A Day in the Life.

4:45am: Alarm rings. Pop up, race to the shower. Rinse off. Make sure to wash hair and shave the night before. Doesn't always happen.

4:55am: Find something to wear. Options are limited due to the fact that a baby came out of this body just 9 weeks ago. Something comfortable. Something not too hot. Not a fan of the limited options. This won't change due to budget restraints.

5:00: Brush teeth, apply contacts, clean ears, re-straighten hair, put on jewelry and deodorant. Splurge with mascara. Only look in the mirror if time allows. Time doesn't usually allow.

5:10: Pump a tiny bit to make things easier on Luke when I nurse him after a long stretch of not pumping or nursing. Wash out bottles. Wash hands. Think about not forgetting those bottles.

5:15: Wake up my sweet boy. He's the reason for this madness, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This crazy busy schedule will stay crazy busy, but I have a feeling I will find my sanity at some point.

5:20: Nurse the baby. Quiet time alone with my most perfect blessing from the Lord. Quiet time before a day full of haste and a packed schedule. Time to stroke his sweet hair. Time to kiss his sweet body. Time to rub his soft back. Time to look and him and thank God over and over again. Time to breathe. Time to bond. Time to remember that he is worth every single exhausting minute.

5:50: Burp. Calm my sweet child if he's fussy because he's not sure why he can't nurse all day long. Clean up spit. Kiss his cheeks. Kiss his head. Hold him as close as possible. Sing to him. Dance with him. Tell him that I love him and will miss him throughout the day.

5:55: Move baby to the bouncer. Check the "pack" list. Pack the bottles. Pack my lunch. Pack the diaper bag. Pack the pump. Oh the pump. Can't go anywhere without the pump. Pack my purse. Take all of the packed items and pack them into the car. Talk to Luke. Giggle at his poop face. Ask him what he's going to do that day.

6:10: Pick up the precious bundle. Take him to his room to talk to him about his day. Change his diaper. Get him to smile. Revel in that smile. Ask for more smiles. Ask him to store up some smiles and save them for when I pick him up in the afternoon. Pick out something for him to wear, but not before asking him what he wants to wear. Look at him. Stop to wonder how I got so lucky. Look into his sparkly eyes. Tell him how much I love him. Put on a bib. We're nothing without bibs.

6:15: Put Luke in his car seat. Make sure to put his ladybug toy on the handle of his car seat. Make sure to have a pacifier ready; he's not a huge fan of the car seat. Rock him. Talk to him. Buckle him. Tell daddy that we're leaving soon. Hit the bathroom.

6:20: Say goodbye to the man whom I love most in this world. Wish him a good day. Watch him kiss his son goodbye. Realize that even though I am completely and utterly worn out by 6:20am, I am one of the luckiest women in the world to have these two guys in my life. My world is good. I am blessed.

6:25-6:45: Drive to Mission Viejo. Put on some worship music. Look in the rear view mirror at his sweet sleeping face. I love him. Think about how I'll miss him during the day. Think about how I want to be the one who wakes him up from naps, feeds him, watches him smile and snuggles him close all day long. Think about how blessed we are to have amazing women look after him while I can't be with him. Thank God for those women.

6:45: I've been awake for two hours and the sun is just coming up. Can I keep this pace. I don't have a choice. It's worth it. Drop off Luke. Talk for a bit. Leave before falling apart. Get into my car and drive away. It feels surreal. I cry. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes a little. Think about how it will be at least 8 hours before I see his sweet face again. Try to pull it together.

6:50-7:00: Drive to school. Think about Luke. Think about Cory. Think about how I am supposed to plan lessons, grade papers, and teach lessons. Arrive at school.

7:00-7:15: Put lunch in fridge. Take out projector. Lock up purse. Drop things on my desk. Pump. I hate pumping. Pumping is what I want to do for my baby. So... I pump.

7:20: Walk to the restroom. Walk to the office to check my box. Attempt to make copies. The line is too long. Think about how I'll have to make copies after school instead of just racing to my boy.

7:40: Check email. Post daily agenda. Pull up documents I'll use on the projector. Write down things I need to get done for school on a brightly colored post-it note. Ponder the note. Wonder if I'll get any of that done. I used to be really good at conquering those to-do lists. No longer the case.

7:50: Welcome other people's children into my classroom.

8:00-9:55: Go over the course syllabus. It's long. It's detailed. It takes an hour and twenty minutes to explain it all. It will alleviate problems for the rest of the semester. It's a warning. It's an "I told you so." It's boring for the students. I give breaks. I tell jokes and stories. I think they're funny. They are not amused. I try to memorize names so that they know I value them. I look at my seating chart and quiz myself. I walk around to supervise and talk to my new students during a quick break. I pass out reading logs. Explain how to be accountable for reading outside books. Go over literary elements.

9:55: Restroom.

10:05-12:00: Repeat the exact same thing I did from 8:00-9:55. Realize that my throat hurts and so does my head. Realize I can't take a break. Realize it's only the second class of the day. Press on. Think about how long I have until I see Luke again.

12:05-12:45: Pump. Again. Restroom. 15 minutes to eat something. Text Cory. Text April. Listen to music. Check email.

12:50-2:45: Repeat the exact same thing I did during the first two classes of the day. Exhausted.

2:50: Practically sprint to the office workroom in an attempt to be the only one in there making copies. I succeed. I was first to get there. Copy 120 packets of Greek vocabulary lessons. They are nine pages each. I have to get them done by tomorrow. Copy grammar activities. Copy vocabulary sheets for a freshmen novel. Copy study questions. Copy a multicultural unit group activity. Look at my phone. 3:30. I wanted to be to Luke by 3:30. I am still away from him. I miss him.

3:30: Walk... more like run to my classroom. Throw my HUGE stacks of papers near my desk. Hopefully I made all the copies I need. Grab my snack. Grab a water. Grab my pump. Lock up the projector. Grab my purse. Grab my files and lesson plan book. Did I grab it all? I need to get to Luke. His babysitter is headed to Disneyland once I get there. I am late. I used to never be late. I can't help it. Oh well.

3:45: I get to Luke. Gloria gives me a slice of cake and some homemade soup. Awesome. I am blessed. I carry out a diaper bag full of dirty laundry and bottles.

3:55-4:25: Drive to Fountain Valley. Carpool lane! Yes!!!

4:30: Arrive at home. Hand Luke over to Cory so that he can take him out, swaddle him and put him down for the rest of his nap in his crib. Tell Cory to snap a quick picture of me carrying a million things from just one day out. Laugh. Laugh a lot.

4:35: Kiss Luke. Kiss him long. Begin unpacking for the day. Get laundry ready to start. Pack the diaper bag with clean onesies, socks, and burp rags. Put the bottles in the sink.

4:50-5:15: Shower. Shave so that I don't have to shave in the morning.

5:20: Pump for just a tiny bit before nursing Luke.

5:30: Get Luke out of his room. Kiss his cheeks. Talk to him and hold him close.

5:30-6:00: Nurse him. Enjoy it.

6:00-6:30: Burp Luke. Take him outside for fresh air. Change him.

6:45: Dinner. Dinner feels like a waste of time. Talk to Luke while eating. Watch him kick his legs in his bouncer. Watch him smile.

7:00: Luke goes down for a nap. Time to pack lunch, wash bottles, pack bottles, prepare for school tomorrow and hopefully write my first blog since two summers ago.

8:30: Time to nurse the little man. Life is busy. I am busy. I am exhausted. I am blessed.