Hayley Coleman is a first-time mom to a baby girl; pediatric speech-language pathologist on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; stay-at-home mom on Thursdays and Fridays; and coach’s wife to Patrick, a teacher and coach in Lewisville ISD. Hayley and Patrick live in Roanoke with their 6-month-old daughter, Frankie Jane.
4:30AM My husband’s alarm goes off. He gets ready for work, feeds our chickens, Babette and Gertrude, and our Great Pyrenees, Sam, then goes to check on Frankie. I get a goodbye kiss about 4:45, then get a few more minutes of sleep before my alarm.
5:15AM My alarm goes off. I’m pretty good about getting up with the alarm and not snoozing. Most days the baby is still asleep; however, there is the rare occasion she wakes me up before my alarm. Once I’m dressed, I make my smoothie and start packing Frankie’s bag for school. As soon as the bag is packed, it gets put inthe car. I’ve learned the hard way that this is important (i.e., got all the way to day care with no bottles).
6AM Time to wake up Frankie, one of my favorite things! I love watching her little eyes adjust to the light and her sweet smile when she recognizes me.
6:20AM She gets changed, dressed, then has her bottle. We sit on the couch with Sam while she enjoys her breakfast.
6:45AM We load up the car and head to day care. Frankie loves the car ride. She talks for the first few minutes, and then back to sleep she goes.
7:15AM I drop my girl off at school. I am so grateful for our wonderful preschool. Frankie is so loved and well taken care of there. I refer to it as “school” because each baby has a curriculum they follow. They make art projects, sing songs and work on developmental milestones, and parents even have parent-teacher conferences. It’s fabulous!
7:45AM After a quick stop in the Starbucks drive-thru, which is conveniently located in the parking lot of my office, I head into work. My workday officially starts at 8AM with paperwork time. I catch up on writing evaluations and notes for clients.
9AM Lots of therapy going on in this time! I get to spend my mornings working on communication skills, social skills and articulation skills with my sweet work children. I see kiddos of all different ages with all different types of language and communication needs. Communication disorders can be frustrating for little ones, but they’re so darn cute that it makes even the challenging times worth it.
12PM Lunch! This is such a nice break in my day. I spend this time catching up with co-workers, running errands if needed and calling to check on Frankie. Yes, I’m that mom. I love calling at lunch to see how her day is going. It helps my afternoons go quickly.
1PM Time to collaborate. I am fortunate to work in a setting where multiple services are offered to help children with special needs. On Mondays we all meet to collaborate on shared kiddos. This helps us all to be in the know on the progress they’re making.
2PM More paperwork time and prep time for the afternoon rush. Typically, a pick-me-up is required. I make a cup of tea (mint green or chai are my personal favorites). I spend the next hour finishing up morning paperwork and planning for my afternoon crowd.
3PM Therapy, therapy and more therapy! The afterschool time slots are coveted and always full. Lots of learning and growing takes place during these three hours.
6:05PM After I say goodbye to my last kiddo, I clean up my office and head to day care. I always feel like I’m running to my car and racing the 4 miles down the road. Ten hours apart is a long time for Moma!
6:20PM I walk into Frankie’s class and get my sweet girl. I love this time of day. I hold her as I pack up anything that may need to come home and soak in that sweet baby smell. It’s addicting! I get the lowdown on her day from her teachers and then we head home.
6:50PM Home sweet home! When Patrick does not have a game to attend, he gets home about the same time we do. Dad gets in some playtime with Frankie while I fix dinner. We relax and eat before bedtime.
7:30PM Bath time. Another favorite time in our day! We both bathe her. She absolutely loves her baths, and neither one of us wants to miss out on it. We splash and play in the water, sing songs and usually snap a few pics to send to her aunts and grandparents (Hello millennial parents, hah!). When bathtime is finished, we say good night to Daddy and rock in the rocking chair. Her lullabies play while she gets her bottle and prayers, and then in her bed she goes. Good night, sweet baby.
8:15PM Time to relax! Patrick and I usually catch up on a TV show in the living room and catch up on our day. Our current show obsessions are Stranger Things on Netflix and Outlander on STARZ. After our long days, it’s nice to spend some time disconnected from work, emails and our phones. We just enjoy each other’s company, our dog, Sam, and typically a bowl of popcorn.
9:30PM Bedtime. I’m asleep by 9:31. If there are no football games to catch up on, Patrick’s asleep by 9:32. As soon as we close our eyes the alarm goes off, and it’s time to do it all over again!
