How do you like being a stay-at-home mom?

So, I've been getting the same question a lot these days. "How do you like staying home?" I need to be honest here. I remember asking that same question to women and thinking you must just lay around on the couch eating popsicles and going shopping at the drop of a hat and don't forget the luxurious bubble baths they took daily. Well, was I wrong. For me, staying home is a billion times more challenging than working. It's so different than what I expected and I'm still getting used to it.

My morning starts at 7:30 when I get Haisley up to nurse. She is a slow eater and usually nursed 30-45 minutes. Once she's done I'm starving so I get my breakfast while she plays in her play gym or jumperoo, etc. Sometimes I give her a bath (2 or 3 times a week) then it's play time again. She gets tired after being awake for an hour or so and then it's time for her first nap. She's starting to teethe so her naps are less than great. She wakes up after about 30 minutes so I usually have my shower taken, face washed and maybe my teeth brushed before I go in to soothe her and try to get her to sleep which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Then I nurse her again at 10:30/11 and during her nap I get the rest of the way ready unless we have somewhere to be and then I frantically finish getting ready after I've fed her and head out the door. The rest of the day is pretty much the same. Lunch for me consists of what can I make from the fridge and hope I get to eat at the kitchen table and not the car to make it to something on time. So, needless to say, I can't wait for Justin to get home to get a little break. These 30 minute naps she's been taking leaves me with a lot of things halfway done but nothing ever finished. She usually finishes her last feeding around 7:30/8 and is down for the night by 9 or 9:30. I feed her 5 times a day so I average 4 hours of nursing in a day (better than 9-10 hours the first several weeks of birth). So I don't wake up in the middle of the night soaked (yes, this probably sounds gross to those that haven't nursed before), I have to stay up and pump around 10:30/11pm. I do get 8 hours of sleep at night b/c she is a great night sleeper but my day is a non-stop 12/14 hour day.

I am not complaining I just want to try and explain in more detail what a day in the life of a stay-at-home mommy is. She is amazing and I love her more than words can express. I am so blessed that I can stay home with her and Justin can provide financially for us. I wouldn't have it any other way! So, there's my answer. It's wonderful, hard, exciting, exhausting, fun, rewarding, happy, stressful, reassuring, it's fabulous!!!