The 24-Hour Diaries: Pizza, the Park, and the Daycare Spreadsheet

A little about me: I’m Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure, mom to Baby C, a 16-month old little girl who is incredibly curious, a lover of music and almost always smiling (when she’s not having a quick toddler tantrum on the floor).

If I’m not hanging with Baby C, you’ll find me working on my travel blog, Teaspoon of Adventure, overthinking household logistics, or cuddling up with my husband and dog to watch the latest episode of Masterchef Australia.

6:18am: My husband, Colin, is working an early shift at the hospital today so his alarm went off at 6:15am. Mercifully, I slept through his alarm. But I couldn’t sleep through him accidentally knocking over his phone and charging port when he got out of bed…

6:40am: Baby C is up and lets out a whine, so I hustle out of bed to go get her. I greet her with my usual, “Good morning, Baby! Watch your eyes,” before turning on the light. We wave at Daddy and our dog, Ellie, as they head out on a dog walk. Then we set up on the chair in our bedroom for morning milk.

6:50am: I finish breastfeeding - something that used to take me over an hour, involving two arms, a pillow, nipple shields and a lot of anxiety, but is now done in under ten minutes with minimal effort. I turn Baby C towards the window so we can greet the day and recite her affirmations.

I’ve never been a big affirmations person, but it’s something I started with Baby C when she was a newborn. Our world could use more girls who know how smart, strong, beautiful, loved and resilient they are, so why not keep it up?

7:15am: After I change Baby C’s diaper, brush her teeth and wrangle her into whatever t-shirt and pair of leggings I’ve selected for the day, we’re ready for breakfast.

My husband is heading out the door just as we’re sitting down, but has put our pancakes in the oven and fruit on the table. Baby C waves goodbye from her high chair.

I also get a text from my mother-in-law letting me know she’s on the 7:30am train on her way to us.

7:35am: Baby C has had her fill of breakfast and the damage to the floor and table is minimal. This morning she mostly ate fruit and yogurt (some of which ended up in her hair). She ignored her sausage and just gnawed on pieces of pancake, but I know she’ll revisit them later.

I hand Baby C a cloth to help me wipe her tray, I wipe her hands, face and hair, and then deposit her onto the ground to go find some toys while I clean up the rest of breakfast.

7:45am: I get changed and ready for the day. On mornings when my husband doesn’t start work until later, I get to do these things solo but this morning, Baby C is riding shotgun.

That looks like:

• Getting dressed while she pulls Daddy’s watch and water bottle off his nightstand (not ideal but not breakable, so I let it slide)

• Peeing while using one hand to block the toilet paper so she doesn’t pull it all off the roll (I’ve already put the garbage can, toilet brush and toilet cleaner on the counter so she can’t reach them)

• Brushing my teeth while reacting appropriately to Baby C’s favourite game: walking into our sliding door closet on one side and coming out on the other side to great fanfare

A therapist who I just started seeing said something to me about how even having 10 or 20 minutes where you don’t have to be responsible for your child can feel so much lighter because you’re not constantly on.

I think about how true this is as I extract my face lotion and deodorant from the bathroom drawer as fast as possible, knowing if I leave the drawer open too long Baby C will be right in there, pulling everything out.

8:05am: Now that we’re both ready for the day, we head out to the living room and dive into Baby C’s basket of toys and books.

Baby C hands me her Yoto Player and I turn on the daily radio show. After that, we pivot to the music station and bop along to everything from Top 40 hits to kids rapping about vegetables.

We work on puzzles, kick around her soccer ball, and open and close plastic Easter eggs we’ve had lying around since April. Baby C brings me books to read then raids the lower kitchen cabinets for the tupperware and mixing bowls she likes to carry around.

8:25am: Since my mother-in-law got on the 7:30am train, she should be arriving at our house any minute now.

On Wednesday mornings, my mother-in-law watches Baby C and on Tuesday and Friday mornings, my mom does. That usually looks like showing up at our house around 8:30am, taking Baby C to a drop-in playtime at the community centre, and bringing her back for lunch by 11:30am.

I start to get things ready. I put my laptop in its bag so I can head out to a coffee shop to work as soon as my MIL arrives. I put Baby C’s snack, water bottle, shoes and socks on the table so Grandma has everything she needs in one place.

I also offer Baby C her breakfast plate again, and she happily grabs a few pieces of pancake to walk around the house with.

9:00am: My mother-in-law buzzes to be let into the building.

The last 15 minutes were pretty rough. I made the mistake of putting Baby C’s shoes where she could see them and saying that Grandma was coming. So naturally, my brilliant 16-month-old deduced that meant she’d be going outside and was devastated when Mama wouldn’t let her put on her shoes or leave out the front door.

I kept telling her that I too wanted to leave and thought Grandma would’ve been here by now.

Once Grandma arrives, everyone is all smiles. Baby C is ecstatic, pointing at all of the family photos on the wall excited to have Grandma’s attention.

My mother-in-law tells me that after getting off the train, she sat down to have a coffee and bagel before coming over. I nod, thinking how that might have been a fun thing for her and Baby C to do together (and would’ve bought me 30 extra minutes of work). But I don’t say anything because she’s providing free childcare.

Since it’s past 9:00am, I don’t bother going out to a coffee shop to do work. I catch up with my mother-in-law and help her get Baby C ready to go to the community centre. Baby C undoes the velcro on her shoes (she’s very into doing this by herself) and away they go.

9:15am: Once they’ve left, I finish up the dishes in the sink, put Ellie’s dog bowls back on the ground (we put them up on a shelf while Baby C is walking around as she may or may not have gotten into the kibble before) and retreat to my home office.

9:30-11:00am: For the next 90 minutes, I’m at my computer (minus the three minutes I get up to make myself Poptarts).

I usually use this time to work on a new blog post or something else work-related, but today there’s a more pressing issue. My mom overheard news that the community centre drop-in program - the one we attend every morning - will be ending next month.

While we’ve been on daycare waitlists since Baby C was in the womb, Vancouver is a notoriously hard place to find a daycare spot - let alone an affordable one. So this morning, I’m doubling my efforts, opening up tab after tab of potential daycares, inquiring about fees and available spots.

11:02am: Realizing the time, I quickly run to the bathroom and then leash Ellie. We head downstairs for her pee break, getting back into the apartment just as my mother-in-law buzzes up.

11:08am: Baby C comes toddling through the front door and as much as I wish I had more time to myself this morning, I’m so delighted to see her. I missed her face! I scoop her up, take off her shoes and sweater, and pepper her with kisses.

We head to the couch as my mother-in-law fills me in on everything I missed at the community centre. Apparently everyone just loves Baby C and she spent all morning chasing Grandma, climbing up slides and collecting balls.

11:20am: I change Baby C’s diaper and then we head to the table for lunch, a few minutes earlier than usual. This week’s lunch - because we usually meal prep for the whole work week - is a pesto pasta salad with chicken and vegetables.

The meal ends with Baby C happily banging a wooden spoon on top of the container of chicken, thrilled to have created her very own drum kit.

11:50am: I clean up from lunch while Baby C leads Grandma into her room for some reading. With my daughter occupied, I use the extra time to wash the few remaining dishes in the sink and clean up her toys in the living room.

12:15pm: Grandma leaves with lots of happy waves and hugs from Baby C and me.

12:25pm: I tell Baby C it’s time to brush teeth and she follows me to the bathroom. We take turns brushing her teeth, I wipe her face and then we head into her bedroom. I turn on her white noise, zip her into her sleep sack, sing her a song and lay her into her crib.

12:40pm: After putting away the rest of Baby C’s lunch and grabbing the other half of a chocolate bar I had in the fridge, I sit down at my desk.

I reread an email from an ad company who’s trying to convince me to switch over to them (I’m still undecided) and then start working on the very Substack post you’re reading right now.

1:54pm: I hear a rustling on the baby monitor. I open up the video app and sure enough, Baby C is sitting up. I made it a rule that I don’t get her out of her crib until 2:00pm at the earliest (because knowing I have a break each day from 12:30-2:00pm has been pretty crucial for my mental health).

2:07pm: I check the baby monitor and she’s standing now. She’s not upset, but I figure it’s time to go get her. I quickly pee, get her out of her crib, and then head back to our room for another breastfeeding session.

2:58pm: We leave the house with a toddler, a dog, and a stroller packed with snacks. Getting out of the house with Baby C is one of my favourite parts of the day, even if it’s a little trickier to pull off when we also have Ellie.

On our way to the park, we stop at a grocery store cafe, tying Ellie to one of their bistro tables while Baby C and I pop in. I went in thinking I’d get a slice of banana bread but oddly found myself craving one of their vegetarian sushi boxes, so grabbed that instead.

3:24pm (photo): We park our stroller on a grassy field along the Vancouver Seawall. This is our spot. On most afternoons, I’m out here with Baby C and Ellie. I tie Ellie to the stroller, hand Baby C another piece of cracker and she’s off!

We make a game of Baby C wandering as far as feels safe, before I remind her that we have to go see Ellie, and she runs back in the direction of her dog, giggling as her arms flail in the breeze. She excitedly points out a pair of Canadian geese and chews on an avocado roll from my sushi box before accidentally dropping it in the dirt.

As we wander along the grass, another mom sees us and invites us over to her blanket where her twins are playing. Baby C loves other kids (and their toys) so we head over. The other mom, Sarah, and I spend a few minutes chatting while our little ones play on the blanket.

3:50pm: I look up from Sarah’s blanket and see that my husband, Colin, has arrived. I had texted him letting him know we’d be at the park and he’s just cycled over at the end of his hospital shift.

We bid Sarah and her twins farewell and head over to give Dada hugs and kisses.

4:07pm: Baby C climbs through her favourite tunnel at the playground. We’ve relocated from the Seawall over to the playground, just a few minutes away. Colin and I take turns sitting with Ellie on the bench and supervising Baby C.

Whoever is on the bench is also responsible for finding a good pizza place for dinner. We have food ready at home but decide to save it for tomorrow and have pizza instead. Tough decision, I know.

4:44pm: We leave the playground and walk the few blocks home. On the way, I fill Colin in on some of my daycare research from this morning.

5:05pm: After changing Baby C’s diaper, Colin heads back out to pick up our pizza. While playing with Baby C, I see that I have an Instagram message from a daycare I had reached out to. We trade messages as I learn more about the program.

5:26pm: Colin is back with pizza - plus a sneaky piece of cake he also picked up - and we all join him at the table. I also bring out Baby C’s lunch leftovers in case she has any interest in chicken and vegetables over pizza. She does not.

As we eat, I share the Instagram messages from the daycare with Colin. We’re both undecided about next steps. This would be the first time we’d have our daughter cared for by anyone besides the two of us or our parents.

5:50pm: Dinner done, we move over to the living room. Baby C plays more or less independently - every now and then she’ll bring us a book to read or toy to help her with. When we’re not reading or playing, Colin and I continue chatting about daycare but don’t reach a decision.

6:20pm: (TMI but I assume I’m amongst friends who get it.) Baby C gets a serious look on her face and goes quiet, so we all know what that means. Sure enough, the smell hits me a moment later. Since Colin changed the last diaper, it’s (unfortunately) my turn.

After changing her diaper, I empty her diaper pail and run it out to the garbage chute (which is one of the best parts of our apartment building). I come back and putter around putting away the pizza boxes, loading our plates into the dishwasher, etc.

All the while, Baby C is holding a book out, crying at my legs, desperate for me to read it while her dad offers over and over to read it for her. (What’s that I hear about being the default parent?)

Eventually we compromise. I take the book from her but hand it to Dad, who she has decided is worthy of the great honour of reading it to her.

6:27pm: Sensing my burnt-out-ness, my husband invents a game where he rolls a cup down the hallway and Baby C gleefully chases after it. She is fully engrossed and I take five minutes to mindlessly scroll through Instagram.

6:55pm: I tell Baby C it’s time for milk and she follows me into the bedroom. While we’re breastfeeding, Colin cleans up her toys and gets her room ready for the night.

7:07pm: Baby C has decided to take a break from breastfeeding in order to pull some photo albums off the shelf. She flips through them, pointing at pictures of our dog, Ellie, while saying, “Ellie!” which is, in fact, the only word she can reliably say.

7:14pm: We meet Dad in the bathroom to brush teeth and then it’s time for a diaper change and pajamas. I’m not sure whether she’s tired or just feeling a bit upset, but Baby C is having a tough time with this diaper change. She doesn’t want to lie down and only wants me to hold her.

Amidst the flailing, her head gets bumped on the wall (she recovers quickly) and Colin and I snap at each other over who should be getting her to lie down (we also recover quickly).

7:21pm: The three of us read stories in Baby C’s room after successfully managing to change her diaper and get her into pajamas. Colin has turned on the fairy lights - the ones that hold the postcards I wrote to Baby C during our nine month family trip - so the room is dark and moody.

It’s the perfect lighting for bedtime but makes reading books with my astigmatism quite hard. Luckily, I know most of Baby C’s books well enough to not need to see every word.

7:29pm: I turn on Baby C’s white noise, Colin turns off the fairylights, I give her a kiss and then I leave him to sing her a song and put her down. As Colin does that, I clean up the last bit of Baby C’s dinner plate.

I also retrieve the slice of cake Colin bought and try to cut it in as close to two equal halves as I can.

7:36pm: I sit down in our shared office next to my husband, who is playing video games on his computer. I continue going through our daycare spreadsheet, answer a few emails, and send a list of potential gap year programs for my brother off to my dad.

8:39pm: Colin taps me on the shoulder and asks if I’m ready to watch Masterchef. Almost every night around 8:30pm, we emerge from our separate computer black holes and head to the couch to watch a show.

Tonight, it’s Masterchef Australia, a show I started watching while studying abroad in Amsterdam in 2014. I got Colin hooked on it a few years ago and we’ve been watching religiously ever since.

Because Masterchef isn’t a show where you need to pay a lot of attention, I bring my laptop out to the couch with me so I can continue working on this post. It’s my turn to sit in the chaise seat, so I stretch out with my laptop and the cold slice of pizza Colin brings me.

9:36pm: The chef we thought had the weakest dish did in fact go home, so it was another satisfactory episode. I keep clicking away on my keyboard as Colin and Ellie head out for her night walk.

10:00pm: After brushing my teeth and putting on pajamas, I usually get right into bed but tonight I head back to the couch with my laptop. What can I say? I really wanted to finish this post! Colin went to shower so I knew I had some more time.

10:12pm: I hear the shower turn off, which means Colin is going to be getting into bed soon. I know he won’t mind if I want to stay up but I also know he has another early shift tomorrow, so I don’t want to keep him up. I put my laptop back in the office and head to bed.

10:30pm: Colin turns off his bedside lamp and I switch from my phone to my “book” (it’s an e-reader). I realize I should’ve showered at some point tonight too. Colin tells me it isn’t too late, but we both know I’m too tired to get up and shower now. It’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

Colin and I do our nightly ritual of sharing the best and worst parts of our day, what we’re grateful to the other person for, and what we’re looking forward to tomorrow. Unsurprisingly, pizza and the park were both of our highlights.

11:49pm: I put away my book after accidentally reading too many chapters. I take a sip of water, slip on my sleep mask, toss and turn for a bit, and eventually fall asleep for roughly the next six hours.

What was a hard moment?

I didn’t realize how impactful it would be to have my mother-in-law show up 30 minutes later than I expected her to. It’s not like we have a firm “start time” for the free childcare she’s providing, so she had nothing to apologize for. But I was really looking forward to having three rather than two hours to work and get some life admin done.

While I’m so grateful to both of our moms for helping us out with childcare, I’m definitely feeling the burnout from doing so much solo childcare on top of trying to work (and, y’know, find time to shower). This morning was just another example of that burnout and how we may need to find a different childcare solution for our family.

What was a good moment?

I loved that Colin met us at the park after work. I always take Baby C and Ellie out to the park but it was really nice to have Colin join us today. I find it so much easier to entertain Baby C when we’re out in the world rather than cooped up at home. And it was even better to get to do it all together.

What’s something you’re loving right now?

Baby C recently started giving kisses. Or, more accurately, putting her face close to my face. I ask “Can I have a small kiss?” and she leans her face towards mine. Sometimes, she’ll initiate, holding my head with both of her hands and bringing our faces together. It’s the cutest thing and makes my heart swell each time!

She’s such an independent kid - happily running off to the other side of the playground without a care in the world - so these little cuddly moments mean the world to me.

If you’re a mom and want to be featured in The 24-Hour Diaries, I’d love to hear from you!