Agnes’ Day in the Life

Bernard’s been driving up to Santa Monica for work and getting home late, so I’ve taken over the childcare duties since the kids started daycare in February. I’ve fallen into quite a routine.

I haven’t used my alarm clock since the morning of my schedule C-section. The kids start making noise sometime between 5:15 and 5:45. Usually it’s just talking noises, but my sensitive Mommy ears can pick them up. We never bought a monitor either since I can hear them two rooms away just fine.

I refuse to go to them until 6 am, so as not to encourage them to wake up earlier and earlier for my attention. So I usually take a shower, start the bottles warming, pick out what I’m going to wear for work, and get their supplies ready for daycare.

Then, I go in to get the girls. Miranda, who’s on the right, is upset that I’m taking a picture instead of picking her up. Eleanor is hugging her purple rabbit.

I change their diapers and feed both of them. Then, it’s time to get dressed for school. If I’m running late, I just send them to school in their sleepers, but since they’re starting to crawl, I prefer them to be in their jeans. I only dress them alike about 10 percent of the time. These are some faux trendy shirts that my mom’s friend from Tokyo sent them. I think there’s some fake English written on the front. Miranda is on the right.

Yes, it’s actually cold enough in California for jackets and hats. It’s been about 40 degrees in the mornings here. Doing the whole get-up takes 30 minutes. Don’t even get me started on what happens when one of them spits up all over the outfit that I just put on. Eleanor is on the left.

Most moms, when they get to daycare, just pick up their kid and walk them inside. Since I can’t carry them both at the same time and carry the duffel with their supplies, I have to strap them into the stroller and wheel them in. Miranda is in front.

They’re smiling at their teacher. Eleanor is on the right.

Then, I go to work, which is right across the street. I often look out the window to see the daycare, even though they’re never outside. This month, I’m on the Adult Neurology Consult service, which means I run around every floor of the hospital giving neurological input for patients on the Medicine and Surgical services. Here I am, filling out our infamous yellow consult form.

I pick them up from daycare around 5:30 pm. Then, I begin the evening ritual. Recently, I’ve been putting them in their high chairs to try Cheerios and other solids. Then, it’s bathtime. We call our Superyard XT the “ultimate fighting ring”. Here’s Eleanor playing in the ring, while Miranda gets her bath.

It’s 7 pm and time for their bedtime bottles. Sometimes I feed them one after another, but they’re usually both clamoring for milk by this time, so I’ve been feeding them both at the same time. Sometimes I let Miranda lie on the floor and feed herself, but it tends to get kind of messy, and since she’s just had a bath, I generally don’t do it. This picture was taken on a Saturday morning since Bernard had to be around to take the picture. Miranda is on the right.

By 7:30, they’re done with their bottles and I put them in their crib. They’re generally good about grabbing their stuffed animal, flipping over, and going to sleep. Then, it’s time for the dreaded chores. I have a daily mantra, which is “bottles, dishes, trash, laundry, toys. . .” I repeat this to myself so that I don’t forget anything. The bottles need to be washed, sterilized, and made for the next day. They each have 4 bottles a day, and the little bottles are for milk to be mixed with rice cereal. We still sterilize the bottles even though it’s probably not necessary, but I feel I can be a little lax on the scrubbing if they are sterilized. The bottles for daycare have masking tape on the top with their names and the date. I also try to make dinner, since Bernard and I don’t like to order out.

Daddy’s home! Bernard’s been getting home around 8:15 pm these days, so he’s been missing the girls completely. We have dinner and finish our chores. “Bottles, dishes, trash, laundry, toys. . .” Bernard’s been preparing most of the bottles and doing the dishes. The Diaper Champ needs to be changed, and we do laundry about six times a week, so almost every day. Yes, we actually have a full load that often. I also try to wipe down their toys with alcohol, but I’ve been kind of flaking off on that chore recently. By this time it’s around 10 pm, and I’m about to keel over. We talk, watch TV, and I’m off to bed by 10:30 pm.

Stay tuned next month for Bernard’s Day in the Life. He’s going to have to take over all the childcare duties in April because I’m doing a rotation in Neurosurgery at a hospital that’s 30 miles away. This means I’ll be out of the house before 5 am, and doing long 15 hour days, and getting home at who knows what time.