2:00 am to Midnight

2:00 am. Five minute feeding and then back to sleep. Fingers crossed that we get at least a three hour stretch this time.

4:30 am. Two and a half hours. It’s better than one hour or one and a half hours. Time for him to eat again. Seven minute feeding and he’s back asleep. Crawl back into bed. Man…these pillows are soft. I’m pretty sure the bed is going to swallow me up and never let me escape.

6:00 am. Baby is awake and ready for the day. At least, he’s ready for about two hours of his day. And then he will want to go back to sleep. Just in time for big brother to wake up. Drag myself down the stairs, make coffee and doze in the recliner while baby eats. Again.

9:30 am. Baby boy is asleep in my arms, my coffee is cold and I have to pee. Put the baby in the swing and pray he stays asleep or go with him still attached to me and in my arms. Opt for the latter of the two. Then I am guaranteed he will stay asleep.

9:42 am. Two tiny feet hit the floor running. The oldest is awake.

9:50 am. Baby is awake and bright eyed. The oldest wants Cheerio’s. I just want hot coffee.

10:00 am. How many episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse can we watch before mommy wants to throw the remote through the TV? (The answer to that, by the way, is four. Anything more than that and I’m wishing unspeakable things upon a certain mouse.)

10:00 am-11:00 am. Attempt to catch up on work emails while juggling a fussy baby who desperately needs a nap in one arm and digging Sir Arthur the Knight out from under the couch. Most days, I need more than two hands.

11:22 am. I need a shower. Then when the husband comes home at lunch it will look like I accomplished something. And I will at least smell better.

11:34 am. Climb in the shower after positioning baby boy in his swing right by the door. Shower curtain gets left partly open so that he can still see that his mama didn’t disappear. Mama nearly freezes from the cold air coming in the shower. Ten minutes is about all that I have before someone gets cranky.

12:07 pm. Husband is home for lunch. Wants to know what we’re having for dinner. Am I terrible if I say takeout again? Who really wants to cook? Not me…thank God he doesn’t mind helping in the kitchen.

1:16 pm. Baby boy is down for a nap. My work email is overflowing…just like my laundry hamper. Where do I begin?

1:30-4:08 pm. Baby boy wakes up and wants to eat again. A bowl of graham crackers get crushed up in the carpet and need to be vacuumed. A plastic football knocks over a glass of ice water. My email is still full. The laundry is a mile high. There are crayons covering the table and toys covering the floor. If I step on one more LEGO or Hot Wheels car, I might lose it.

4:30 pm. The husband is home. Hallelujah. Reinforcements.

5:00 pm-8:00 pm. Dinner. Baths. Mind numbing TV. Cluster feeding. Bedtime for the boys.

8:00 pm-10:00 pm. Work. Work. Email. Work.

10:22 pm. Crawl into bed. Here it comes…sweet, sweet sleep.

10:23 pm. Baby is awake. Needs to be fed.

10:45 pm. Oldest is awake. Wants some water.

11:15 pm. Baby is awake. Diaper blowout.

12:06 am. Sleeeeeeeep. Zzzzzz…..

2:00 am. Repeat.