1 Wednesday, 12.05pm: Obama places his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible to swear the 35-word inaugural oath before Chief Justice John Roberts. Puts the word “faithfully” in the wrong place.

2 Delivers 17-minute inauguration address to crowd in Washington estimated at 2m. Biggest cheer when he says it is time to “begin work again — the work of remaking America”.

3 12.56pm: escorts George and Laura Bush to waiting helicopter to say farewell to the former president. They embrace. The helicopter leaves for Texas.

4 “I’m a leftie — get used to it,” he jokes as he signs his first official documents as president. He is the eighth president to be left-handed.

5 Attends lunch in the Capitol with congressional leaders, where he dines on a menu from Lincoln’s day. Senator Ted Kennedy collapses before Obama makes his speech.

6 Vans race to the White House to install Obama family belongings. First members of the new administration enter their offices. There are no missing keys on the keyboards, as happened after the Clinton administration departed.

7 Steps into his $300,000 armoured limousine, known as “the Beast”, for the parade to the White House. But then he chooses to walk two blocks, to the delight of the crowd.

8 4.45pm: reviews the parade and 40 bands from a stand at the White House. Delivers a smart salute, which he has been spotted practising earlier.

9 Signs documents instructing military prosecutors to seek 120-day suspension of legal proceedings against the prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This is the first step in executing his campaign promise to close the camp.

10 Barack and Michelle get changed for a night at the inaugural balls. She wears a one-shouldered, ivory silk chiffon gown. He wears white tie.

11 8.33pm: makes his first public dance as president with Michelle at the Neighbourhood Ball to the song At Last performed by Beyoncé. “First of all, how good-looking is my wife?” he says.

12 He attends 10 balls, five more than John F Kennedy during his inauguration night, but fewer than Bill Clinton managed. Obama is rated a good dancer but Michelle is better. At the Midwest Ball he jokes it is “time to dance with the one who brung me, who does everything that I do except backwards and in heels”.

13 At the Youth Inaugural Ball he confirms his reputation as the coolest world leader by saying: “Hit it, band.” And he doesn’t sound embarrassing. At the Commander-in-Chief Ball he dances with an army sergeant, Margaret Herrera, who weeps in his arms. Vice-president Joe Biden makes the sign of the cross as he steps on to the dancefloor himself.

14 The Obamas, both looking weary, return to the White House at about 1am. It is just a nap, because the lights are back on before 5am.

15 Thursday, 8.35am: the president enters the Oval Office and spends 10 minutes quietly meditating alone.

16 As he sits at the Resolute desk, presented by Queen Victoria in 1880, he reads a private letter from his predecessor, addressed to “#44, from #43”.

17 At 9.10am Michelle enters the Oval Office and joins him in a motorcade to the National Cathedral. The service ends with the song He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.

18 Back at the White House Obama gets down to work. Meets the Iraq military commanders In the Situation Room. He telephones Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian authority; Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister; King Abdullah of Jordan; and Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt.

19 The president and his wife declare an open house to 200 neighbours. President Obama tells one young man: “Welcome. Enjoy yourself. Roam around. Don’t break anything.”

20 He announces a wage freeze for all White House staff earning more than $100,000 (£73,000) a year. “Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington,” he says.

21 At 7.35pm, Supreme Court Justice Roberts administers the oath of office for the second time. The president tells reporters that they are redoing it because “we decided it was so much fun”. It takes 25 seconds. Later he has dinner with the family in the private dining room on the first floor.

22 The president and first lady arrive at 8.40pm for the “thank you” ball at the DC Armory. Obama makes a gracious speech to thousands of campaign, inaugural and transition staff.

23 On Thursday morning he signs an order to close Guantanamo Bay prison and prohibit torture of suspected terrorists. Later he holds a meeting with his economic adviser about his plans to revive the nation’s struggling economy.

24 Visits the State Department, where he reveals he will name George Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader, and Richard Holbrooke, the former UN ambassador, as special envoys to the Middle East and to Pakistan and Afghanistan respectively.

25 Pays a surprise evening visit to the White House press briefing area and reveals he has permission to use a $3,000 specially encrypted BlackBerry. He will be the first president to have personal e-mail at the White House

26 Invites Republican leaders into the White House. So far his nominations have received an easy ride from the opposition party. He also holds meetings with congressional leaders to brief them on the economic crisis, as he can expect a rough ride for the huge economic package that he will propose.

27 After a meeting of the National Security Council he authorises the first American missile strike of his presidency. Later it is reported that the attack killed 22 people on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border. They are the first casualties of his presidency.

28 No doubt exhausted after his first three days in office, the Obamas spend their first evening in the White House. Although they have the use of the private presidential cinema, it is more likely that Obama caught up with time in the gym or the newly installed basketball court, where he likes to play with a few close aides.

29 Sees his economic team, led by Larry Summers, forits daily meeting at the White House. Later, at 11am, in his first radio and YouTube address, he warns the US that a “bad situation could become dramatically worse”.

30 Savours his first weekend as Mr President at the White House with Michelle and their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. Could it be time to go shopping for a puppy?

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