Weekend Re-cap: Busy Toddler= Happy Toddler

We just wrapped up one of the busiest weekends in recent history, and it was good for the soul.  The only teeny tiny regret I have is that it was so busy that I forgot to take as many pictures as I would have liked.

Our weekend kicked off in the best way possible, with Ken making breakfast for dinner when he got home from work on Friday.  This was especially exciting because it meant I didn't have to cook!  He whipped up some pancakes from scratch and bacon, and all was right with the world.  About a year ago, he discovered baking the bacon, instead of cooking it in a frying pan.  I want to pass on the word about this phenomenon.  It's a game changer.

After dinner, we retreated to the living room to let MK run and play for a little bit before bedtime.  Once she was down for the night, Ken and I settled in on the couch to finish season 2 of Orange is the New Black.  I didn't want it to be over, but now that we've seen the finale, I can finally say that it was one of the most satisfying season finales I've ever seen.  I was nervous from hearing a lot of other people say they didn't like it, but when the big thing happened at the very end, we both yelled out, "YEEEEEESSSS!!" because it was THAT good.

I had big plans for us on Saturday.  Ken plays in an athletic club that was having a tournament in Forest Park, and a high of 98 was predicted for the day.  Yikes.  I didn't let that stop me from cramming as much fun into the day as possible.  I got up with MK, whisked her off to The Zoo, and we powered through it in less than 3 hours.  She had an amazing time, and I LOVE that she is at the age where she can really enjoy doing stuff like this.

 

We left The Zoo at around noon, and headed over to the fields where Ken was playing.  MK was pretty tired at this point, but I figured letting her run around for a little bit longer would be okay.  She usually goes down for her nap at 1:30ish, so I knew we had a little extra time before the meltdown would happen.  We got to sit with some friends and see some of the tournament for a little bit, while MK played with a Nalgene bottle full of ice cubes.  She was pretty happy to be doing that. 

 

After Ken's game, it was nap time, so MK and I headed back home for some R&R.  After she woke up and Ken got home, we headed over to hang out with some friends and their kids.  We had dinner, watched Frozen, and ate mind-blowing ice cream from a local shop.  A good time was had by all.

 

We were pretty lazy for the majority of Sunday.  I woke up and made these cinnamon rolls, which are a big favorite at our house.  Ken went to his softball games in the afternoon, while MK took a very good nap.  I tried taking a nap, too, but at 34 weeks pregnant, I'm having a really hard time getting comfortable and getting good sleep.  After MK woke up, we headed over to a BBQ with some more friends and their kids.  She got to run around outside, climb on things, blow bubbles, swing a baby golf club, and see baby kittens while I got to hang out with fun friends and eat good food.  It was great!

 

We crashed HARD on Sunday night when we got home.  I am pretty sure the rate at which I put on my yoga pants must have set some kind of world record. 

 

It was a great weekend, and I'm glad we're able to get out and do so much before this next baby comes.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful all week long, so I'm sure that a few trips to the playground are awaiting us!

 

Happy Monday, everyone!

 

 



So What...

So what if...

I cooked an amazingly healthy stir fry and cous cous dinner, and then immediately followed it up with a handful or two of chocolate chip and peanut butter chips.

There's a pile of dishes in my sink, ready to topple over if one more drop of water hits them.

I barely had the energy to clean my house today, but I'm making time to go outlet shopping with my mom and MK tomorrow.

I am too tired and sore to do anything.  I'm 33 weeks pregnant and need to learn how to cut myself a break, don't I?

I have to pep talk myself into waiting until Ken gets home and we put MK to bed for the night before watching Orange is the New Black every night.

I don't know what I'm going to do once we actually finish this season of OITNB, in a mere two more episodes. 

It's 9:45 and I'm pretty much ready to go to bed right now.

Then vs. Now

Today marks the beginning of week 33 of this pregnancy.  I find myself constantly comparing and contrasting this one with my pregnancy with MK.  The differences are greater than I could have imagined, and I'm pretty proud of that.

 

First, I'll tell you about the similarities.  I'd say that I had the about the same level of exhaustion and nausea during my first trimester.  The nausea has not bothered me as much as it seems to bother other girls, but the exhaustion kicks my butt well into roughly week 20.  Ugh, it's awful. 

 

This baby sits very high, just like MK did.  I'm always getting something nudging me in the ribs.  I don't really believe in a lot of Old Wives' Tales, so I doubt this is a sure sign that we're having a girl.  I think it could just be how I carry my babies. 

 

I have discovered that I am truly one of those girls who loves being pregnant.  I have heard many veteran moms say things like, "Women who claim to love being pregnant are full of crap!"  But I'm here to tell you that even though it has its challenges, it's wonderful and amazing, and I know exactly how lucky I am to be able to have children. 

 

Just like last time, I feel pretty strongly that this baby is a girl.  Every now and then, I get a "boy" feeling, but almost all of the time, I think we're having a girl.  Now, if we could only decide on a girl name...

 

And, just like last time, some of my major cravings have been cold cereal for breakfast, and a cold blended beverage in the afternoon.  I loved Frappuccinos and smoothies last time, and they are staples of my diet this time, too!

 

Other than the above, these two pregnancies have been pretty different.  

 

Last time, I was so excited to finally be pregnant that I indulged in every single craving that came across my mind.  I was also terrified of losing the baby and quit working out completely.  I was lazy and gluttonous, and as a result, gained over 70 pounds.  It was awful.

 

My ankles and feet swelled up to something unrecognizable.  They looked like memory foam.  In fact, Ken would push onto spots on my feet, and that's exactly what it looked like: memory foam.  It was horrendous.  I couldn't put my own shoes on past month 6. 

 

I did not care about the weight gain, though, for two reasons:

1.)  I was finally pregnant!  Everyone looks cute with a pregnant belly!

2.)  Everyone always said that girls who breastfeed lose tons of weight. 

 

I was dead set on breastfeeding, so naturally this excess weight was just going to fall off of me.  (HA!  I'll write more about that malicious lie some other time.)

 

After learning the hard lesson that breastfeeding does not always equal excessive weight loss, I swore up and down that this time around would be different.  I would take better care of myself, and discussed a plan for staying healthier with my doctor this time. 

 

For as long as I could, I continued regularly working out.  This included running, yoga, weight training, and even spin class.  I was still carrying around over 20 pounds of baby weight from last time when I got pregnant this time, and I was not about to get huger than huge again.  (Again, I will stress that all of this was cleared by my doctor.)  I am now at a point where walking, stretching, and light weight lifting are pretty much all I can do, but I feel so good about it.  The best part is knowing that I won't have another 70+ pounds to lose once this baby is born. 

 

32 weeks pregnant in 2012 on the left

32 weeks pregnant in 2014 on the right

(I'm wearing the same clothes, but I weigh about 30 pounds less on the right)

 

I've discovered plenty of other benefits to having a healthy pregnancy.  I can put on my own shoes.  I don't have memory foam ankles.  I don't have bad heartburn.  I'm sleeping better.  I can keep up with my very busy toddler.  I don't constantly feel like I've been hit by a truck.  Trust me, folks, when you're barely in control of your own body, these little things feel like small miracles.  I'm pretty proud of them, anyway.

 

I had a C-section with MK, and even though I didn't think the recovery was bad, I will admit that getting back into working out after she was born was horrendous.  I will never forget the first time I went running after I was cleared.  Ohhhhhh, it was just awful.  I've been told that recovery from delivering after a healthier pregnancy is easier, so I'm really looking forward to that, too!

 

So that's the scoop on my healthy pregnancy vs. my unhealthy pregnancy.  I'm really proud of how well I've done this time, even if it was just to prove to myself that I don't have to be one of those women who gains a ton of weight with each pregnancy.  I think the future looks really bright for once I have this baby and can get back into a shape that makes me feel better than I have in the last few years.

 

Any other healthy pregnant girls out there?  Care to share any tips or recipes?  Let's all help spread the love!

 

 

 





Weekend Recap- Good Times, Good Friends

Another great weekend has come and gone, leaving me with a full heart and an exhausted body.

On Friday morning, MK and I hit up Soulard Farmer's Market with my future sister-in-law.  This Farmer's Market is absolutely one of my favorite spots in town.  You can't go wrong with fresh produce and supporting small businesses. 

 

After that, we took a quick side trip over to Gus' Pretzels because we love them, and I drove my FSIL down Floral Row to show her where the wholesale florists are in town in case she wants to do her own wedding flowers.

Friday night was nothing special, but those can be my favorite nights.  After putting MK to bed, Ken and I set up camp on the couch with Netflix and ice cream, which has turned into a nearly sacred ritual in the almost six years we've been married. 

On Saturday, I took MK and our beagle, Scout, on a short 2-mile walk on the trail by our house.  I'm so thankful to live this close to a safe and friendly trail.  I use it all the time.

After that, I may or may not have treated myself to an iced coffee, and somehow a sprinkle donut hopped into my car with it.

 

Later in the evening, Ken indulged me in my serious craving for Steak N' Shake before heading over to a pool party.  Lately, I will do just about anything to mooch a pool date out of people.  MK is absolutely fearless when it comes to the water, and I could not love that more.  I used to teach swimming lessons and coach high school swimming, so I clearly love to be in the water with her.  It came as no surprise to me that she spent most of the time jumping off the side of the pool, and even insisted on going down the slide a few times.  She's so brave, and I love it.  Thank goodness for puddle jumpers, or she might not be this brave!

On Sunday, we met up with some good friends to take our kids to the Missouri Botanical Garden to walk around and see their Lego Exhibit.  It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday, and we even got some of the best pictures ever of the kids with one of the St. Louis 250th Birthday Cakes.

Seriously, how cute are these kids?  Adorable.

 

 

After we got home on Sunday, we all pretty much crashed for a few hours before we decided we should probably feed ourselves, so we made a super simple dinner, and hung out until it was MK's bedtime.  We fired back up the Netflix after that for a little Orange is the New Black, and hit the hay around 10:30.  

I hope everyone else had a great weekend!  This week has already gotten off to a great start.  I'm looking forward to a short work week for Ken and a family road trip!

Weekend Re-Cap: A Hurling Good Father's Day

I know I'm not the only person out there saying this, but the weekends- especially summer weekends- just go by too fast.  This one was no different.
 
I feel like my weekend actually started on Thursday evening when a friend texted me to see if I could meet her for drinks (well, she drank and I ate some dang good loaded fries) and to have girl talk.  We stayed out way too late, but it was good for the soul to be out with a girlfriend chatting about life.
 
On Friday morning, MK came with me to the gym to play in the babysitting room while I did some light cardio and weight lifting.  After that, we walked across the plaza to Bread Co. for a bagel and fruit cup.  She does so well out in public spaces.  I'm always so proud of her, and I pray that the next kid is this good!
 

 

Friday evenings are usually spent watching TV and eating a $5 Hot n' Ready from Little Caesar's, but I decided to mix it up a little bit and I made homemade meatball subs instead.  They were really good, and it was nice to save a little money, even if it was just $5. 
 
Saturday was a bit of a busy day.  The whole family got up and out the door to make it to Ken's hurling match** at 10am.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, and MK enjoyed running like crazy around a park.  After that, we headed over to my in-laws' house to have an early Father's Day lunch with my father-in-law, where we ate way too much, but it was worth every calorie.
 

 

In the early evening, we headed back home and Ken went to a diaper party for a friend, and two of my best girlfriends came over, one of whom brought her 2-year-old son.  He and MK went nuts playing, running, eating pizza, and watching Frozen.  It was adorable to see them play so well together.  I love that she has so many little friends.
 

 

On Sunday morning, I got up with MK and we headed to get some donuts for Father's Day, which was the one single thing Ken requested for the day.  Since my dad's not with us anymore, I wanted to go to his favorite donut place, The Donut Drive-In (it's seriously the best), but when we pulled up, the line was out the door and wrapped around the building. I was not about to mess with that with a toddler in tow.  We opted for the grocery store's bakery instead, which is not the same, but Ken did not mind.  We had lunch with my family at my brother's house, followed by collective nap time back at our house.  Ken and I were so full from breakfast and lunch that we skipped dinner, but fed MK a little something, and went to get frozen custard at Ted Drewes. 
 
 

 

 

It was everything a weekend should be, filled with food, friends, and family.  I'm looking forward to a lot of things happening this week, including the fact that Ken is only working three days this week, and then we'll begin his birthday celebrations!

 

 

**Okay, so the hurling thing... Ken plays in a Gaelic Athletic League, and hurling is a traditional Irish sport.  It's kind of like lacrosse, kind of like field hockey.  Basically, it's a bunch of guys chasing each other with sticks and then drinking beer at the end of each game.  He loves it!

Summer Reading List

For my entire life, I have been an avid reader. I'm even in a little "book club" with some of my high school girlfriends.  I use that term loosely, because we hardly ever read things on time. 

I just finally finished the Divergent trilogy last week, and am on the hunt for something new.  (Anybody else feel SUPER emotional at the end of the third book?  I'm still not sure how I felt about the ending.  For now, I'm still angry.)

Anyway, I already have a list in my head of several other books I'd like to try to tackle this summer.  From the reviews I've read, I think there's a good mix of different types of stories.  I can't wait to hit up the library.

Maze Runner (book club pick)
The Book Thief (another book club pick)
Wonder (a book club pick from several months ago that I didn't actually finish- whoops!)
Girls in White Dresses
What Alice Forgot
The Fault in Our Stars
The Giver

All photos from Goodreads.com


I went to the library yesterday and picked up Girls in White Dresses.  So far, so good!  It's an easy chick-lit book, and even though I'm a slow reader, I'm already 100 pages in.

I'm always on the lookout for good book recommendations.  If you have any to suggest, please send them my way!

That Time My Kid Puked at Five Guys

If I've learned anything in my 19 months as a parent, it's that there are many circumstances over which you have absolutely no control.  If you stress yourself out trying to make everything perfect, you are going to end up completely miserable, and that it's so much better to laugh off what you can and roll with the punches.

I feel that I probably adopted this philosophy from a young age.  I am the second oldest of five kids, and we were NEVER the perfectly dressed well-behaved kids.  We were the family rushing late into church, nobody's outfits matched, and half of us had breakfast crumbs somewhere on our faces.  We looked like one collective hot mess, but hey, we at least showed up, right?

Naturally, I assumed this "laugh it off, they're just kids" approach to parenting was just a given, and that I wouldn't even have to experience it first-hand.  I thought I had a really good handle on craziness and a healthy outlook on the things life throws at me.  That was, until my toddler barfed in a Five Guys.

The incident occurred on a rainy Friday.  MK and I were invited to go with a friend and his kids to The Magic House, which is an insanely fun place to take kids if you're in St. Louis.  I had been babysitting for this family for the previous six weeks while their regular babysitter was on maternity leave, and this little day out was a "Thank you" for the work I had done to help with their three little boys.  The kids spent all morning running, jumping, playing, sliding, climbing, creating, and splashing.  By the time 11am rolled around, the whole group was starving, and we headed down the street to binge on too many fries and delicious burgers just before nap time was about to start. 

I got MK all set up in a plastic high chair, and we shared some French fries while I waited for her hot dog to cool off.  She wasn't really all that into the hot dog, probably because we don't feed them to her that often, but I thought she should have some protein, so I kept trying to get her to eat some.  She eventually cooperated, and ate several bites.  She had her trusty sippy cup full of water, and all seemed right with the world.  Then, out of nowhere, she puked all over herself.

I'm not talking about a little bit of manageable baby spit-up.  Nope, this was full-on kid puke, and it landed right between two tables.  The poor thing looked scared out of her mind.  "WTF just came out of me?!?!" her sweet little face screamed.  She was so confused, and her eyes were searching mine for some kind of explanation.  Trying to remain calm, I wiped up what I could, mustered up a sweet voice and told her that she was okay.  I handed her her cup of water, and told her to take a little sip.  She seemed to have calmed down, and was acting like her normal, sweet self. 

The lunch rush was just starting to pour into the restaurant, and we had stupidly picked a table that was both right in front of the soda fountain machines and right next to the entrance to the bathrooms.  There was no hiding this mess.  Everyone could see it.

Just when I was starting to think maybe we could easily make a mad dash out of this place, disaster struck a second time, and MK puked up everything that was left in her little belly.  Oh, the horror.  I started frantically throwing napkins on the floor to at least cover up the horrendous scene.  An employee happened to be walking by, and I stopped her to tell her what happened and apologize profusely.  Major props to this girl, who was probably 19 and terrified of kids, she kept her cool, told us not to worry, and that either she or someone else would be right back to help clean up. 

I was a lifeguard for five years.  In that time, I have cleaned up more of other people's bodily function mishaps than you can imagine.  I know that there are maintenance workers whose jobs it is to take care of things like this, but I still hate the idea of subjecting someone else to the accidents of myself or my family's.  I adamantly continued cleaning what I could.  A very, very kind maintenance worker appeared and repeatedly told me not to worry about cleaning up, and that he had the appropriate supplies to really get this area cleaned.  I felt like he was saying, "Listen lady, those crappy napkins aren't going to kill your kid's germs the way my industrial-strength cleaning products will.  Calm the eff down," in the nicest way possible. 

Tail tucked between my legs, I whisked MK down the hallway to change her into our backup outfit.  Once back at the table, we decided it was clearly time to get out of there, and I sat with the other kids while my friend alternated bathroom trips with his kids. 

The whole time I was sitting there, I felt like every single person inside the restaurant was staring at me and my kid, judging and wondering why we were still there.  After several minutes of over-reacting and panicking, I took a deep breath and realized that my kid was okay, nobody was mad, and that there was actual humor happening here.  There was nothing I could have done to prevent this, and I did do my best to contain the situation.  All there was left to do was laugh.

While I may have spent a solid 10-15 minutes in complete panic and disbelief, I eventually felt the years of watching my parents' examples settling in, and reminding me to find a way to enjoy this chaotic little blip on life's radar.  And now, when I re-tell this story, I'm able to laugh instead of shake my head in disbelief. 

... but I really didn't think I'd be dealing with a puking incident of this magnitude until my kid was at least 8 or 9.