19.6.09

How. How?

Dear Diary,

Someone please tell me how one is to get any housework done when one has a 9-month old. My particular 9-month old is very much with the crawling warp speed toward dangerous things, and the pulling up on unstable furniture (including the dogs), and when not doing either of those things he is clinging to me and sobbing pathetically when I put him down. I thought I would get more things done around the house being home with him more, but that is really not the case. Well, I was able to sweep today, at least, having temporarily distracted Edwin with by letting him play with a narrow, wrought-iron plant stand turned on its side. (Best toy ever, apparently. Better than the broom, which was his first choice.)

It is amazing how much he has changed just in the last month. With the crawling and standing and eating graham crackers and using a sippy cup. And the teeth! With the biting.

More later. This man wants to play, and the trash can, while I'm sure amusing, is just not what I had in mind.

love, fluffy

6 comments:

Kate said...

At my house, this phenomenon has not improved one bit, and our house is pretty much filthy. You get used to it. I think when my kids are old enough to sit still long enough that I can get any cleaning done, we'll just move because this house will be too far gone.

Bailey said...

How do you get housework done with a 9 month old? By hiring someone.

The last time I tried to really clean the apartment, it took me 2 whole days, a few tears and demanding cleaning help when we move.

CaraBee said...

I don't want to ruin your hopes, but it doesn't get easier as they get older. My daughter is now 20 months and it is damn near impossible to get anything done when she is awake. And when she's asleep, I don't want to make too much noise for fear of waking her, so I don't do it then either. So we live in filth. You actually kind of get used to it.

Anonymous said...

fluffy,
it is very hard to complete housekeeping with a baby/toddler/child/husband. Give it up and find a way to tweak the budget to get help. If anyone complains, leave them alone with Edwin for a day or so. Enjoy that baby!

Anonymous said...

I won't lie, it takes me two days to get one room done and that's all I expect from myself... and I'm a SAHM now. Before I left work I had visions of a clean house, laundry done, dogs groomed, and I'd have time to sneak in a book here and there and maybe get some gardening done too. WRONG! Just do the best you can and enjoy the little guy. Mine is a month younger than yours so I feel your pain!

Amy

Broady said...

Tell you how I do it:

1. Lower standards of tidiness

2. Jumparoo + comcast onDemand Babyboost videos. I set the Bear in his Jumparoo or Pack-n-Play and play a 15-min video that teaches English or Spanish, or counting/nursery rhymes. He loves it, and the fact that they are names things like "Baby Genius" and "Right Brain Exercises" allows me to tell myself that I am *helping* him : )

So two or three times a day, he'll watch a short video while I get some general chores done. Naptime I play on email and fold clothes. So it's not up to Martha standards around here, but it's not too bad.