A Day in Claraville

I thought it would be fun to photograph one day in the life of Clara.  It lasted until about an hour after breakfast, and then I was done.  But I think I've got enough pieces of different days recently to put together a little photo essay of our typical day.

Clara wakes up between around 7:30.  She usually wakes up singing!

She tells me about her dreams while she hugs her stuffed animals and the birds on her wall one last time before departing until nap time.

I change her diaper and then we go eat breakfast.  Usually breakfast consists of a sliced banana, cheerios/toast/pancake and a big cup of milk.  But if it's a bath day (every other day), I might let her at a bowl of oatmeal or whole wheat.

After breakfast, she happily hops in the tub.  She plays with her ducks and foam letters and only protests mildly when I want to wash her hair and body.

After drying off, snuggling and getting dressed, we head to the living room with an ouftit (friend?) in hand.  I hand Clara a scripture mastery bookmark to play with while I read her anywhere from a column to a few pages of the scriptures depending on how the day is going.

We play for a while to get out the morning wiggles, look for the kitty, read some board books.

Most mornings we go on a walk around the neighborhood and when we get home (around 9:00) she goes into her pack-n-play for independent playtime.  She happily plays by herself with a few toys while I work on orders (have I mentioned that my work load hasn't slowed down since November? ) and get the house straightened up, switch out the laundry, etc.

When she's done playing by herself (anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes) we head to the living room for more playtime or go outside if it's nice.  At least a few times a week, this is also our errand time.  Anywhere from the grocery store to the library is an exciting adventure and she happily accompanies me as my favorite sidekick.

Around noon it's lunchtime! Hooray!  Lunch is a usually peanut butter sandwich, a few cut up fruits and veggies, some string cheese and a cup of milk.

Between 12:30 and 1:00 it's time to get ready for her one and only nap.  Quick diaper change, lay her in her crib and we're golden for 1.5-3 hours.

She wakes between 2:00 and 3:00 - happy and singing!

We have a snack, put on shoes and head outside if the weather is nice. 

When we come inside, we read a few books and sing songs together before turning on some tunes for our afternoon dance party.  Clara loves to dance and twirl.

By 5:30 or 6:00 we have dinner together.  Since daddy has a really busy work schedule and gets home between 9:30 and midnight, we don't wait for him to join us. :(

Around 6:30, we put on Clara's pajamas (we call them jam jams) and let her pad around in them while watching for signs of sleepiness.

When the big eye rubs start to happen, we head to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

And then we go to her room to say prayers, have a hug and a kiss, a song (or several, depending on the night) and then go night night (usually by 7:00 or 7:30).

When daddy comes home late, late at night, sometimes Clara will wake up and start singing in her crib.  And if she does, we take that as a sign that we need to go get her.

For a story.

And a song.

And a snuggle.

And then she goes peacefully back to sleep.


PS I started this post about three weeks ago, and I had to change so much of what I had written... the routine of a little kiddo is constantly evolving.