A Week In Seattle, WA, On A Joint $174,648 Salary

Occupation: Scientist
Industry: Academia
Age: 31
Location: Seattle, WA
My Salary: $63,648
My Husband's Salary: ~$111,000
My Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $1,771
My Husband's Paycheck Amount (Weekly): $1,371

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $3,103 for our two-bedroom apartment
HSA: $179
Dependent Care FSA: $416
Nanny: $1,400 (We share a nanny four days a week with another family who also has a 10-month-old.)
Charity: $670
Biweekly Cleaner: $360
Utilities: ~$260
Phones: $100
Internet: $60
ICloud Storage & Apple Music: $13
Netflix: $11
Additional Savings: $300 (includes our kiddo's 529 college savings fund)

Annual Expenses
Nanny Taxes, Worker's Comp & Payroll Service Fee: ~$5,000
Renter's Insurance, Better World Club & Bicycle Insurance: ~$500
Amazon Prime: $131
Vehicle Tab Renewal: ~$100 (We share one car — an old minivan owned by my father. He pays for the insurance and we pay for the tabs.)
App Subscriptions: $69
Out-Of-State Townhouse: We own and rent a townhouse. The mortgage is $460 and the rent is $750, but we come close to breaking even after taxes, utilities, and maintenance. We're in the process of putting it up for sale.

6:50 a.m. — My husband, M.'s, quiet alarm and my baby's cheerful "blahs" over the monitor arrive almost simultaneously. I linger in bed for 10 minutes and then launch into my morning routine: nursing, entertaining the baby while I shower, and diaper changes. I head downstairs for a breakfast of yogurt, granola, and fruit M. prepped last night. This morning is mango, blackberry, cherry, strawberry, and banana, an impressive variety that he got from the grocery store yesterday after work. He also bought the good orange juice, so I have a glass. The baby plays on the floor while I eat.

8:45 a.m. — I load the kiddo and our stuff onto my longtail cargo e-bike and begin my commute. We go to our nanny share first. I hand over a happy baby, two bottles of milk, and a to-go mini breakfast (similar fruit selection) and lunch (grilled veggies from yesterday's dinner). I continue to work. I'm thrilled to have my new e-bike, because it's much more pleasant than taking the bus, and it's faster too.

9:40 a.m. — After drop-off, I stop for a latte near work. I recently got a prepaid card (buy 10, get 2 free), so I use that.

9:50 a.m. — I've already got a couple things on my plate I need to tackle this morning, so I dive right in. The nanny texts to say the baby wasn't super into breakfast, but that's okay.

11:45 a.m. — Pumping time. I take my laptop with me into the windowless telecon room I've informally reserved. My insurance paid for a breast pump, but I'm glad I bought a second identical one to keep at work. I'm not pumping at home much anymore, but this way I can carry bottles back and forth instead of lugging the whole pump "just in case."

1:40 p.m. — Last night, I set a reminder to order a framed photo gift for M.'s birthday next week. Supposedly I can earn airline miles and save $40 if I do the transaction properly. I choose a recent vacation photo of him with our kiddo and decide not to pay for expedited shipping, even though it will arrive after his actual birthday. I could probably save money if I ordered a print and frame separately, but I don't have time for that right now, and this one will look very nice. $90.26

2 p.m. — I'm quite hungry, and finally get around to eating lunch! It's leftovers from last night's dinner: a grilled salmon quinoa bowl with tzatziki sauce from a local meal kit/CSA box. I eat it cold because that's easier than deciding which parts to microwave, and I have a meeting in, uh, 15 minutes. I'm still eating as my meeting gets underway, but nobody seems to mind.

3:50 p.m. — Pumping time again. I recently transitioned from three to two daily pumping sessions at work. It's much easier and seems to be working, but I have to stick to my schedule and try not to overlap with important meetings. Speaking of which, I'm feeling really drained after two meetings and still have an important task to finish before I can call it a day. I forgot to take a picture of the baby this morning for my tracking app, but it looks like it's nap time now. That sure sounds nice.

5:20 p.m. — I was strongly considering going to Starbucks for Frappuccino Happy Hour, but I don't have any time left. I miss when they used to have week-long happy hours. M. is currently picking up the baby and will be home starting dinner soon, so I need to leave shortly. I'm wiped.

7:05 p.m. — I stayed at work much later than I meant to, but I'm finally home. M. cooked up amazing Peruvian chicken with rice, avocado, cherry tomato, cucumber, and cilantro sauce, and he and the baby are already eating when I walk in. This is the second of four meals from the box that was delivered on Tuesday.

8 p.m. — Nursing and bedtime for the baby. Then I begin my evening tidy-and-prep-for-tomorrow routine with the hopes of getting to spend an hour watching Netflix or reading with M. before my head hits the pillow.

11:10 p.m. — Success (Netflix)! Although it's a bit later than ideal for lights out. And now, sleep.

6:45 a.m. — Today, one of our two cats decides to be the alarm clock. Seriously, cat? I lie in bed for a few minutes, but the baby is clearly awake so I soon launch into nursing, playing, showering, changing, and getting my things packed up — the usual. M. is out the door by 7:30 while I'm still nursing.

8:50 a.m. — My in-laws arrive to take care of the baby. It's a wonderful Friday arrangement for all parties. We chat while I eat breakfast and the kiddo plays. We recently acquired a yellow balloon from a neighbor's birthday party, which is a big hit. Breakfast is my usual yogurt, granola, and fruit combo with a glass of orange juice. I'm headed to work by 9:20 a.m., but not before snagging a free latte with the push of a button from the espresso machine in my apartment complex lobby.

10 a.m. — My annual performance review starts the day, which goes fine, and then a colleague arrives from out of town to work with me immediately after.

11:55 a.m. — How is it almost noon! Need to pump! I say I'm going to work on some things while pumping, but I'm just not in the right headspace today.

12:35 p.m. — Friday means pizza for lunch! It costs $1/slice for students and $3/slice for everyone else. I brought a small portion of pasta with the intention of eating it with two slices of pizza, but who am I kidding, I am getting three of these suckers: jalapeño pesto, margherita, and spinach with sun dried tomato. I pay for myself and my colleague's two slices. $15

3:55 p.m. — Did somebody say pumping time? I've been working pretty hard and could use a snack too, so maybe pasta leftovers weren't a bad idea after all. I heat up my small serving of fusilli with green chile alfredo and dig in while my pump does its thing.

6:44 p.m. — How have I managed to stay at work LONGER than yesterday? I've certainly missed family dinner, but it feels good to wrap up what I'm working on for once instead of rushing out the door. I bike home quickly because it's well past rush hour.

8:40 p.m. — Finally dinnertime. The baby was happy to see me but quickly became cranky and tired, so we basically started nursing and bedtime as soon as I got home. M. reheats rotisserie chicken and serves it with a cucumber salad with tomato and avocado, similar to yesterday's meal. I heat up leftover rice and add cilantro sauce to tie it together. I guess the chicken means he did another grocery run, but it also means I can have a hard cider, and it sounds like he and his parents had a good dinner with the baby. $41.90

9:20 p.m. — We move to the sofa to watch Netflix. I sample a few pieces of chocolate popcorn we were recently gifted, but it's not quite what I'm after.

10:45 p.m. — I'm exhausted but still parked on the sofa. I remember our nanny sent home a sleep sack for washing that the baby has nearly grown out of. I meant to order another one in a larger size this morning, but didn't have a free hand while nursing for long enough to find exactly what I wanted. Before going to bed, I order a sleep sack (in a fun spaceship pattern!), diaper pail refills, and chapstick on Amazon. $75.15

11:23 p.m. — The baby is awake! M. goes to in to see what's up. Often after bedtime we'll hear a couple noises, but this is more disruption than usual. I am a food source and therefore not the first line of defense. His intervention appears successful, so we cross our fingers and try to go to sleep.

7:02 a.m. — The baby woke a few more times overnight, but midnight ibuprofen seemed to help. Probably teething. M. spent at least an hour in the kiddo's room. He probably got less sleep than me, but morning definitely feels too early today. Babies don't know about weekends.

8:30 a.m. — It's a divide and conquer kind of morning. Our two cats need their annual checkup and shots, but we don't particularly want to bring a baby to the vet. I dart between messing with my hair post-shower and scooping protesting felines into carriers, and then M. is off with the cats and I am left sans breakfast (but mostly clean and dressed!) with a baby to entertain. We walk to the nearby coffee shop and get a latte, day-old $1 muffin, and a mediocre breakfast sandwich with egg, feta, and spinach. The baby enjoys nibbles of food in the stroller and makes friends with fellow patrons. $10.14

9:47 a.m. — After a short walk around the park, we head home for the baby's nap. M. and the cats get home, and both cats are well. $223.10

12:24 p.m. — The baby is up and has nursed. We dig into simple cheese quesadillas with a side of nachos (carbs and cheese, anyone?) prepared by M. before heading to meet friends at a state park for a short hike. We planned to get there between 12:30 and 1 p.m., but the baby slept until nearly noon, and we all have to eat. Thankfully, our friends are flexible. We load the trusty old minivan and head out shortly after 1. On the way out the door, one of the arms on my sunglasses breaks off in the middle, so I guess I'm wearing broken sunglasses today.

1:50 p.m. — We find our friends at the state park, but we learned en route we would have to pay $10 for parking. I'm annoyed we don't have the $30 annual pass we bought when I renewed the van's tabs. (It was mailed to my dad, and he never sent it along.) It didn't occur to me to check if parking was free, and it feels like just one more thing to keep track of. There's a car show happening at the park, so it's extra tricky to figure out where to go, and there's even more stinky exhaust than usual. I set most of this aside, though, and we head off on a lovely walk. We're rewarded with a lake view and stop to let the baby wiggle around and get some pictures. $10

3:10 p.m. — We load the kiddo back in M.'s hiking backpack only to find one unhappy baby. When we stop again for a diaper check, mystery is solved! The baby is still tired and unhappy after this multi-wipe trailside situation, but M. takes off up the trail, which eventually results in a nap. We all get back to the parking lot sooner than necessary, and meander to a shaded area with picnic tables to continue chatting. The kiddo eventually wakes up, nurses, and is content to sit on the grass and grab things for a bit. It's good for all of us to spend time in nature with friends.

5:10 p.m. — As we load up the van to drive home, we find a discarded annual parking pass that's perfectly good! I don't know why I was so irked by spending $10 earlier! This annual pass is good for a few months longer than the one I should have had, so it's a win.

6:45 p.m. — M. makes spaghetti for dinner, the third of four box meals. It has fresh tomato sauce, basil, and garlic scapes. The garlic scapes are like sad, stingy-garlic-flavored green beans, and I am not a fan. It's not his fault. At least the baby is into it.

11:11 p.m. — Baby bedtime went off without a hitch, and we manage to watch an episode of TV on Netflix after. We don't always watch TV, but when we do, we watch one episode a night because we don't have time for anything more than that.

7:30 a.m. — I did technically wake up around 7 a.m. to a single cry, but then the baby let us sleep in. Best baby ever! We mix it up today and have breakfast before I shower. M. makes delicious sandwiches with croissants his parents left us. They have egg, arugula, tomato, and cream cheese. The baby likes the tomato best. I linger over my glass of orange juice and realize I had better hurry up and shower.

9:45 a.m. — We leave for church a little later than is ideal, but this one's on me. I love living close enough to a church that we can walk.

10:05 a.m. — Church is also running late, so we arrive just as the service is about to start. I often help with music, but I decide not to today since we have a different pianist than usual. It's good to see friends, the baby loves the music, and M. speaks briefly about signing up for automatic giving during the announcements. Our church's free weekday breakfasts have been highlighted in the Sunday paper in a story about homelessness. We all wish the publicity could happen under happier circumstances.

11:43 a.m. — Finally, baby naptime on the walk home. Church collides with the kiddo's nap, so we're always pushing it early or late. M. finishes walking the sleeping baby home while I stop to get new sunglasses. I spend what feels like forever trying on every pair of polarized sunglasses at the drugstore, and finally pick ones that are just okay. $16.50

12:15 p.m. — We love Sunday brunch, but it isn't always compatible with naptime. As a compromise, we often get delicious biscuit and egg sandwiches to go. Today, though, I go to Five Guys since it's right by the drugstore. I order a grilled veggie sandwich for me (minus mushrooms, plus jalapeños) and a burger with grilled onions and ketchup for M. We split a small fries. I'm tempted to buy a shake, but they are huge and sugary, so I skip it. $16.04

2:25 p.m. — We decide to go to the zoo, since we have annual passes and it's close. Driving is out because parking is limited and expensive, and while the bus is a fine option, it can be slow. I push for biking, even though it means we can't bring the stroller, and M. reluctantly agrees. He pays $10 in credit so he can rent an e-assist Lime bike, because getting to the zoo is pretty uphill. We agree it's annoying that you have to buy credit in advance and can't pay-as-you-go anymore. At the zoo, we hit up the indoor air conditioned kiddo play zone, stop at a shaded seating area to offer the baby a snack (the butternut squash squeeze pouch is NOT a hit), and visit the penguin exhibit. $10

3:45 p.m. — We need to head back home for the baby to take a second nap. M. winds up taking the bus (with his free bus pass from work) since his bike isn't there anymore, but arrives home much later than the kiddo and me. The baby is napping by 4 p.m. — not bad for a Sunday!

6:20 p.m. — M. agrees to make dinner and watch the baby while I go get groceries for the week. I buy a large block of cheddar, a wedge of Swiss, half a pound each of deli turkey and havarti, loads of Greek yogurt, orange juice, tortillas, frozen peaches, frozen acai pouches, peanut butter puffs, baby cereal puff snacks, three bags of granola, a southwest salad kit, mangos, a red onion, a bunch of green onions, cherry tomatoes I can't resist, apricots, a block of tofu, green beans, and red bell peppers. $144.41

6:30 p.m. — M. texts me to say the baby tried to eat cat food while he was cooking. Things got a little delayed...apparently post-cat-food-exploit the baby repeatedly asked for milk with sign language, so he stopped cooking to prepare a small bottle even though I'd recently nursed. Never a dull moment!

7:15 p.m. — Finally, lentil salad for dinner, the final of four box meals. It has chard, pea pods, radishes, feta, and more of those darn garlic scapes, but the baby isn't hungry since there were solid food snacks after the surprise bottle. We agree the lentil salad is a bit boring and bland, but it'll make acceptable lunch leftovers.

7:40 p.m. — M. leaves for a scheduled 8 p.m. haircut he can walk to. The barber shop is open late and I'm doing bedtime anyway, so it's the best time. $43.20

8:50 p.m. — Lots of prep to do for Monday morning when the nanny share is at our house! We vacuum, set up a Pack 'n Play and a second high chair, do dishes, wipe down surfaces, put laundry away (there is never not laundry), gather toys from everywhere, and reset minimal baby-proofing, since the other baby is a big crawler.

9:40 p.m. — We start watching Netflix later than ideal, but M. picked up pints from my favorite ice cream shop on his way home! He's happy, too, because he got a flavor he loves that's only available this month. $23.12

11:22 p.m. — Finally lights out!

6:32 a.m. — The baby thinks about waking up, but ultimately lets me snooze until 7:15. M. leaves quietly in the car around 7 to hit the gym before work. After nursing and showering, I enjoy yogurt with blackberry, mango, cherry, and granola, plus a glass of orange juice, while the baby plays.

8:52 a.m. — I greet our nanny, who takes over watching the baby pulling every book off the bookshelf. I remind her how to keep the house cool with strategic window opening/closing and the upstairs A/C, since today's high is over 85. About 10 minutes later, the other baby arrives for the day.

9:17 a.m. — Free latte on the way out the door. I used my own milk today, which tastes better than the powdered milk in the machine, but only works when I want it iced.

9:50 a.m. — I have to spend a good chunk of the morning rebooting and getting my computer to stop thinking it's out of disk space. For a six-year-old Macbook Pro, it's doing pretty darn great. My work will supposedly buy me a new computer, but I keep waiting for the specs to improve enough to take the plunge, and I'm not keen to reinstall all my stuff.

12:35 p.m. — Free lunch from work! Every other Monday, we get to place an online order for lunch from a local restaurant to eat during a group meeting. I dig into a tasty southwest quinoa salad bowl complete with black beans, roasted corn, chicken, cheese, tortilla chiplets, avocado, and cilantro-lime dressing. I added a chocolate chip cookie to my order (because free!), but it's rather disappointing. I eat it anyway.

5:20 p.m. — I head home to make a mac and cheese bake for dinner (maybe not the smartest for a hot day, but oh well?) while M. takes the kiddo to parent and child aquatics. I hope this makes up for me staying at work too late several days last week, even though M. said he didn't mind. I suppose I do handle the mornings and all things breastmilk, but I swear he does just about everything else! He even washes the milk bottles and pump parts every evening because he is the best.

6:45 p.m. — M. and baby are back from swimming and have taken a quick rinse-off together. We switch roles so I can nurse. I've managed to get the noodles cooked, cheese shredded, green onions chopped, and other ingredients measured and ready to go.

7:05 p.m. — My brilliant dinner plan is taking longer than expected. M. is still waiting for the roux to thicken. We trade roles back; I throw a southwest salad kit together and dice tomatoes once the pasta is in the oven so M. and baby can eat something by 7:30. The pasta comes out okay, but it's almost too cheesy. (I didn't think that was a thing?!) We cool a small portion down in the freezer for the baby and it is promptly devoured... and smeared everywhere.

7:55 p.m. — M. gives the baby an express cheese-removal bath since they just had a shower before dinner, and then it's my turn for nursing and bedtime. M. goes back downstairs to begin cleaning up the baby chaos from the day and the disaster kitchen we co-created.

8:40 p.m. — The baby is exhausted and goes to sleep easily. When I check our shared calendars and online accounts, I see there was supposed to be an auto-debit today for our nanny's Q2 worker's compensation, but it hasn't happened. It is tedious to keep track of when money should disappear from our checking accounts and frustrating when it doesn't occur on schedule. M. looks into this while I finish cleaning up. By the time we're done, we're both pretty grumpy, and it's bedtime.

11:07 p.m. — Lights out.

6:50 a.m. — I wake up halfway to M.'s alarm and roll back over, willing the baby to continue sleeping. It sounds like I'm out of luck, so I get up, but then the monitor gets quiet again. I wind up getting as many things staged for the day as possible before I have to go wake the baby at 7:35(!).

8:50 a.m. — The other family's dad arrives early with his baby, so we chat while I finish breakfast and the babies start playing. Our nanny arrives a few minutes later. Both she and the other dad have mentioned the homeless encampment that recently popped up a block away. They are concerned about safety, dogs, and proximity to the nearby preschool and park. I point out that homeless folks don't have anywhere else to go and say I haven't had any issues walking by with or without my baby in tow. I'd like to unpack this more, but we all need to get our days started, so we disperse.

9:22 a.m. — After getting free espresso to go with my iced milk, I bike by the homeless encampment and see it has grown. There appear to be several folks from the city and/or police there. I expect the folks camping will be evicted by the end of the day. I wish I had time or money to throw at this problem. We do support the free breakfast program run by our church, but it doesn't feel like enough.

9:48 a.m. — My morning is off to a rough start when my officemate and a colleague are already having a loud telecon in my office when I arrive. I put on headphones and try to get in the zone, but there are too many little tasks dragging my attention in different directions. I almost forget about our morning meeting. I'm glad I finished reviewing a document yesterday for a colleague who happens to be arriving for a visit today.

12 p.m. — Running behind on pumping, but the baby's day started late too, so maybe it's secretly my way of staying in sync? Yeah, right. I forgot to take a baby picture this morning. I check our budgets online and still don't see the mysterious worker's comp charge, even though our account with the state is supposedly current.

12:52 p.m. — Lunchtime! I heat up a half-portion of leftover mac and cheese (yum!) and eat the half sandwich I prepared last night. It has peppered turkey, havarti cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, the last bits of some sad arugula, and tzatziki sauce. Not bad, but a little soggy from the sauce.

3:43 p.m. — It's apparent that I'm not going to have a very productive day today. I tried most of my tricks, including actually standing at my sit-stand desk and opening my window. It's chilly with the window closed, but the noise from the construction site next door annoys my officemate if I leave it open.

3:50 p.m. — Pumping time, and I'm missing the cookie social right outside because my officemate shut the door! I snag a cookie and say hi to a couple folks before heading back into the pumping room.

5 p.m. — I need to leave a little early today to head to a friend's birthday party. It's at a brewery in an area I'm less familiar with, but there's no time like the present to learn the city's bike routes. M. plans to drive home from work, pick up the baby, and drive to meet us, but he's going to have a heck of a time doing all that during rush hour. I'm excited because I've heard good things about this brewery. They have a kid play area, other good friends should be there, and a tasty food truck is on the schedule.

6:20 p.m. — I've already eaten my delicious fish and chips and started in on my beer flight by the time M. and the baby arrive. They're all smiles now, but that was not true in the car. Traffic was awful and parking is pricey ($14.70). I've already gotten to socialize, so I help the kiddo eat dinner and play. I spend $18.75 for a flight plus a regular pour, and $31.82 for two orders of fish and chips and a cup of fish chowder. $65.27

7:15 p.m. — We head home, me via bike and M. with the baby in the van. I would usually prefer to take the kiddo with me, but I'm not as familiar with the bike route home and my phone says the drive will only be 18 minutes, whereas the bike ride will be 35 minutes. Sure enough, the homeless encampment isn't there anymore. I wonder where they will sleep tonight.

8:50 p.m. — The kiddo is asleep and I...have food poisoning?! This is awful. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say last time I was moaning on the toilet my water had broken and it was 3 a.m. This is about the same level of pleasantness. Thankfully, it is incredibly short-lived in comparison. I think it must be the fish chowder, since thankfully nobody else is having problems. I'm glad it waited to hit until after I biked home, nursed, and put the baby to bed.

9:45 p.m. — I have a small glass of apple juice downstairs and chat with M. before we get ready for bed. I am happy to feel human again, but I am also so very done. We're asleep by 11:15.

6:50 a.m. — Even though M. didn't set his alarm, he's up and showering. I roll over until the baby does a long rumbling "aaaaaahhhhhhhh" over the monitor to let me know it is indeed morning. I'm low-energy and probably dehydrated, but slept okay. The morning proceeds slowly, but M. is around since he works from home most Wednesdays. I request eggs, peanut butter toast, fruit, and apple juice for breakfast, and he happily obliges. He even cleans up the cat barf. Today also happens to be his birthday. He is the best.

9:05 a.m. — M. helps me load the kiddo on my bike. When I pull into the other family's garage, the door to the house is locked and my key doesn't work, so I have to knock. I can already tell it's going to be another hot day. I get my usual latte (iced!) with my punchcard and arrive at work a bit before 10. I'm not sure if my stomach is up for a latte, but the caffeine is a plus. I have a telecon soon, so I'm not going to get much else done with my morning.

12:21 p.m. — As I'm finishing pumping, I see an email from the CSA/meal kit company we sometimes order from. I have to order by tonight if we want to get a box next Tuesday. Some of the meals are vague (what is a "glow bowl"?) but I decide to go for it, since we didn't get one this week. And I'm a sucker for fish tacos. I wish it were easier to mix and match meals, since I don't eat red meat and many of the boxes routinely include beef or pork. $85

12:30 p.m. — I realize I'm missing a lunch chat that started at noon because my telecon went long and I've been dawdling in the pumping room. Ack! This chat was only finalized yesterday, though, and I've had my telecon, pumping, and a 1 p.m. meeting all scheduled for a while. Sometimes you can't do all the things.

12:49 p.m. — The lunch I brought (half lentil salad, half mac and cheese) sounds incredibly unappealing, so I guess I'm going to my meeting running on coffee and water. The meeting goes well and we get a concrete set of proposals drafted. I learn that the chat I missed earlier covered a topic I'm already pretty familiar with, so that's a relief.

2:22 p.m. — I get lunch from a Vietnamese fast casual place after the meeting, and then I'm back in my office slowly nibbling my rice/salad chicken bowl with all the veggie toppings. $10.17

2:40 p.m. — I get an email that says a long out-of-stock $200 rear grab-bar component I really want for my bike is going to be available at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I know they will sell out almost immediately, so I'm trying to figure out how I can buy something at 9 a.m. on a Thursday. It's one of the most inconvenient times possible, because M. has to be at work and I am usually en route to nanny share drop-off.

4 p.m. — Pump-o-clock! Should have started earlier, because we're going out tonight for M.'s birthday with his family. That means I'll need to nurse around 6-6:30 so I'm not uncomfortable when we get back after bedtime, and so the baby doesn't drink a huge quantity of frozen milk. My life is a series of reverse-chronological optimization exercises that always run behind schedule. I never have time to pee.

5:06 p.m. — I quickly check our finances before heading home. I got paid today, so I transfer $2,000 into our joint checking account. I see the worker's comp premium for our nanny finally cleared and I got reimbursed for a work lunch from nearly a month ago due to a receipt mixup. Better late than never!

7:02 p.m. — To nobody's surprise, we are late getting out the door. The baby nursed well, though, our nanny arrived on time to babysit, and I took a moment to throw on a dress instead of the clothes I'd biked and worked in all day. The restaurant is a bit too far from home to walk, and neither of us are up for biking, so I drive. M.'s family is thrilled to see us.

8:39 p.m. — We watch the sunset as we enjoy the last bits of our meal and continue chatting. I've had a glass of prosecco, part of a mojito, delicious bread and butter, a halibut entree with squash and potatoes, and a glass of white wine. Soon I dig into strawberries and cream with a ginger snap cookie. What a luxury to sit, eat, drink, and converse for hours, with a view of the water! I spot Venus in the wake of the sunset and watch paddle-boarders and boats drift about.

9:58 p.m. — No wonder I'm yawning, it's nearly 10 p.m., and we told the nanny we expected to be back by now. I text her to let her know we are on our way. M.'s family graciously picks up the tab. Back home, M. pays the nanny $60, I pump, and we tidy up before calling it a night.

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