{31 Things} Day 2: Morning Routine

I’ve never been a full on morning person- I don’t necessarily spring out of bed with a smile on my face, and a song in my heart- but after a brief warm up time I’m able to manage. I blame it less on being a grump, and more on the fact that I am naturally a bit of a night owl, and require a good seven to eight hours of sleep a night. By default it’s difficult for me to hit the ground running at an extremely early hour. Before having Piper I roused as late as possible on weekdays, sleeping until eight, to still make it out of the house by eight thirty. I built in time for at least two hits of the snooze button, and often climbed into the car with a wet ponytail, my breakfast and makeup in hand. Now that there’s a baby in the mix, the morning routine has changed dramatically. The AM tasks are multiplied, (one more mouth to feed and body to clothe) and everything seems to take longer (especially if one of those mouths throws up on one- or more- of those clothed bodies.) But after a few months of stumbling along, we have a fairly predictable morning pattern:

• Piper wakes up around six-thirty. Typically she isn’t screaming, she just babbles in her crib, thumping her limbs around on the mattress to let me know she’s ready for breakfast (As a result, my alarm has been rendered all but useless).
• Dustin jumps in the shower first while I feed Piper. (sometimes he gets up before her just to have enough time to get through his routine solo before being saddled with a spectator). I’m sure he’d love a little more sleep too, but he makes the sacrifice to get up early so I don't have to. He’s always been quicker and easier to rise, probably a left-over habit from his teaching days. Early in our marriage he had to be up crazy early, so he’d get dressed in the dark or in the hallway to avoid disturbing me. That’s love I tell you. 
• Piper takes about 15-20 minutes to eat, so during that time I fiddle with my phone- getting a jump on email, browsing around on Instagram or Facebook, or checking the weather.
• When she finishes eating, she’s ready for a diaper change and fresh clothes. If we time it right, Dustin is at least partially dressed and can switch to Piper duty (or dooty). I’m often consulted on the outfit choice, either picking it out before hand, or at least getting a veto-vote if she strolls into the bathroom looking crazy. 
• While Dustin gets her ready, I get in the shower. I try to brainstorm my outfit while I wash up, as I don’t really have time to rely on trial and error. I base my hairstyle on what time I need to get to the office. If I have time- down and curly. If it’s tight- a half-dry ponytail with a quick flat iron to the bangs. 
• During my primping, Dustin is downstairs with Piper, prepping for the day. After a few months of staying home with her, I consider it a luxury to have time to get ready by myself, so I don’t take this time for granted. He makes lunches for both of us, and washes any bottles or breastpump parts that didn’t get cleaned the night before. He usually plays some music while they work and I can hear them singing and goofing around while I get ready. I love to listen to their “conversations”, and get a kick out of imagining what it will be like in a couple years when she’s chattering right back. 
• After teeth brushing, and maybe a couple of quick iphone pics, we gather our bags and head out, usually around eight. 
• We alternate who takes her to school, based on our work schedule. Whoever has the most flexibility does the daycare drop off. I like to do it as much as possible because I’m usually not able to scoot out in time to pick her up at the end of the day. I actually think the drop off is kind of fun. She’s not at an age where she minds me leaving too much, so I get to see all the kids and slip out quietly without too much fuss. 
• Then it’s just a twenty minute or so ride into work. I have kept the bad habit of doing my makeup and eating in the car on my way in (my breakfast is always a banana, a granola bar, and a yogurt- I usually save the yogurt until I get to my desk). Someday I’ll grow up to be a responsible adult and drag myself out of bed fifteen minutes earlier to avoid a hazardous commute, but for now any moment of sleep is precious, and worth the risk of smearing banana on my car seat. 
• I wrap up the pre-work routine, pulling in the parking garage between eight and nine. And in a short 22 hours, we repeat the cycle.