Mar
07th Friday Five

Today’s post is better late than never, eh?  I’ve got some good stuff to share, so I think it’s time for another Friday Five.

1. Yay for a good time at the gym this morning.  Sure, I squeezed in a bangin’ back and core workout, but Ethan was the star of the show.  He loves the nursery!  When I picked him up, he was in a bouncy seat with the sitter on the floor in front of him.  All the other little kiddos were in a circle around just watching him.  It was so stinkin’ cute!  The lady assured me the rule with the kids is, “Don’t touch the baby!”  I like that rule.

2. This face stuff.  (I’m not so into cosmetics, so I don’t know what you call it.  I know I like it though!)  I bout it to help the hyperpigmentation and light acne scars that both came during pregnancy.  It hasn’t helped with that quite as much as I’d like, but it has made my face smoother and more radiant without causing breakouts.  I totally recommend it!

philosophy

3. This other face stuff.  Sure, I think this lotion is pretty good for me, but I love it for Ethan.  He is always chewing on stuff (feet, hands, toys) and rubbing it on his face, which makes his cheeks perpetually wet yet dry and irritated.  I use just a tad of this on his cheeks after his bath, and it seems to work pretty well.

clinique

4. Wine.  Oh… painting too.  Last night my mom and I got out for a wine & painting class.  This is the second one I’ve done, and just like last time, it was a blast!

painting

5. Date night!  Kevin and I finally feel comfortable leaving E with my parents overnight.  In fact, when Mom and I were painting last night, my Dad got a tutorial from Kevin on Ethan’s bedtime routine.  Kev and I will be hitting the town, and I may or may not wear something not mom-appropriate.

  • What’s one of your Friday Fives?
Posted in Baby | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments
Mar
06th Exhausted But Happy

Wow, what a day!  It was a good one though, as is apparent by the 100,000,000 pictures I took of Ethan.  I’m not crazy, I just don’t really have much else going on all day.  Okay, okay, and I might be little crazy.

play

I was worried the day was starting off on the wrong foot, but it got better.  After E’s first mini nap, we packed up and headed out for the gym, but a car accident was blocking my route.  Bummer!

bath

That’s okay, it just meant I needed to squeeze in a quick at-home routine (this Tone It Up video) and a walk later in the afternoon.  It also meant I got more snuggles.  Though Ethan stuck to his mini naps, he managed to take like 5 or 6 of them (3 hours worth)!  Yeah, no joke.  He was sooooooo much more pleasant to be around and play with.

couch

He wasn’t even fussy before bedtime.  I can’t remember the last time that happened!  Sadly, Kevin wasn’t around to witness it since he didn’t get home until after E’s bedtime, but he and I were at least able to make some plans during the day.

paris

Ha.  Told ya’ I’m a planner.  What?  That’s only like 19 years from now…

I want to also give an E update.  He has kind of taken over this week’s blog posts, and since he just hit 5 months, I figure now is as good a time as any.  He has been rolling over and giggling.  Though he still can’t sit for more than about 30 seconds without toppling over, assisted sitting and assisted standing are two of his favorite things.  Oh… he also loves screaming.

sleep

Y’all already know about naps, but his nighttime sleep really isn’t bad.  He has been getting me up once per night for a feeding, and he’s in bed about 11 hours.  Though I’d like to push his bedtime back an hour or two, he’s much too fussy and tired to stay up any later than 7 pm.  He wakes up at 5 am, talks to himself, and goes back to sleep in his crib until about 6:30ish.

(Despite the above photo, we don’t co-sleep.)

  • Do you pre-plan (or at least dream about) future trips?
  • Mamas, what is your little one’s bedtime?
Posted in Baby | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments
Mar
05th WIA on Fat Tuesday

Thanks for the sweet comments on yesterday’s post.  It seems we have quite a few cat nappers out there, eh?  Hang in there mamas!

wiaw

I’m back this week with another WIAW
post.  Here it goes!

Breakfast – plum protein oats with Barlean’s fish oil and my new protein, Optimum Nutrition Natural Whey in vanilla (yum!)

oats

Snack – Kiddie food was in my subscription box again, and this one was kale and apple.  It was good but a bit too sweet.

happy bellies

Lunch – steamed veggies and turkey chili muffins

turkey

Snack – Kashi bars early and a Chobani after E and I went on a long walk

yogurt

Don’t worry, we bundled!  (The blue toy is in front if his nose, not smothering it, just FYI)

walk

Dinner – Jambalaya for Fat Tuesday!  Along with the shrimp and veggies, I added two all-natural chicken Andouille sausage links.

jambalaya

Once you add in some ice cream, I think that sums it up.  I hope everyone had a happy Fat Tuesday, or national pancake day, whatever you chose to celebrate.

  • Did you celebrate Fat Tuesday?  If so, how?
Posted in Food | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments
Mar
04th A Day in the Life

Stay at home mom?  What do you do all day?  Hmm… well it changes from day-to-day, but I can assure you that there’s very little sitting!  (BTW – Ethan hit 5 months yesterday.)

ethan

I’ve enjoy reading “Day in the Life” posts, including but limited to those written by Courtney, Ashley, and Michelle, but I’ve never written one.  Yesterday was pretty darn average, so it’s a good example.  Ethan often takes mini naps, as he did yesterday.  This isn’t to say he never takes long naps, but those are not the norm.  Trust me, he’s quite a bit less cranky in the afternoons when he doesn’t catnap, and so is his mama!

  • 6:45 am – Ethan wakes, so I get him from his crib and give him his medicine.  He can’t eat for 30 minutes after taking it, so I make my own breakfast and coffee while saying goodbye to Kevin.
  • 7:15 – It’s baby breakfast time followed by play time with mama.
  • 8:00 – Ethan takes a nap, and I wrote a blog post.
  • 8:30 – Naptime’s over, and we immediately head to the gym.  By the time we actually get there, I only have time for a 3-mile run and a good stretch.  Better than nothing!

car seat

  • 10:00 – Though he was all smiles for the nursery staff, we head home, and Ethan falls asleep in the car.  I actually let him stay asleep in the car for a while after we get home.  I keep checking on him, but this gives me time to wash my hands, prep his bottle, take care of the kitties, and eat a snack.
  • 10:45 – Ethan eats again then gets a bath.  We then have some tummy/mat time and a 5-month photo session.

photo session

  • 12:00 – Ethan goes down for another nap, so I squeeze in a quick shower and lunch. (turkey muffins and red cabbage saute, all cooked on Sunday)

lunch

  • 12:45 – Yup, he’s up again already, so we head to Target for kitty food.

target

  • 1:45 – Ethan is really fussy when we get home, so I put him down for another nap.  Fail.  He kept crying, so I went back upstairs, got him, and fed him a bit earlier than anticipated.
  • 3:00 – After some play, E gets a nap.  I take a yogurt break and squeeze in a little cleaning.
  • 3:30 – Ethan now wakes up screaming.  The poor little guy just can’t seem to transition from the light sleep into the deep sleep, and boy is he cranky!  This is generally when our day disintegrates.
  • 4:00 – E has been screaming since he got up, so after bouncing/walking/rocking/singing we try again for a nap.  I left him in his crib for 10-15 minutes to cry it out while mama closed the door and tried to get it together.

sophie

  • 4:30 – He didn’t nap, but I at least prepped his bottle.  He has a very early feeding, but since he was still upset afterwards we went for a drive.
  • 5:45 - Mama got to sit and listen to music, and Ethan got another catnap (thank goodness!)  He is in a much better mood when we get home, and we play until bedtime.

play

  • 7:15 – I put him in his gown, read him a story, feed him, and put him to bed before going downstairs to start cooking dinner.
  • 8:00 – Kevin is finally home!  We’re in bed by 9:30.  Yawwwwwn!

So yup – that sums it up.  I only got two loads of laundry done all day without having time to clean anything else.  Oh well, at least I got in a successful errand and a workout, eh?

  • Day in the life posts – yay or nay?
  • Mamas, nap tips?
Posted in Baby | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments
Mar
03rd Popping In

Happy Monday!  It actually is kind of a happy Monday here… so far.  ha  This is due to a lovely weekend.  I got baby help from both Kevin and my parents, so I’m feeling a bit more refreshed than usual.  Woohoo!

I know today’s post is a bit later than usual, so I just want to check in with a mini update and some links I’ve been collecting.

target

Friday involved a trip to Target for Easter gifts.  Nope, there’s nothing there for Ethan; I bought my own Easter goodies. (a Reese’s egg, Starburst jelly beans, and mommy juice for the win)

easter

Friday evening was spent with friends, and Saturday was mainly spent on the road.  Kevin and I left Ethan with my parents for a day trip to Charleston.

charleston

The rain kept us from walking around town, but we did enjoy a great seafood lunch and yummy cappuccinos with a friend.  (Lunch = A. W. Shucks Restaurant, Coffee = Kaminsky’s, and I recommend both)

coffee

Sunday sounds typical with grocery store, cleaning, food prep, and baby stuff, but it was better than normal.  Kevin didn’t have homework, so he helped me with E.  Plus, it was a gorgeous day, allowing for some porch sittin’ while the baby napped.  Leia even got some porch time.  (Yup – she found a lizard friend in the photo.)

leia

Now how about that link love:

How was your weekend?  Got any link love to share?

Posted in Link Love | Tagged , , | 11 Comments