Gabriela is mother to 12-month-old-Jacob and soon-to-be-mom to Olivia. A fourth-grade teacher in Irving ISD, Gabriela is also launching her stationary business, Yours Truly, which specializes in invitations. Her husband, Alvin, is a Resident Physician at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The family currently lives in Coppell.
6:30AM Alvin rushes out the door for his commute to Dallas as I sink back under the warm covers to revel in my first day of vacation! I grab the remote, turn on the news and start checking e-mails and returning messages.
6:45AM I hear Jacob start chanting through the monitor, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” and my heart smiles just thinking about being able to spend the entire day with him. Time to get our busy day started!
6:50AM I roll out of bed, literally, being 36 weeks pregnant [at press time] and head to freshen up in the bathroom.
6:55AM Tyson, our lab mix, and I walk in to greet Jacob in his crib. Jacob is always so happy and smiley every morning! I pick him up and change his diaper and slip him in some distressed jeans and a yellow flannel shirt.
7:05AM We brush his teeth and get ready to head downstairs to eat breakfast.
7:15AM I grab a ball so Jacob and Tyson can play while I prepare his oatmeal and my bowl of cereal.
7:20AM Place Jacob in his highchair where he messily feeds himself, refusing any help, as Tyson happily awaits underneath him catching the clumps that fall on the floor. Nice!
7:45AM Clean Jacob up and head back upstairs to get myself ready. Grab his cup of milk, stop by his room and grab several toys, his bean bag and my iPhone as I lock the bathroom door behind me.
7:52AM Start up a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode on my phone as I jump in for a quick shower getting soap in my eyes from checking on Jacob so frequently. Of course, he’s calmly holding the phone watching the video, sitting in his bean bag and drinking his milk.
8:35AM Mommy and Jacob are ready to head out and see Olivia on a sonogram image this morning.
9:25AM Arrive at doctor’s appointment and wait for daddy to join us to see the princess in action. The doctor says everything looks great and it even looks like she will have a lot of hair! Good thing I already have a lot of bows.
10:15AM After a successful appointment with no tantrums, we head back to the car where we are make our way to NorthPark Center for some shopping and a Baby Bounce Basics class.
10:35AM No cars, just the way we like the mall to be on an early Monday morning! We make our way around the mall as Jacob snacks on Cheerios and milk then decides to take a mid-morning nap in his stroller.
11:30AM Stop by the food court to pick up lunch before we head over to his class. Jacob eats a grilled cheese as I munch on some chicken strips and a vanilla shake.
12:20PM Quickly make our way towards the location as the class fills up fast on Mondays. He already knows the routine of taking a noise maker, some bells and a handkerchief. The music starts and since Jacob loves to dance he is happily clapping and moving to nursery rhymes about the room.
1:00PM By this time, I am exhausted from moving non-stop since this morning and I can see that Jacob is feeling the same way. We head back to the car where I know he will quickly fall asleep as soon as the car starts to move.
1:45PM Arrive home, scoop Jacob out of his seat (still asleep) and head upstairs to lay him down for a nap. I take this time to catch up on an order of Princess Birthday invitations, wrap up some details for a baby shower I am co-hosting, respond to e-mails and upload pictures from my camera from the previous weekend and plan dinner for tonight.
3:38PM Jacob wakes up screaming from his well needed nap. From the sounds of it, he’s hungry! I freshen him up and head to the kitchen to fix him a light snack before dinner of cheese, crackers and some turkey.
4:00PM We head outside to play catch with Tyson and enjoy the crisp afternoon air. Now that he has this walking thing down he is unstoppable and Tyson is my best bet for being able to keep up with Jacob as my movements are slowing down with each passing day.
4:25PM Head back inside to start preparing for dinner all the while closing the baby gates and blocking off the stairs with the pack and play so Jacob doesn’t rush upstairs as he has been since he was 8 months old.
4:45PM Place some tilapia on a baking sheet, start boiling the potatoes and fresh veggies as we anxiously await daddy’s arrival. As toys begin to make their way from the living room toy basket into the kitchen we begin to play “pass the ball” with the basketball on the kitchen floor.
5:20PM We hear the garage door open and Jacob runs towards the door happy because he knows that the person about to walk in his one and only Da-dee! We greet him with hugs and kisses!
5:35PM As they are playing, I set the table for dinner and discuss today’s fun events with Alvin as he and Jacob continue to play with the basketball. This little guy could play all day if you let him.
5:55PM We all sit down together for dinner and enjoy each other’s company. All the while Jacob is saying “Mmmm!” after every bite taken and, of course, sharing with Tyson, who purposely positions himself under Jacob’s chair.
6:30PM Alvin cleans off the table and starts the dishwasher while I clean Jacob up and head upstairs to prepare his bath water.
6:45PM Alvin joins us upstairs and gives Jacob his bath. After dressing him in his Mickey Mouse pajamas, reading him a book and holding him before bedtime, Alvin goes back downstairs. I check the monitor and Jacob is fast asleep in his crib with his favorite blanket.
7:35PM We both flop down on the couch; catch up on recorded TV shows while simultaneously checking emails, planning tomorrow’s schedule, recapping our day and enjoying some cookies and milk.
9:15PM Prepare for bed and realize how early it is. … “Oh well, I guess that’s what happens when you’re parents,” Alvin says in response to our early bedtime as we both doze off into a long awaited sleep.
