I have been struggling to post here on my blog because recently I’ve been feeling like there is nothing to say. My life is both very full and busy, and very boring and repetitive. But then I remembered that the word blog literally comes from a portmanteau of “web” and “log,” and I figured I could give you all a window into the log of my daily life.

Here are a few of my favorite activities these days.

Reading. I love reading. The books I used to read were hundreds of pages long, had digital or paper pages, and contained 99.9% words. The books I’m reading these days are 8-16 pages long, they are made of cardboard or indestructible and waterproof paper-ish material, and they contain 99.9% pictures, with 1-10 words per page. The most important difference is that in my previous life, it was a rare occasion for me to read a book twice in my life. These days, it’s a rare occasion for me to read a book less than five times in an hour. I know so many books by heart that sometimes Elmo’s Lucky Day shows up in my dreams. “Why is Elmo wearing green from head to toe? Elmo is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day!” And yes, I know it’s barely February. Toddler A has been very into St. Patrick’s Day since June. Thanks, Buy Nothing for bringing this literary masterpiece into our lives.  I would say a pretty big percentage of my day is taken up by reading. Sometimes, I actually get to the end of the book, which is immediately followed by the baby sign for “AGAIN,” but about 50% of the time I get through 2-3 random pages Toddler A picks, and then he brings over a new book. Good thing I already know the endings!

When I am not reading, I am cooking. Ms. Jen got Toddler A a play kitchen for Christmas, and WOW he really loves it. He spends many, many minutes a day pouring things, stirring things, taking the tops on and off the pots, and of course bringing me his famous recipes to try. The kitchen came with pretend food, but the little man knows what’s up. He needs REAL food for his kitchen. He has become a master manipulator, convincing me he is starving for cheese or crackers, or banana, just to take one bite then run it over to his kitchen to cook up some delicacies. Every evening when I clean up, I have to check all of the pots and pans and cabinets in the play kitchen because without fail, I find real food in there. If he doesn’t become the next Carmy and open his own Michelin restaurant, I’d be surprised.

The issue with New York apartments is, even if they are big, they are small. And with an active kid like Toddler A, he needs room to roam. First, it was the hallway. I spent many many hours in the hallway in December. Especially hiding behind corners where he would run at full speed to find me. Then, we started taking his walker into the hallway so he could scare the dogs in all of the apartments with loud renditions of Old McDonald as he ran past their doors. Then, one day Ms. Jen let him bring his walker to the park, and the rest is history. He discovered that it was possible to bring his toys into the elevator, and now we never leave home without one. I have discovered mini spatulas, balls, drumsticks, and a baby doll thermometer in my pocket in the last month, because he insisted on bringing them downstairs or upstairs, then lost interest 3 minutes later.

You may ask why he lost interest. Well, that answer is easy: because who wants the hallway or toys when you have the LOBBY. It is an amusement park. At least, it is to him. It has everything he could possibly want. Stairs to climb up and down 90-100 times in a row, couches to climb on (and slide off) 200-300 times in a row, a chandelier and art and a fountain to point at, and of course, the doormen. I have coined him the mascot of the building because we spend so much time running around the lobby. Everyone knows him, and each doorman has their own nickname for him, or special thing they do together. Do I wish he hung out with children his own age? Sure. But I also feel so lucky that everyone here is so kind to him. In my daily log, I’d make a conservative estimate that we end up in the lobby 6-8 times/day.

Of course, he eventually gets exhausted from all of the stair and couch-climbing, so we continue on our daily excursions. First: the mailboxes. Not only are they shiny, but he gets to sit up-up-up-up on the counter, which is very exciting. Also, KEYS. You know, the things you use every day of your life to enter your house, car, etc? Those boring things you need to remember not to forget? Those things are VERY exciting to a toddler. Holding them, shaking them, eating them (yuck), and of course, turning them in a lock. My main issue with bestowing my keys to the tiny terror at the mailbox is that eventually, he loses interest and then wants to run around and climb couches and stairs again, while holding them, which is dangerous. But children have no sense of danger, so, a tantrum generally ensues as I pry them from his (mysteriously) strong grip.

He is extremely strong. I would say, “I wonder how he got that way,” but I know the answer. He weight trains. Yes, you read that right, the boy “lifts things up and puts them down,” like the Planet Fitness commercial. A good percentage of our daily routine is carrying things. He has picked up and moved all of the items in the playroom. He picks up packages he finds in the lobby. And of course, his favorite: yellow caution signs. If the floor is wet or slippery from rain or snow, don’t worry, Toddler A will be moving the signs around carrying them to all corners of the lobby making sure everyone knows. The “CAUTION” on the signs is not heeded by this toddler. He will not be deterred by mere signage.

After our daily dose of weightlifting, we hit up our next favorite spot: the laundry room. We have a washing machine in our apartment, but that one is behind a child-locked door. When he discovered that there were machines (plural) accessible to his tiny hands at all hours of the day, he was elated. When I discovered that the buttons make noise and light up but don’t actually turn the machines on because you need to pay, I was elated. It is the best of both worlds. He gets the excitement of buttons, doors, lights and sounds, and I don’t have to pay for the electricity, or worry he will accidentally waterboard himself. Recently, I showed him how I can take him for a ride in the rolling laundry baskets. Needless to say, I’m the coolest mom around. I told you my days were full and busy!

Ms. Jen always says Toddler A loves “novelty,” so when he discovers something new, he becomes obsessed, and that new activity becomes a huge part of our day. Recently, it was the luggage carts. As I noted before, we spend a great deal of time in the lobby, but he only recently discovered he could climb on and off rolling things. Personally, this activity is one of my favorites because he enjoys giving me kisses through the bars. Yes, it’s reminiscent of a jail cell, but I love the kisses anyway. I don’t love that they keep the carts by the front door of the building, which is constantly opening to the arctic circle temperatures we have been living in recently, but it’s a small price to pay for at least 7 minutes of fun.

When Toddler A is (we are) completely and totally exhausted from our lobby follies, we head back to the apartment for snacks, 30% of which end up in his mouth, and 70% in his play kitchen. Then, we turn on Ms. Rachel, or as we have to say here, “M-S R-A-C-H-E-L” because he understands us now.  Toddler A used to love Gracie from Gracie’s Corner, and we called her “his girlfriend,” but this love turned into an unhealthy obsession. According to google, it qualified as an “obsessive love disorder” or “limerence.” When I realized that turning off Gracie led to a daily meltdown, we switched programming.

Anyway, I can usually get about 8 minutes of uninterrupted time when Ms. Rachel is on, so I can make dinner or sit down. Did you notice I filled 3 pages with my daily activities, and I never left the building? #winterlife. Despite never going outdoors, I somehow every day end up with 10,000+ steps and 11 out of 11 hours moving. As I said, I have been busy. And, not at all.

I was preparing for yet another trip recently, packing approximately 20 suitcases for a 2-night trip, when a friend asked me if it gets easier each time.

Short answer: no.

The main problem is, even if we travel twice a month, A changes every time, so the packing needs and traveling needs change as well. Not to mention, he used to barely crawl, and now he basically runs.

It is hard to explain why traveling with a baby/toddler is difficult, but I’m going to attempt to break it down here.

PACKING:

The obstacles begin before you leave the house, and to be honest, this might be the most complicated piece. I’ve talked a little about the difficulty of packing before, but this part certainly doesn’t seem to get easier. I have a permanent packing list on my phone in Microsoft To Do, just the same way I do for myself. However, since his needs are constantly changing, so is the packing list.

Example: We used to only need bottles (and a bottle brush and bottle soap), now we need a bottle and sippy cup.

We used to need the pack and play, now we also need a crib sheet because maybe (HOPEFULLY) the hotel will have a full-size crib so Chris and I can actually get some sleep. We used to need a glass container to make formula, now we need to figure out how to transport milk, or we need to plan ahead to buy milk wherever we are going.

There’s the sleep sack, the sound machine, the monitor, the monitor charger, the wipes, the aquafor, the DIAPERS. Basically, he needs his own 25-pound trunk of stuff, and he’s just over 25 pounds himself.

Also, I glazed over the fact that I now work from two separate packing lists. So, I am working off of his and mine, flipping back and forth. And it’s not like he can just use my stuff if I forget… he has his own SPECIAL toothpaste. And don’t get me started on his hair care routine.

For me, if I forget my pajamas, it doesn’t really matter because I can sleep in workout clothes, or frankly, in nothing at all. For A if I forget his particular zippie pajamas or his sleep sack, he just won’t sleep. Which means none of us sleep. Every item is gravely important.

WAITING/TRAVEL:

The travel itself is usually a nightmare, even in the best-case scenario. There’s the uber to the train/airport/venue, which usually includes a meltdown because we aren’t in cars that often. I have mostly learned how to avoid this by giving him an endless stream of his favorite snacks as a distraction, but it is still hit or miss.

Then there’s the waiting. For the train. For the security line. For the plane. To take off.  These days, there are usually delays. Waiting is not easy for adults, and it certainly isn’t easy for babies. No matter how many toys, snacks, spinners, sticky men, painter’s tape or any other number of tricks I tried to learn from TikTok, it’s still hard.

On our most recent trip to Atlanta, it took two hours from returning the rental car to the multiple airtrains to security etc. until we were at the gate, and then another FOUR HOURS after we boarded until we took off. A is actually very good on planes, since they have all of his favorite things: people, lights, screens, and of course pockets on the back of seats where he can pull out papers and throw them on the floor. He did relatively well during the 4-hour delay, and made friends with everyone in the surrounding rows. But gone are the days of just watching a movie or closing my eyes for a nap.

BEING IN A DIFFERENT PLACE:

This seems easy, right? 1-year olds don’t do much, why is it any different to “not do much” somewhere else? WRONG. In hotels, there are millions of death traps including uncovered outlets, corners of tables and counters that are exactly baby-head-height, there are bathrooms with no actual closing doors, slippery bathroom floors with showers that flood the floor and make it even more slippery, cords for many floor lamps, etc. You cannot leave a 1-year-old to their own devices in a hotel room, so you need to constantly be 3 steps behind them, and even that is sometimes too far.

I have found a short-term solution for this: the lobby.

Recently when we were at a wedding in New Jersey, I took A to the lobby every day for at least an hour. He ran around, greeting and smiling at everyone, he LOVED the people coming and going, he also loved the open space, the couches, and the lights and chandeliers. He loved the automatic doors more than anything, but again that required a bit of supervision so he didn’t walk right out. Shoutout to the staff at the Hyatt Regency in Morristown, who were all so sweet and lovely to him, smiling, waving, blowing kisses, and even giving him a mini teddy bear. Extra perk of spending hours in the lobby: all of the running helps tire the kids out. Which brings me to the next travel nightmare:

NAPPING

I don’t even know what to say here. Let’s just leave it at… naps while traveling are a challenge. The people whose kids “nap anywhere” or “just put them in the stroller for a nap”… they’re lying to you. Or they don’t have a SUPER curious kid like mine who keeps his eyes open as long as there is literally anything to look at.

The only good part is that hotels tend to have pretty good blackout shades. But with everything else completely different than home? Sleep is hard to come by. We sometimes will resort to having him sleep on the bed so long as one of us is next to him to make sure he doesn’t roll off. We have also Macgyvered all sorts of strange arrangements. In NJ, he wouldn’t sleep in the crib but he would sleep NEXT to it, on the couch, so we pulled the crib up to the couch as the third wall and then used a cushion near his feet to enclose the full rectangle. I’d include a photo, but as aforementioned, it was completely 100% pitch black in there. It worked though! He slept for a full 90 minutes while I crept around in the dark and slithered into the bathroom to do my makeup and hair for the wedding.

THE MEMS

You might say, “wow Emily that sounds horrific, why would you ever go anywhere ever?” To which I would say, “you’re right, I don’t know why.” Actually, I do know why. As my Gen Z sister-in-law would say, we do it for the mems. Not his mems, of course, he doesn’t mem anything.

The pictures are great. The family we get to see loves to see him, and of course the main thing: if I didn’t leave the house WITH him, I just plain wouldn’t leave the house at all.

So, does it get better/easier? Moms, let me know in the comments.