Our Days

I'm going to a work conference at the end of the week, so Owen and I played hooky today and enjoyed a rare Monday away from work and "school." Granted, everyone at work and daycare knew we weren't coming in, and I did a couple hours of work during Owen's naps, but it still felt like a special treat. I found myself paying closer attention and savoring my time with this growing kiddo. He's so fun!

Our typical days involve three "activity times" - early morning, midday, and after nap. The morning goes fast, and sometimes the afternoon seems to drag (especially if Owen doesn't nap well), but today we did a lot of laughing and had plenty of reasons to get out of the house. This is what Owen's days are like at 1 year old...

Up at 6:30ish 6:30-9:00: Get ready for the day, eat breakfast, quiet play time around the house Today Owen got up pretty early, so we took the dog for a long walk along the canal. Great to get outside and move (for mom!) and good low-key time for Owen in the stroller.

9:00-10:30: First Nap

10:30-1:00: Midday - Run errands or wreck havoc around the house while mom's trying to work, lunchtime, at home play or water play on the deck. Today we went to the grocery store (Owen loves riding in the cart), and Owen had a blast after lunch playing with legos, climbing - around boxes, up and down stairs, over and under his toys - and pushing his Tonka truck around and around and around.


1:00-2:30 or 3:00: Second nap. Hooray - he slept well today!

3:00-5:30: Afternoon - This can be our most challenging time if I don't have a plan. Toys at home get boring by the end of the day, so we HAVE to get out of the house or risk a lot of "no" as Owen starts gravitating to the off-limits areas (dog dish, cat litter box, and garbage cans). We've been visiting parks around Bend, going to the pool, or going to Shannon's for playgroup. Today we ran errands and then hit a new park. Right as we drove up, it started raining - thunderstorm - but I figured, "Why not? This kid has Seattle genes in his body somewhere." We spent an hour playing in the rain, laughing on the swings, toddling around the different surfaces, and trying to climb UP a wet slide. Silly and oh so fun. I love that having a kid lets me be a kid too.

Last week at playgroup, we did finger painting, and then let the kids toddle around the park. Shannon had the inflatable tunnel out, and I managed to get my camera at just the right time: 5:30 or 6:00: Dinner Then it's play at home (hopefully with Dad) until 6:30 when we do story, bath, bottle, bed. Owen's usually in bed around 7:00.

I think Owen sleeps well because he is in constant motion when he's awake. Between naps and meals, the play time isn't long, but he makes the most of it and can run himself ragged in 45 minutes.