Hi guys! Happy Friday. It is reeeeeeeeeeeeally cold on the east coast right now – we had about one day this week that didn’t have windchill “real feel” temperatures in the single digits (or negative digits, like this morning), and yesterday we woke up to a bit of snow, too!
Wednesday was the warmest day (sunny and temps in the upper 20’s – positively balmy!), and my brother was back in town briefly before leaving again for grad school, so Matt and I spent the day with my family and got in some nice walks with the dog and baby in tow.
It felt so good to get out – I’ve been getting a bit stir crazy this week and really missing the nice long walks that Matt and I were doing every day when the weather was nicer! Here’s hoping this cold snap departs quickly because fresh air = my happy place. Plus, those walks have been my main fitness lately, and my body doesn’t feel good when I just sit around all day!
It has been a nice week, though, even with the crazy cold! I’ve been working a lot (so amazing to still have Matt home… I know I’m lucky!) but also enjoying lots of baby snuggles and some social time, too! On Monday, my high school BFF Jenny and her sis Gretchen came over for a baby party – seeing these ladies is the best, and their little ones are adorable! All the babies!
Here’s the outtake – lol!
So fun to have Jenny meet little Riese for the first time. You can tell Jenny has done this before (x3) – Riese loved her! <3 I so wish Jenny lived nearby!
Jenny and Gretchen’s babes also loved testing out all of Riese’s fun nursery gadgets and toys! It will be nice when Riese is more into this stuff. I was impressed Jenny got her to sleep for a bit in the boppy lounger… baby whisperer, I tell you. 🙂 (Please ignore the ginormous mess that is the crib right now since it’s not in use!)
While the babes were hanging out, Gretchen was amazing and showed me how to use my breast pump! She has the same one (the Spectra) so she’s a pro at it, and I was still so overwhelmed by it that I still hadn’t even taken it out of the box. Thank you for saving me from myself, Gretchen. 😉
Like most things in life, the pump not nearly as complicated/as big of a deal as I made it up to be in my head – although of course it helped to have someone with me who knew how to use it! Now all I need is a hands-free pumping bra (or tank, since it’s so cold now…) – any recs? I know some of you said a cheap/old sports bra that you cut holes into was the way to go vs. a real pumping bra? (Side note: if you’re an expecting mama, one of the best tips I got was to apply to order a breast pump through Aeroflow. You put in your insurance info and they let you know what pumps you’re approved for (both free and “upgrade” options); you can order the pump directly though them, too. Insanely easy vs. trying to call/deal with insurance directly. Another tip: these microwave steam sanitizing bags for breastfeeding bottles/parts are AMAZING and way easier than boiling everything. For a bottle brush, I love this one – good to have a separate one vs. using the same one you use for all the dirty dishes. And these are the breastmilk fridge/freezer storage bags I’m using!)
I haven’t used the pump since the ladies were here (still rocking the Haakaa – more on that in this post – in the meantime), but I’m going to incorporate it more now that I know how to use it! It will be easier when I don’t have to hold the bottles up… must get a hands free option ASAP!
The other big baby-related thing we are getting a move on this week is trying to figure out childcare. Matt goes back to work in 2 weeks and business is really busy for me right now (both the blog and then I also want to start seeing my ongoing AnneTheRD nutrition clients again later this month – I won’t take new clients until March, though, I don’t think, so I have a minute to figure out a new routine first) so we need to figure something out ASAP! I’m lucky to have my mom nearby to help out in a pinch, and I think Matt’s mom may come down the first week he is back at work to babysit some so I can continue to work, but obviously those are both short term options. I was originally thinking an in-home daycare would be the way to go, and I still think I’d like to do that later once Riese is older and can play with other kids, but after doing more research and talking to a lot of friends I think for now while she’s so little a nanny is the way to go. Especially since our little cuddlebug always wants to be held!
It’s tempting to try to just do it all/be everything to everyone, but I know that there’s no way I can sustain my business while also taking care of Riese, and that would just be a recipe for me being really stressed. It is hard to think about someone else taking care of her… but I know that it’s for the best for all of us for me to have the time and space to focus on work so that when I am with Riese, I’m fully with her.
So, nanny it is! For those of you who have nannies – any tips in terms of finding one, interviewing them, logistics of the set up, etc? I’d love any tips or advice you have! I’m already looking at Care.com, and I posted an inquiry on one of the local mom listserv groups I’m in, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’m thinking we are going to start with about 30 hours a week and see how that goes/if I can get enough work done in less hours than I’m used to. It will encourage me to be more efficient! Although I also want to intentionally use some of that time for self care (like yoga, or lunches with friends), too. I’m not sure if I’ll go back to my co-working space just yet – I’m thinking it may make sense to take advantage of the luxury I have to work from home a lot, and continue to breastfeed Riese most of the time vs. having to worry about stockpiling a ton of milk or hauling a pump around all over town. I definitely am still going to have some milk in the freezer for when I need to be away for longer than a few hours, or when I am out meeting clients all day, but for the most part not having to lug a pump to an office is, I know, a MASSIVE luxury that I should probably take advantage of! I’m thinking I’ll just take more advantage of the option to work in coffee shops and bounce around a bit to those when I feel like I need to get out and about. We’ll see – if it’s not working, I can always change the routine, right?!
Riese is 6 weeks old today – crazy how fast that time has gone by! She’s so much more alert and interactive now than she used to be, which is really fun, and we have even gotten a couple little smiles here and there too which absolutely melt my heart. I posted a fun video of her on my Instagram stories today if you want to see her in action. <3 I took the video this morning – she is always most energetic, alert, and happy in the mornings, just like her mama! It cracks me up how much she looks like a little old man in this photo! Lol!
I will leave you with today’s breakfast, which was in two parts – part 1 was avocado toast with a fried egg when I first got up and started working. Part 2 was a whole milk latte (here’s why I have whole milk instead of skim) and a delicious pumpkin muffin enjoyed a few minutes ago as a late morning snack! I also had some unpictured blackberries. My mom made the muffins so not sure of her recipe, but here’s my fave whole wheat pumpkin muffin recipe from my blog, plus a paleo pumpkin muffin recipe variation if you’re into that instead. For lunch, I’m looking forward to some of my Quinoa Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, Avocado & Arugula!
Have a nice weekend guys! I’m really excited because this evening I’m going to my very first postpartum fitness class – a yoga class with my friend Karen! And I have plans for another yoga class this weekend with my workout buddies Kathleen and Chelsea. I really miss them since I can’t do our morning weekly boot camp dates right now! It’s going to feel really good to stretch, although I’ll be modifying a lot (no planks or ab work, for example) to make sure I don’t overdo it!
p.s. If one of your new year’s goals is to start a blog, I wanted to share that BlueHost, the hosting company I used for a few years when my blog was in the early days, is running a $3.45/month basic shared plan hosting sale right now through January 12. Check out my How to Start a Blog on WordPress post for step-by-step instructions on how to get all set up! 🙂
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