry, fold laundry, give baby lots of kisses while stopping him from crawling to the stairs. Did I mention we're getting a playpen? Can't wait. Play with him. Check work email briefly (and by brief I mean 30 seconds because baby is crawling towards the stairs again). 

11:45am- Nurse successfully this time. For moms going through the self-weaning process, I find CJ calms down to feed when I sing to him. Sing songs and play with baby. Put 2nd load of laundry in dryer. 

12pm- Hang out downstairs for a change of scenery. He practices standing and playing with his standing toy while I look at baby recipes for food ideas.

12:15-1pm- Baby's lunchtime (steamed asparagus tips, carrots, two broccoli florets to try, ground up turkey, tomato pasta,  yogurt leftover from breakfast,and banana for dessert) . I prep some dinner food. 

1pm- Wash baby (he gets so much food in his hair and ears) and change his outfit. Change diaper. Refill diaper wipes. Wipe floors. There are so many carrots on the floor. Wash his chair because there's food all over it, too. Order grocery or house supplies from google shopping express. GSE is amazing. Saves you a trip to the grocery store. Make my own lunch.

So while I'm trying to do all this, I put baby in his exersaucer toy by the window so he can watch cars go by. I'm washing his seat in the tub when I start hearing this rustling of a bag. I go outside only to find that he's pulled the trash out and poured all the trash around him. Amazing. I'm sure it's not just my baby that's a genius.

1:30-2pm- Do dishes. Get the 2nd load of laundry out. Change his diaper. Fish out the things in his mouth that he found on the floor. Today it was a piece of yarn.

2-3pm- Baby's naptime. Have I mentioned the best times are naptimes?

3-5pm- Today I had a chiropractor appointment (related to carrying a 20+ lb. baby) so a babysitter came. I am SO thankful for babysitters because they really give me the opportunity to do things I couldn't do otherwise with a baby in tow. If you are considering how to help friends who are new parents, offer to babysit! They can take naps, go grocery shopping, go to doctor appointments...etc. On days I don't have medical related appointments, I might take baby to the park, run errands with him, or just have a day in and continue to do more chores. More often than not, I usually have to start prepping baby's and our dinner around 4pm.

5-6pm- Nurse then feed baby dinner.

6-6:15pm- Give baby bath.

6:15-6:45- Husband and I will try to have dinner. It's usually interrupted in the middle by having to put baby down for sleep now because he's usually so tired by 6:30pm and super fussy. What does fussy look like? Mostly screaming. Ah, the life of a king baby. 

Of course not every day is like this, but it's definitely an accurate picture. Mondays are usually "cleaning Mondays", while Fridays are "floor Fridays". This just makes it easier for me to remember to clean the house since I work other days. On the days I work, it's a mad rush to get baby fed before I leave and have food prepared for him while I'm gone. Those are actually the most stressful days but I'm learning to just let go and be ok if not everything gets done on work mornings. I love being able to be at home to watch my son grow. It's not always easy with stinky poos and messy bibs, not to mention a high-energy and mobile baby. You also learn to eat what you can in minutes. But it is a blessing to be his best friend right now and to see him smile when I smile or bob his head when I sing. I know that by the time he's 5, he'll spend the majority of the day at school with peers and teachers instead of me so I really want to make the most of this time with him. I'm also really thankful for my husband who gives me this opportunity to be home and is super supportive. He helps me in the morning with getting baby up and at night with CJ's bathtime. We read stories together and it was daddy who CJ gave his first kiss to! Evening is really when we have downtime. That's when I get to read the Bible or other books I'm going through. That's also when my husband and I can take turns going out to our small groups and have fellowship with other adults. Most of all, it's a good time to remember that life isn't just about your baby. It needs to be about your walk with the Lord, your marriage, and your relationships/friendships with others, too. Things will never be the same once you have a child. You just don't have enough time for everything you did before. But this past year, I've learned that it's ok and it's about adapting, being flexible, and prioritizing. There you have it-- a day in the life of a mother with her 9-month old.