Labor Day Weekend and Kicking off September!

We had a very laid back weekend that was just what the doctor ordered.  Unfortunately it wrapped up with R getting sick but overall we had a lot of time together so there's not much to complain about.  Fridays are one of my long days in the office so by Friday night we pretty much collapse on the couch after we put R to bed and I log on to work and try to wrap everything up that I couldn't get to during the day.  Tom had an early morning run planned so we hit the hay pretty early.

Tom's aunt and uncle were visiting from DC this weekend so we spent most of Saturday hanging out with them at my in-law's house watching the Michigan season opener.  Wouldn't you know I have zero pictures of this?  Fail.   After R's afternoon nap we ran to the mall to take advantage of the Labor Day sales while Tom watched a bit of football.

Aunt Jill requested a pic of R so we obliged...from the Gap dressing room.

Later that night I met up with some girlfriends for dinner and had some much needed adult/girl talk.  And most importantly...I had dinner out and stuck to Whole30...go me.   I opted for Kobe beef skewers and mushrooms and just asked for them to omit the butter...easy.   I'm sure I raised a few "is she pregnant?" eye brows with my water sipping but I assure you, I'm not.

Sunday started off with brunch with R and a couple of my girlfriends (again, no pictures) and Tom spent some more time with his visiting family.  I was pretty proud of myself for sticking to Whole30 again (veggie frittata, hold the cheese) when the smell of toast of pancakes almost made me cave!  We regrouped later in the day and ran some errands.

R's favorite way to grocery shop.

Monday was the official start of September (woohoo!) but I gotta say, this is the first summer in a long time that I haven't been pining for fall.  Maybe it's because we've had a fairly mild summer and we were actually able to enjoy being outside, but I'm pleasantly content with it not quite being fall yet.  And can we just put a moratorium on the pumpkin spice lattes until it's at least below 80 degrees outside?

Anyway, R woke up with a slight fever on Monday so we scraped brunch plans with my parents in lieu of them coming over with Chipotle.  We had a fun visit and I'm so grateful that R gets to see both sets of grandparents so often.  After her afternoon nap she seemed on the mend so we hit a few more Labor Day sales and were able to stock up on some work wardrobe essentials in record time.

Do you see a theme here?  No wonder she hates riding in her stroller when it is just the two of us!

R woke up on Tuesday with a bit of a higher fever so I cancelled my morning and stayed home with her.  Her fever was gone by late morning so her sitter came over and I headed into work for a few hours.  I have a feeling this is Hand Foot Mouth, yet again, but we'll know for sure by the end of the day I suppose.

When you don't feel good mom's "30 minutes of screen time" rule goes out the window.

Here's to a short work week, my last week of Whole30, and the unofficial start of fall!

Case of the Mondays

Monday is one of my two full days home with the kiddo (Thursday is a half day) and how we spend the day all depends on how much work I need to do, what chores around the house need to be done, and what errands in general I need to run.  Not to mention what kind of mood Reese is in when she wakes up :)  Luckily I didn't have too much of the non-fun stuff to do this past Monday so the day was jam packed (well, as jam packed as you can get with a 12 month old) with fun.  After she woke up from her morning nap we went to story time at a local book store around the corner.  We regularly hit up the library for the baby class on Wednesdays but I had high hopes we could add this to our rotation of Monday activities.  We got there about 10 minutes before story time started and it was PACKED!  R was definitely one of the younger kids there but she had a great time.

After story time ended we played there for a bit and headed home for lunch and nap time.  After she woke up we made our way downtown to play at Washington Park in the beloved fountains.  I had hoped that with schools starting this week that we'd have the place to ourselves but I was wrong...there were kids everywhere.  We had a great time despite me being a Debbie Downer cutting in on the fun to re-apply sunblock a thousand times (it was HOT).

I am no fan of summer but our first real summer together will forever be my most favorite.  I'll always cherish this time with my little buddy.

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Annabel & Co.

Whole 30: Almost Halfway Update!

This Saturday will mark two weeks since I started the Whole 30.  I wasn't too sure I would make it this far to be quiet honest.  I truly cannot believe I haven't cheated...not even a little bit.  Not even a sip of diet coke!  I feel like if I'm really going to commit to this, what's the point of having a little cheat here or there?  If I'm taking the time to buy, cook and prep all of these meals I owe it to myself to stick to the plan.

 

The first 3-5 days were not fun.  I missed ice coffee filled with creamer and sweetner in the morning.  I missed snacking on a few tortilla chips during the afternoon.  But I realized those habits weren't doing good things for me so it was getting easier to detach myself from them emotionally.  The sugar and caffeine withdrawals were rough.  Luckily on the fourth day of this challenge I had a minor surgery so I was able to get over the hump of the withdrawals with the help of good ole' anesthesia :)  By the end of the first week I was so tired and wondered when all of this energy I keep hearing about was going to hit me.

I know myself well enough to know that if I'm going to be successful, food needs to packaged, ready to go in my fridge.  I need to have a plan for the week and stick to it as best as possible.  In order for this to happen I have been spending a few hours on Sunday making my breakfasts and lunches for the whole week. I portion out each meal into Tupperware containers so when I'm hurriedly packing my bag for work with a toddler attached to my leg, all I have to do is throw it in and I'm good to go.  I really don't think anyone can be successful without planning and prep ahead of time.  After all, cooking and eating REAL food takes time!

Some friends and family have asked what I've been eating and for me, the key is to keep it simple and repeat meals.  On Sunday I make a large batch of roasted sweet potatoes and an egg "casserole" for my daily breakfast.    I cut three sweet potatoes into small pieces, coat lightly in coconut oil and sprinkle with cinnamon.  The egg casserole consists of 10-12 eggs, chorizo, and sauteed bell peppers, onions and mushrooms.  You could make this egg dish a million different ways to your liking.  I've made it this way the last two weeks so I'll change it up for the last two weeks.  For lunches I have been eating "taco bowls" as I like to call them.  During my prep time on Sunday I cook about 3 pounds of ground turkey and coat with my homemade taco seasoning (the delicious store stuff is full of chemicals...a no no).  I portion the turkey out for several lunches and then add some salsa and home-made guacamole when it's time for lunch.  I use the remaining turkey for our family dinner on Taco Tuesday.  Easy.  Dinners have been fairly easy, typically consisting of a meat or fish, vegetable and sweet potato.  I've found myself snacking MUCH less frequently but when I do I stick to fruit, cashews/cashew butter, or the occasional Lara bar if I'm on the go.  

Overall, I've got nothing but major snaps for Whole 30.  I'm not weighing myself (per the rules), but I am charting my measurements at the end of each week and was very encouraged by my first week progress.

Here's to the next two weeks!

p.s.  miss you diet coke...hope you're doing well :(

The Low Down on Whole 30.

Last weekend, on Saturday August 9th, I embarked on a 30 day commitment to eat whole foods.  Looking back, it was a less than ideal weekend to start, but my mind was made up and I wasn't about to waste any more time.  You've likely heard of the Whole30 program, which is essentially the Paleo diet but with only a 30 day commitment.  Something about only committing to 30 days made this feel much less overwhelming for me.  I can do anything for 30 days, right?  You can read all about the program on the website above but the skinny (har-har) on it is committing to cut out diary, grains, legumes, sugar (fake and real), alcohol, and anything else that isn't a meat, vegetable, fruit, or nut.  No cheating.  No slips.  Just suck it up and do it.  So what the hell do you eat, you might ask? Turns out, lots of things. I decided to do this for variety of reasons but I can narrow it down to three core reasons. 

1.  I don't like my jean size.  I'm not sure (well I know the basics) how it got to this point but regardless, what I'm doing isn't working so I need to do something different.  The things I did to maintain and/or lose weight at 25 are somehow not working now.  But even if they were, they were not healthy nor sustainable.  This is not only about weight and vanity, but health. I'm closer to 40 than I am to 25 (holy shit), women my age get cancer all the time...I am some one's mother for goodness sake. 

2. I generally feel like crap most of the time.  My stomach seems to hurt more often than not and I have no idea why.  I'm always tired and need at least two (big) coffees to get me through the day.  At first I chalked this up to the whole "busy working mom" excuse, but I believe it's more than that.  And it's not okay....and it kind of sucks.

3. I have a little person who looks to me for cues on how to do everything and setting a good example is of the utmost importance to me.  It's on me to lead the way for her so I'm taking responsibility for that now.  Lord knows I have enough body image issues from when I was younger and the buck stops here when it comes to passing that along to my kidlet.

I have toyed with embarking on this lifestyle change for quite a while now.  I made some changes along these lines when trying to conceive, but once I was pregnant I was all kinds of pukey and lived on saltines and bagels for a good 12 weeks.  Not exactly Whole 30 approved, but I did the best I could.  I gained 26 pounds through my pregnancy (which I'm sure would have been a little more had R not been born 5 weeks early) and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months.  But that was the problem.  Once R was born I had grand visions of sailing through my 6 week post-partum checkup, high fiving the doc when I got cleared to work out, and getting back on track with my trusty Jillian Michaels DVD's...with a snoozing R by my side of course.  JESUS...I want to go back in time and slap myself.  At 8 weeks post-partum I was having emergency surgery due to complications at childbirth, from which I had been hemorrhaging since.  FUN.  Once I recovered from that little jaunt to the OR I was nearly 10 weeks post-partum and honestly felt like I barely had my head above water.  I went back to work shortly thereafter and couple that with a baby that was up all night and pumping exclusively, I was lucky that I kept either of us alive.  Weight loss was not on my agenda, but being a good mom was, so that won. 

Fast forward to now.  I'm in a groove with the whole work/life/baby balance thing and I am ready to put myself first.  As moms we will always put our child's, and usually our spouse's,  needs and well-being before our own and I often find my needs are last on my list.  As the caretaker in our family, I should be putting myself up at the top of that list.  The ole' oxygen mask on a plane rule, ya know?

So here I am, winding down day 6 of the 30.  It has been challenging at times, but with appropriate planning it has been much easier than I predicted.  I'm finally through the first few days of feeling terrible and I'm feeling pretttty great.  I've stuck to the same few meals to get me through the first week and I've had everything on hand and prepared, so eating has required little to no thought.  I've found that eating on the go and out of convenience have gotten me in trouble, so having pre-made food in the fridge has been the key for me.  In all honesty I would probably kill something or someone for a large iced coffee or fountain diet coke.   I'm also surprised that I have not been particularly tempted to sneak a goldfish in my mouth when I'm giving Reese a snack or take a bite of her string cheese as she lovingly tries to "share" by shoving it in my mouth.  It's a whole new experience to forbid yourself from eating certain foods when they are sitting in plain sight in your fridge and cabinets.  But, that's real life.  Maybe this all because my head is in the game for the first time in a long time, but I'm feeling confident about this lifestyle change. 
  

12 Months: The Rundown

Before Reese goes and turns 13 months on me {sob} I want to have all of her 12 months stats documented for posterity.  That, and I have yet to purchase a baby book for my ONE year old.  So this will have to do until I find one that I deem non-cheesy enough for purchase that is not $150 on Etsy.

As of R's one year well check her stats are:

Weight: 19 lbs   (39th percentile)

Height: 29 ins.  (42nd percentile)

Teeth: 8

Sleeping: 11-12 hours at night, 2-3 hours during the day

Eating: A little bit of everything!  Three meals a day with snacks in between.  Loves all kinds of fruit.

Drinking: Cow's milk and water

Playing: Loves books, music, dancing, clapping, playing "chase", swinging at the park, and anything with water.

Likes: 'On the Night You were Born', 'Dog ABC's' book,  her lovies, Lily, dogs, Mickey Mouse, owl straw cup, story time at the library, swimming, and going on walks.

Dislikes: Car seat, diaper changes, and mom leaving for work.  No bueno.

Says: Up, Mama, Dada...and a whole bunch of other adorable gibberish.

Milestones:  Doing everything close to walking but not yet able to walk unassisted.  R can climb stairs, cruise along furniture, and walk holding your hand.  Take your time munchkin.

One year well check, with snacks of course.

Standing on her own.



Playing her drums...thanks Uncle Adam.

The wild woman dance.

Giving Minnie some lovin' at the store.

Washington Park: Cincinnati, Ohio

If you would have told me five years ago that I would be taking my baby, by myself, to Washington Park to play I would have promptly responded that you were smoking crack (which you likely picked up at Washington Park).  Fast forward a few years and thanks to an amazing renovation, Washington Park  is flourishing amid what seems to be a renaissance in central Cincinnati.  Since 2008 several phases of development in Over-The-Rhine have taken place, making it one happenin' spot in 2014.  Now don't get too disillusioned, there are a several very nice and highly developed blocks bursting with restaurants, bars, and condos....all of which are surrounded by an area filled with crippling poverty and violence.  So, ya know, be careful where you park and such.  BUT, where it's nice, it's really nice!  Anywhoo.

Last week, on one of my days off, I felt the itch to get out and do something different with Reese.  Our pool doesn't open until 2:30, which tends to fly a little too close to the "in-between-naps meltdown" sun.  I packed a lunch, towels, all the necessary "water sport" items we require and after her morning nap we headed downtown.

One of the HUGE benefits of not yet moving to 'burbs is that we are centrally located to pretty much everything in Cincinnati.  We may pay a stupid amount of taxes for schools we'll never use and plummet in to potholes every 5 feet...but damn if we aren't in a great location.   I figured what the hell...if it was a bust we were only giving up about 30 minutes of our day.   Well.....we had a blast. 

Reese is still quite little so I was a little worried that she would be terrified or completely uninterested, but I couldn't have been more wrong.  Being the water bug that she is, she was lovvvvving it (mental pat on the back, mama).  She braved the big kids and made her way right into the middle of the foutains.  My kid is awesome.

We had so much fun we came back over the weekend with Tom.  After the usual and very sad carseat-screaming-drama and unexpected parking snafu's we had a blast, yet again.

It should be noted that Washington Park has tons of events going on all the time so check the website for details.  I know there is a huge city flea market, fitness and yoga classes on the grass and even concerts and parties.  If you're in the area check it out!