those sweet few hours...

it's amazing how your perspective changes after becoming a mom. i've talked with other working moms who feel the same way--there's just not much that we'll do to cut into those hours that we get with our children during the work week. 

there are many nights where i can't get out of the office fast enough. the clock is ticking before bedtime, and those two or so hours that we get are precious time. the huge smile that greets me at the door, getting the quick rundown on his day--when he slept, what he ate, how many outfits did we go through :) then it's simultaneous getting dinner on the table/getting davis fed, where more often than not we resort to a quick show on the ipad (or now, iphone) so that he'll stay in his highchair a little longer and eat a good dinner. justin and i tag team with eating, and then one of us will get his bath going while the other one finishes eating. it's like clockwork, people. 

then it's davis's favorite part of the day :)

he is quite the fan of bathtime!

i actually try to use this time to go over some animals and sounds. i'm slowly adding in learning facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears) and just for fun, i threw in some foam letters and numbers this weekend. this is my and davis's time together, and i'm so thankful that this year, his eczema isn't acting up as much and we can do daily baths. 

and then it's our favorite time of the day... holding davis while he drinks his milk (this is the last bottle left in our schedule--we've switched to sippy cups for the other ones before naps, but i don't know...i just want to keep this bottle for a little bit longer) and we all watch either nbc nightly news or wheel of fortune together.

(i'm a bit of a wheel of fortune fanatic. i have applied to be on the show and am keeping my fingers crossed that they might choose me because i will be 30 next year on their 30th year--one of their special categories they asked about. and i would totally win a ton of money cause i'm great at solving puzzles using cliche phrases, song titles, movie quotes and other things like that.)

and by the end of wheel of fortune, it's time for bed. three or four stories, teeth brushing, prayers and a few quiet moments of rocking. i treasure those last few minutes snuggling with him. the end cap to my day. i tuck him into his crib, and he usually rolls over and conks out (or fights it as long as he can until i walk out of the room--then immediately drops it.)

then the rest of the night continues. household chores, maybe stepping out for an errand or two, going for a run or workout dvd, and watching some tv or movies. until 10 or 10:30 rolls around and we crash into bed, just to start the whole process all over again.

but for those few sweet hours? totally worth it.