My Exotic "Vacation" in Egypt

Last week or so, Reid asked about my days and what I do. Basically, I try to get up before everyone else (yes, it is possible) and shower. Then I work for Harman until Rachel gets up. She has breakfast and sometimes a bath before getting dressed. Then we just play and play. Sometimes she asks to see a movie and we'll watch all or part of one. My whole purpose is just to let Nancy get as much sleep as possible.

As soon as Nancy and Miriam are up, Rachel's attention is focused on them. It's hard to keep her from squishing the baby, and she has tantrums whenever she doesn't get to hold the baby all the time. Nancy is very patient and tries to explain why it's impossible for Miriam to play, but Rachel doesn't like the explanations.

If the weather is nice, I'll try to take Rachel for a walk. It's hard to do, though, because the sidewalks are awful so we have to walk mostly in the roads. I don't want to have to carry Rachel because she's so big and hurts my shoulder, but we are able to walk in mostly quiet roads to get to any stores. McDonald's isn't too far away, so we've done that as a treat.

We have lunch at about 1:30 or 2:00 and try to get Rachel down for a nap. She's usually pretty good about it. Doesn't sleep all the time, but she is great about just staying on her bed and playing quietly. While she's down, I try to work for Harman some more. It depends on how much I have to do. Lately I've taken to going grocery shopping while she's down for her nap (if Andrew is home). The grocery store I usually go to is farther away than I'm comfortable walking to with Rachel because of the busy streets. When Rachel gets up, we play some more. We read books, play with toys, play pretend, and whatever else I can think of. Rachel's favorite phrase is, "Play with me, Grandma!" (and she's demanding, not asking). She has enjoyed doing the little crafty things I brought, especially the dinosaur diorama. Andrew was pretty jealous.

In between playing, I do the dishes, hang wet laundry, fold dry laundry, do my own laundry, fix lunch, clean a little, and do whatever else needs to be done. It was nice having meals brought in the first week after Miriam was born, because I didn't have to worry about that. But now I plan and cook dinner, too. I'm more comfortable using the stove and oven now, so it's working out fine. And Papa John's is a most excellent option (as I discovered tonight).

Rachel goes to bed at about 8:30 or 9:00. Andrew usually has to do homework every evening, so I just work for Harman some more or try to catch up on episodes of CSI or Survivor if the internet is working fast enough (my guilty pleasures).

So that's my schedule. Exhausting! I wish I could sleep better, but it's dusty and noisy and not quite as comfortable as my own bed. But I am getting more used to it. I'm going to need a vacation when I get home!