A Day in the Life ...

6:30am - Baby awakes. Crying.

7:00am - Mom spies through the patio door window, leaves and branches outside the house falling in an unusual configuration. Mom walks outside to find that a small-sized tree has fallen on her car and dented the hood and damaged the front windshield. Mom calls the insurance company to file a claim and then emails the HOA to report the incident. Dad takes photos of the car. Mom starts trying to figure out how to get the car to the shop for an estimate, rent a car, and coordinate costs and refunds between the insurance company and HOA. Dad chops down the tree as much as possible and moves it so that Mom can drive her car.

9:00am - Mom goes for a run/walk for the first time in a year.

10:00am - 11:00am - Family goes to a charity yard sale being held at the Marine base. Thousands for brand new goods for a $1. Crazy and weird.

12:00pm - Baby goes down for her afternoon nap.

12:30pm - Dad leaves to meet friends to play mini-golf.

12:30-1:30pm - Mom folds clothes. Picks up the house. Washes baby bottles that have been dirty for 3 days. Mom looks around the house and is saddened to realize that despite her best attempts and exhaustion, the house still looks like a wreck with filled garbage cans in every bathroom and the smell of dirty diapers hanging in the air. The bed is a mess. The kitchen floor is sticky. Mom decides mopping, making the bed, and emptying the trash cans will have to wait.

1:30pm - A heating and air conditioning guy comes to the house to inspect the furnace. Yesterday, Mom realizes that despite feeling air for several hours, there isn't any heat. HVAC guy says that the 30-year old furnace is malfunctioning due to a crack inside the furnace, causing it to shut off and reignite in a haphazard fashion. Or something? It's complicated and despite her list of questions, she still feels a bit clueless as to the exact problem. Per the HVAC guy, turning on the furnace is a fire hazard since it's pumping gas through the house. Cost to install a new furnace = $3,000 ... a cost that will require Mom for the first time ever, to dip into the precious rainy day fund because there isn't enough left over each month to pay for it. Mom worries about this cost and the ability to rent the property next year at a price that can cover the overwhelming mortgage and growing repairs on a 30 year old property ... about job stability given the huge impact on capital funding with her company ... about the retirement plans. Getting back to more immediate and pressing issues, Mom starts ruminating about the need to call several different HVAC companies to get estimates for a new furnace to compare it to the original estimate.

2:00pm - Baby wakes up from her nap. Screaming.

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Baby continues screaming for an hour. Assuming it's probably her teething pains, Mom gives her Tylenol and Orajel. No effect. More screaming. No eating despite being offered 20 different things. Mom finally succumbs to her oldest and best method to calm her. A car ride.

3:00pm - 3:45pm - Drive around for 45 minutes. Quiet. Finally. Arrive at home. Screaming again. Baby refuses all food offered. Even ice cream! Baby wants to go in the stroller.

3:45pm - 4:45pm - Mom and Baby stroll around the neighborhood. Baby eats handfuls of puffed stars (a toddler food) while being strolled around.

4:45pm - Arrive at home. Somewhat calm. Mom makes 2 scrambled eggs, Baby's favorite ...most of the time. Baby finally decides to eat after 3 hours of off-and-on screaming and refusal to eat anything else (besides puffed stars). She eats about 1/2 an egg when ...

5pm - Dad arrives home. Baby stops eating and wants up to be with Dad. Mom has a meltdown. Cries. Cancels plans with girlfriends to have dinner that night due to pure exhaustion. Mom goes for a drive.

5pm - 6:30pm - Dad plays with Baby. Together, they play with the latest toy ... a toddler-sized kitchen that Dad picked up for $3! Dad saved the day. Dad and Baby drive to Pizza Hut to pick up dinner.

6:30pm - Mom arrives home. Baby asleep after drive to Pizza Hut with Dad.

8:00pm - Baby wakes up. Dad gives Baby dinner. Mom and Dad play with Baby.

9:30pm - Baby goes to sleep.

10:00pm - Mom reads upstairs. Goes to sleep.

11:00pm - Dad watches sports downstairs. Falls asleep on the sofa. The house is a chilly 65 degrees.