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Adele and I get home around 6p every night. She usually goes to bed around 7:30p, so there’s a lot of pressure to get as much time with her as possible before she goes to sleep. I miss her so much during the day and I really love our hour together in the evening. Irving is at work, so it’s just us two girls. Tonight was one of those nights that I always want to remember.

6p – Arrive home. Adele is asleep in her carseat, so I start dinner while she snoozes. On tonight’s menu: pasta with homemade pesto (from fresh Basil Irving bought this week). I’m usually not this ambitious, past dinners this week included PB&J, Grilled Cheese and a simple salad. But tonight, I was excited to make something yummy.

6:15p – Cook Dinner. Adele woke up in a good mood, so I dragged her exersaucer over to the kitchen so she could play while I cooked. She was loving it. She’s in a stage now where she cries whenever I leave her sight. So she’s happy as long as she can see me.

6:30p – Dance Party. When I turned the food processor on to make my pesto, the loud noise scared her and she started crying. I picked her up, we turned up the Kid Songs music and we danced around the kitchen together while everything finished up. She was smiling, grabbing at my hair and looking around. We had a blast.

6:45p – Eat at the Table. I ate my dinner while Adele played in her high chair next to me. We’re getting ready to start Baby Led Weaning soon, so I’m excited to get her at the table with us as much as possible now. She was content playing with her toys while I ate. It was a treat because usually I eat alone after she’s gone to sleep. We listened to more music while we sat.

And in case you want a video of Adele listening to B-I-N-G-O and you want to hear my annoying mommy voice… here you go!

7p – Bath Time. I gave a Adele a nice long warm bath tonight. She’s always loved the bath, and now it’s even more fun because she likes to play with her toys! She loves her cups, her duckies and her bath books. But tonight, she was mostly interested in playing with her washcloth. Everything goes straight into her mouth now. She also loves to practice sitting up! In the tub, this is especially fun because she can splash around in the water at the same time. She’s stay in there all night if I’d let her!

7:15p – Milk Time! After I change her, give her legs a massage with delicious baby lotion and blow strawberries on her soft little belly, it’s time to nurse her. We watch a Ken Burns documentary about the Civil War while she eats. She doesn’t eat great, but she gets enough to feel content and we play on the couch for a while.

7:30p – Cuddles. I take her into our room and play with her on our bed for a little bit. I sing songs to her, kiss her cheeks and cuddle next to her for a few minutes. Once I see her first eye rub, I know it’s time for her to go to bed. (awe, sad!)

7:45p – Bed. I think she had too much fun tonight and she’s having a tough time winding down. I go in to soothe her a few times and it’s still not enough for some reason. I end up picking her up and rocking her for a few minutes til her eyelids begin to droop (I miss rocking her to sleep, can you believe it?) Finally, I force myself to put her back down in her crib even though I want to hold her a little longer. She’s out like a light.

As a working mom, it’s all about squeezing it in and making the most of the time that you have. There will never be enough time with Adele, but I want to always remember that in nights like this, I’m squeezing the nectar out of life and giving her 110% of what I have. I made more fantastic memories of her in that 1.75 hours than I had all week. I really took the time to pay attention to her, to look at her eyes, to stroke her soft hair, to listen to her laughs, to watch her play…. This is what I always want to remember.

And now, I’m enjoying a cup of hot cocoa and admiring the christmas lights I hung last night. I’m so excited to experience this holiday season with my littlest friend. I hope she enjoys the sparkle as much as I do!

G’Night Friends!