Nine to Five: The Reality

As I said before, reality has set in. In a big way. While my nature tempts me to base my assessment of stay-at-home motherhood on this week alone, I am aware that this, like anything new, will take time and patience and a few prayers. That having been said, here is a typical day-in-the-life thus far:

8:15- Dave leaves for work; I panic as I consider the eight or so hours that stretch infinitely before me until he comes home again.
8:30- Amelia and I go to aerobics; the instructor sings along to pretty much every song. As if getting my desperately out- of- shape booty kicked all over the San Marcos Community Center wasn't bad enough.
10:30- Call Dave to ask if he knows where the pool key went; engage in witty banter with his secretary.
11:00-Water the plants in the backyard and spray Amelia with the hose (she loves it).
11:15- Make up another excuse to call Dave (i.e.- What time is the graduation party on Saturday?); apologize to his secretary for calling again; engage in more witty banter.
12:00- Make Amelia Macaroni N'Cheese for lunch. And peaches, from a can.
12:30- Put Amelia down for a nap. Pick up the living room. Do the dishes. Start the laundry; get sidetracked by The Jonbenet Ramsey E! True Hollywood Story. Correction: not just sidetracked, engrossed...
1:30- Dave calls; asks what I'm doing. I confess.
2:30- Amelia wakes up. We go to Sam's Club to pick up pictures; I buy a diet coke; peruse the aisles for things I don't need.
3:30- Call Dave again (his secretary leaves at 3) and ask him what time he is going to be home so I can plan dinner.
4:00- I make dinner; Amelia trashes the living room.
4:30- Take a "walk" around the block; I walk, Amelia runs. We visit the tot lot. She sees a dog, chases it, yelling, "woof" "woof!"
4:45- Pick up the living room.
5:00- Dave FINALLY arrives home. We eat dinner; Amelia throws half of her food on to the floor.
6:00- I pick up the living room; Amelia trashes it; I pick up the living room; Amelia trashes it; I give up.
6:30- Give Amelia a bath; put her in her pajamas; brush her teeth; read her "Guess How Much I Love You" and tear up at the sweet ending.
7:00- Put Amelia to bed.
7:10- Pick up the living room. Victory!
10:00- Fall asleep watching a re-run of The Daily Show.

It's not glamorous and I didn't expect that it would be, but it's FAR from the fanatasy I had envisioned. The first week wasn't, anyway. When all is said and done; when Amelia is fast asleep in her crib and the living room is finally picked up for the night, I know that staying home is the best decision that we could make for our family. I'll grow into it. And lest I become an irritation to my husband and a thorn in the side of his secretary, I'll learn how to not only be at home with Amelia, but how to be at peace at just being with Amelia. That's where the fantasy began in the first place.