Monday pep talk

Do you ever feel like you need a pep talk on Monday mornings getting ready for the office? I used to work and drive in to Cbus with Brandon and every Monday was very hard to get going. By the time I was deep into my first cup of coffee, I was doing good. So...here's your pep talk -- only one more week until a four day work week. :)

Ryder has been having a growth spurt. He's getting a little pudge on his cheeks and his lips are so cute. We got to take him to church for the first time yesterday and see all of our friends again. He is also our sleeping champ!

Ava has been begging us to have a lemonade stand since it was winter. And she wanted to earn some money so Saturday Sophie and Ava had a little stand. They sold lemonade to about 10 or 12 people and had a really great time. I will always stop for lemonade now after Saturday. We really appreciated everyone who supported them. :)

Ryder in his little swing. 

Lemonade for .25! Sophie and Ava really wanted to drink more than one cup. 

Brandon doing a diaper change 

He slept from 9:45 pm to 2 am! And then until 4:30 am. I'll take it.:) By 10 pm I am usually so tired I am hitting the sack with Ryder.

I have been trying to keep on top of eating before I am ravenous and planning snacks out for the kids in case I am nursing or short on time.

Here are some great ideas for your lunch/snacks like Real Simple's article on snacking.

Real Simple 

Brandon really likes to have healthy lunches or leftovers. We use leftover veggies or grill extras like eggplant, corn, peppers, onions, etc and put them in our salads.

1. Make salads on Sundays for at least 2-3 days.
2. Keep dressing separate in plastic bags inside tupperware.
3. Fill salads with protein like beans, tofu, nuts, etc.
4. Salads will keep nicely and easy to grab on the way to the pool or office.

Weekly lunches

Baggie of dressing inside tupperware already prepared  

Use a bottled dressing or make your own

Dressing baggies
Equal parts canola and olive oil + salt + maple syrup + acid (lemon or red wine vin)

Salad 
Spring salad + spinach + cilantro (or you can do parsley or a thai salad with mint)

I ran last night...

My first mile. And it was...glorious!

I took the first mile very easy and it did help that Brandon texted me and let me know that Ryder was crying. But, it felt really good and I def. didn't bust it out (10:30 pace). I was running maybe 8-9 min/pace pre-baby.

The only thing that was sensitive was my knees, probably from the relaxin hormones, and nursing. Ouch.

The OB nurse practitioner gave me the go ahead to run fartleks or run/walk (I knew I loved that practice) 7-10 days after my appointment that was two weeks ago. I waited a little longer and it's been almost 3.5 weeks since Ryder was born. My plan is to go easy (2 miles or so) for the next two weeks and add walking and weights since they help improve muscular recovery into the equation depending on how I feel. I will say that running up until 39 weeks made running again very manageable. I didn't feel like I was at a zero base level.

Roly polies and body image

Hi!
Welcome to the land of newborn land. Where one day you will get a great 6 hour stretch of sleep (are you kidding me?!!) and a sleeping newborn all day/night followed by another day of a little party animal who sleeps in 2.5 hour stretches and doesn't go to sleep until 10 pm.

You will feel like a firefighter who is on call as you go on a quick walk after feeding only to get a text from hubby:

Brandon: "He's crying...again." 
Me: "Be there in 3 minutes."

And then when you think he will be awake, he sleeps for two hours. What to do? Hmm. Live in the moment and enjoy the little things. Like your girls who are able to entertain themselves with their "zoo" and who don't mind staying home for a little while.

Also, I found this great blog post on Healthy Tipping Post about post-mommy bodies.

I mean. Hello, 40-plus weeks later your still wearing maternity clothes, your boobs are huge and your still not "yourself."

I really haven't had serious struggles with how I look after baby. Maybe because I knew after two kids that you will still look at least 20 (on average) weeks pregnant. Or that I really couldn't hardcore exercise or diet with nursing.

However, I could see how someone could be somewhat overwhelmed or sensitive when their kids ask why the baby is still in their belly (true story). And pat their belly. Repeatedly. 

At the hospital it was a little disconcerting as I thought I would be down a little less since I exercised up until the last day. However, the nurse said that the uterus has shrink from a watermelon to its normal size. And that takes a little while.

I remember stepping out of my hospital room on the second day to get my nurse and seeing the mom in the room next to me. She was really cute, had this cute robe and we both looked at each other and then our still somewhat larger bellies and I felt this weird kinship.

It happens to every mom. It was our badge of honor for delivering this amazing life into the world. And just that recognition made me feel a lot better. Brandon thinks it makes me feel bad when Ava is quick to interject to Charlotte, our niece, without prompting, "My mommy's belly is still shrinking! She had a baby."

Really. I am proud of the whole experience and try to keep focused on long term goals like running my first marathon with Brandon next year. :)

What are your long term goals?

The House that Brandon built 
Hey, we also have been doing some house chores since we are home. Things like waterproofing the mailbox and our swing set, painting our outside lights, fertilizing the lawn, planting a garden and changing out the door handles from gold to silver. We also got new chairs and are looking at a rug for the living room and a pendant lamp for the kitchen table.

Here's how we did the light project outside. It turned out amazing and was $7.99 for the Rustoleum spray paint in true Young House Love style.

Since the light was hardwired, Brandon put cardboard around the lamp and took the lightbulb and glass panes out before spraying. He also washed the area and unscrewed the top of the lamp. 

Homemade monkey bread from Cooking Light. This recipe uses half whole wheat flour  and orange juice. It also uses half the butter. I really loved this recipe. However, it does take one hour for the dough to rise. 

Our first little french breakfast radish from the garden. 

Little man sleeping. 

Sophia giving her doll a hair cut. 

Roly poly mob. Soph was trying to kill a roly poly with her bat, while Ava was trying to make habitats for them. 

Ryder's first little outfit! 

Little toes. 

Ava and her roly poly, Wilbur. She lost him while trying to push him on the swings #truestory. 

Shopping with little ones

Previously, I had done an entry about shopping with your little ones and what makes a great store or eatery in this post.

When gathering my unofficial results, I looked at ease of shopping, helpfulness of staff, and product placement, among other things.

Here are some more of the best stores and stores that may make it harder to shop with little ones.

Worst:
Children's Place Tuttle Mall
Offense: Checkout line is very long

I really like shopping at the Children's Place at Polaris, but the Tuttle Mall CP is totally a time drainer. It's filled with too small aisles for your strollers, usually out of several sizes in the girls department and the line to checkout is at least 15 minutes long every time even if there is only one person in front of you. The boys section is really cute though so maybe try online shopping?

Wal-Mart Marysville
Offense: Essentials are far away, checkout line is very long
Wal-Mart is like this maze of aisles that are wide for strollers and you will find good deals. But, those deals add up and it can be hard for little kids to walk around the whole store if you are in a hurry. Let's say you need diapers (seriously, back aisle of store!) and milk (back aisle as well), you will spend at least 10 minutes just walking to get your things. Honestly, if they put the milk and diapers at the front, I know a lot more parents would appreciate it.

The sales clerks are usually pleasant and friendly, which is super nice. But, those long lines will have you waiting sometimes for 15-20 minutes.

Best:
Farmhouse Ice Cream Parlor in Marysville - This mom and pop ice cream store has a train that circles the store by it's ceiling, a huge chalkboard for kids to write on and is super easy going. They have the girls' favorite flavor, superman, and are budget friendly. Just check out their Yelp reviews! Favorite flavors include the flavor of the month favorite, banana pudding, and red velvet ice cream.

Chipotle-You knew this was a sure bet. Aside from their seating, which can be filled at times, the girls love their menu which features a make-your-own-taco plate (two soft tacos (#4)). This is one of the only meals the girls will totally finish from start to finish. The servers are always super friendly and their food is organic and locally sourced. Love.

Week 3 of baby Ryder

Swinging on the patio 

Relaxing with daddy

diaper changes + baby 

Cupcakes from our neighbors from Ribbon Box Cakery. So yum! Best ever 

Sophia picked a chocolate cupcake with blue sprinkles. 

Chocolate and strawberry cupcake

Here's Ava's drawing of an alligator with two dolphins jumping out of an ocean.

We have been having a very relaxing third week. Since our doctor told us to keep little guy out of grocery stores or restaurants and since I can't do much in terms of exercise or swimming yet, we have been relaxing, playing outside and having family time. We also visited my mom and dad last night. 

Ryder is three weeks today. He is up and alert for longer periods of time, he smiles!, and is sleeping for about a 4 hour/3 hour chunk at night. He loves nursing and cluster feeds right before bed. And he goes through a lot of diapers! I would say his temperament is pretty chill, and he is a little lover. 

The girls are doing well. They are really into imaginative play. They have little friends, Colin and Ethan, that eat with us sometimes. Ava really enjoys craft time and we made little puppets this week. Sophia is a little mommy and likes to take out all of the baby blankets and her baby crib on the porch to play. They loved going to the pool with Momma Kuhns and seeing Poppa Shmidt last Friday.

Brandon is busy busy at work catching up after being out for two weeks for baby. And I am getting some sleep as this little guy is a champ. Thank you Lord! :) 

I will say it's a little hard to be patient for my body to return to normal. I have to still take it easy and can't swim, run or bike yet. I def. thought I would be more okay with taking a break from working out than I am. Since I stay at home, this is my outlet and it's been hard to forgo the rush of endorphins you get from a good sweat workout. I am starting to walk again at night though (2 miles Sunday and Monday). But, I want to enjoy this special time with little guy. I know now after two girls that this time just speeds by and it's gone. 

In other non-sappy news, Downtown Abbey is back...in 2013! Hello, that's like forever for Lady Mary and Mathew to be married. Except someone to die and a birth in this series on PBS, according to the Orlando Sentinel. 

Are you looking forward to DA?