My Day

from Ben's mom

5:10 a.m. Awoken with a kiss and told that we have to leave in a few minutes.
5:12 a.m. Stagger out of bed, pull on jeans and t-shirt.
5:18 a.m. Brush teeth, comb hair and make sure Ben's food is in the diaper bag. Listen to Ben protest as his diaper is changed and his sweats and socks are put on. Love that my husband does these things.
5:24 a.m. Get the keys and lock the house and go down to the car where Ben and his dad are waiting.
5:25 a.m. On the road. Day has broken and we say a prayer and I start to read to Mike aloud.
6:27 a.m. Pull into SeaTac where a police officer yells at us over Mike's parking job. He points to me and tells him I am leaving "right now:" I circle SeaTac six times while Mike checks in.
6:52 a.m. I pick Mike back up and we drive the few blocks to Denny's. (I hate Denny's and Mike was willing to drive the 20 blocks to IHOP but we are short on time and I would rather enjoy our time.) We order coffee. I have recently given up caffeine again (but no, I am NOT pregnant) but I indulge so I can make it home. Ben is SOOOOOO ready for breakfast. I pull out a banana. And ask for hot water an bowl for his organic oatmeal packet.
7:37 a.m. I drop Mike off at the terminal for his 8:30 flight and drive home. I can't believe there IS no traffic.
8:00 a.m. We drive through Tacoma --where we always get stuck in traffic --and wonder if anyone has normal hours here.
8:35 a.m. Arrive home; put Ben in his bed. Putter around the kitchen. Check email.
8:55 a.m. Get Ben back up. He is NOT tired. I am. He plays. I do chores.
12:00 p.m. Give Ben his lunch of organic chicken soup and avocado sandwich. Make up a little lunch for me.
12:20 p.m. Put Ben down for a nap.
12:24 p.m. Mike calls from Indy. He had a good flight. A little nap. Now some lunch.
1:08 p.m. I decide I have to nap or I will accomplish NOTHING.
3:01 p.m. I wake up. Can't believe I've slept that long.
3:12 p.m. Ben wakes up and I give him organic french fries. I have black beans but he isn't that hungry.
3:54 p.m. We go and get the oil changed and go to Grocery Outlet for food and then to Fred Meyer to stock up Ben's food supply of organic food without anything he's allergic too. He has lost two more pacifiers and being a wimp, I buy another.
5:50 p.m. We are home and Ben plays while I snack. I call Mike. He's in D.C. It's HOT there. But his hotel is amazing. He has a terry-cloth robe in the closet. While I'm on the phone, Ben rises to a standing position from the kitchen floor and takes SIX steps. Mike says, "Of course. He'll start walking while I'm gone."
6:40 p.m. I give Ben a bath and he is really into it. He must be hot because he wants to stay there. He is happily in the tub until he gets too risky and takes a huge fall and lands on his back in the water. I pull him out and put his jammies on.
7:55 p.m. He has to nurse. He wants to go on forever and is very tired, so I put him to bed. I shut down the house, ignore the knock from the neighbor, and start reading my "Cooking Light" that came in the mail. There is an amazing specially designed shelf/cupboard thing and I decide I should clip it and send it to Nathan to replicate.
8:28 p.m. Ben is still awake so I get him up and give him organic apple/blackberry sauce and a rice milk/peach smoothie.
8:52 p.m. Mike calls. He is still awake. I tell him he should be sleeping. He insists it is only 9pm. I tell him all the things I have decided upon, review what I learned (of importance) from Cooking Light, tell him I want a bigger kitchen and I am going to have dinner parties and invite one family from church and one neighbor family since evangelism just doesn't come naturally to introverts. I tell him about a cooking class in Seattle that I want to take a friend to for her birthday and ask if I can do it and get a hotel and bring my mom up to stay with Ben. He says, "Probably." I tell him we are going to start having Spanish lessons at the dinner table. And that if we learn a little Spanish, Italian will come easier. (He really wants to learn Italian. But I have Spanish books.)
9:24 p.m. Mike is sleepy and I read him our devotional and say "goodnight." I read Ben "I'll Love You Forever," nurse him, and put him to bed.
9:58 p.m. My mind is in D.C. at the George Hotel, thinking about my incredible husband, and the short speech he has to give in front of Grover Norquist (he promises that if given the chance he will tell him to be careful of Jack Abrahamoff) and God. I decide to write this post.
10:20 p.m. I should get some sleep. Tomorrow (without Daddy Relief) is going to be a LONG day.