A day in the life with a toddler

6:00: Wake up. Think about getting up to make some coffee, let the dogs out, and begin to get my day together before Callum wakes up.

6:15: Still thinking about getting up while scrolling through Instagram.

6:30: Still thinking …

6:45: Crap. Callum's awake. Now I have to get up.

7:30: Breakfast. The only thing Callum ever wants to eat these days is cereal. I ignore his requests, and give him eggs, avocado, and banana. He feeds most of it to the dogs.

7:45: Callum's eating cereal.

8:00 - 10:00: Play time around the house. Despite the bazillion toys in our living room, a roll of toilet paper and the dog kennel are the only things that manage to keep him occupied for more than ten minutes.

10:30 - 11:30: Play group. I spend the whole hour stopping Callum from snatching toys from other kids. Waiting his turn is not something he's mastered yet.

11:45 - Quick lunch of PB&J and a smoothie once we get home. If you were listening to our lunch time conversation, this is what you would hear:

"Cereal. Cereal. Cereal."

"You had cereal this morning, Callum. We can't just eat cereal all day. Sorry, bud."

"Cereal. Cereal. Cereal. Cereal."

Noon: Nap time. Glorious nap time.

12:00 - 2:00: Prep dinner. Mow the lawn. Do some laundry. Workout. Change my mind about the workout since mowing the lawn totally counts. Pick up the disaster area that is our play room.

2:01: Sit down to read my book (The Glass Castle. It's so good!) with an iced coffee.

2:02: Callum wakes up. Never fails.

2:15: Snack time. ("No cereal!")

3:30: Pick up Legos for the 1,213 time today.

4:00: Matt's home! We all sit outside with the dogs and talk about our days. Callum babbles like crazy. This is always, always, always the favorite part of my day.

5:30: Dinner time. Callum has been boycotting his high chair about half the time, and this is one of those meals. This is generally a battle I don't fight since I'd prefer for us to enjoy our meal together, despite where we're sitting. Callum eats his dinner standing on a dining room chair. ("NO CEREAL!")

6:00: Bath time. Callum loves playing with the water as it comes out of the faucet. But, look out. Once the tub is filled and we have to turn the water off, we have one unhappy toddler on our hands.

The second we are done with bath time, Callum knows we're getting ready for bed and immediately requests his pacifier, or "ne ne" as he calls it. He likes to have one in his mouth, and hold up to four in his hands. Like many kids use a blankie or stuffed animals for comfort, Callum uses his ne nes.

King of the Ne Nes.

6:30: PJs and story time. We read 10 Fat Turkeys, the current book obsession. "More," says Callum. We read 10 Fat Turkeys, again. "More," says Callum. We read 10 Fat Turkeys, again. "More," says Callum. I pull the plug on 10 Fat Turkeys and deal with the aftermath as we finish our bedtime routine.

7:00: Callum's in bed. He does a great job of settling in to bed and goes to sleep without a peep 90% of the time, which we are very grateful for. I think we can thank his ne ne for that.

After Callum goes to bed, I pack lunches for tomorrow, run the pups to the park for a game of ball, take a shower, and then basically just relax.

10:00: I'm in bed with my book and can't keep my eyes open for too long. Another day's done.

As unbelievably exhausting and often frustrating the days can be, I wouldn't trade them for anything. The toddler stage is full of surprises. He is always looking for ways to be more independent and is soaking everything up like a little sponge. I'm relishing every snuggle I can get. The days are long, but the years are short. Before I know it, I'll be waving good bye as he drives off to college.