Chase is a Wild One!
OMGGGGGGG!!!!! I cannot believe that it has been an entire year since this little human being came rushing into the world and changed our lives forever!!! I’ve been super nostalgic the past week, telling my husband “remember a year ago today we were walking for 2 miles while I was 20 hours in labor?” “or a year ago today we were sitting in the hospital trying to figure out how to change his diaper?”. BTW, if you want to read our interesting birth story from a year ago, check out this post. Anyway…A full 365 days later and we have a full on toddler on our hands. Although most of our…
When Daddy is the Favorite
As much as I thought Chase was a mama’s boy, he’s not…or at least not yet. If my husband and I were standing side-by-side waiting for a hug from Chase, I would lose. If Dada is anywhere in sight, Mama is chopped liver. Dada was his first word, and he screams it from the top of his lungs. He finally started saying “mamamama”…but it’s usually just an utterance like ababa or blowing raspberries. Sometimes I think “Wasn’t I the one that carried him for nine months and then breastfed him for seven? Shouldn’t I be his favorite?” Welllllll not exactly. But it’s all good. I know kids go through phases of liking…
Wishing Tree
At our baby shower for “Baby Kevolyn” (aka Chase), our guests filled out bookmarks with wishes and blessings for our little one. They were hung on a white, illuminated tree, which I placed it in his nursery as decoration. In lieu of cards, guests brought baby and childhood books to build Chase’s library. I even stuck some of the bookmarks in the books to read to Chase as fun surprises (more for me than for him). Sometimes before bed I would read the bookmarks from family and friends, and tell him about the writer of the messages. It is a wonderful reminder of how blessed we are, and how large and supportive…
Baby Shower Flashback
A year ago exactly, my husband and I had the pleasure of being showered with so much love from our friends and family. My best friend, Kayla, and my sister-in-law, Lorraine, planned and executed the most beautiful baby shower. The theme of the shower was children books and the color scheme was mint, pink and gold. At the time, I was the only one who knew the baby’s gender, as my husband requested not to know. Yes, it was difficult to keep it from him at times, but I got used to after awhile using “it”, “the baby” or “he/she” as pronouns to describe the tiny human growing inside of…
Morning Routine Interruptions
Weekday mornings were tough to begin with even before the baby…usually after hitting snooze a few two many times, showering and throwing on scrubs and grabbing coffee to go, I’m hopping out the door with one shoe on and carrying the other. Now with a little human acting as my new alarm clock, the routine has been altered drastically. Yes, it’s a little more difficult to blow-dry your hair with tiny hands pulling on the end of the cord, and a little harder to put on makeup when your mascara is being held hostage in a tiny mouth. But I’ve learned to leave a little time to enjoy these tiny moments. Because…
Q&A for two
Two years ago I got this book called “Our Q&A a day” which is a 3-year journal for you and your other half. Each day there is a question to answer, sometimes about yourself, about each other, your relationship or very random topics. Each night while getting ready for bed, we take time to answer the question of the day. There are some that can be so simple as “what was your favorite meal today” or more substantial such as “What reminded you today that your partner is the love of your life?”. Whatever the topic, it always stimulates some type of discussion…but mostly laughter from our stupid answers. Most…
Tiny Yogi
The perks of having a best friend as a yoga instructor: private lessons! Mary asked myself and our other best friend to try out one of her new routines. I haven’t done any yoga in forever, so it felt amazing to stretch out and have her give corrective alignments. Naturally, I brought Chase along and we involved him in the end. Practicing gentle yoga with your baby has its many benefits, which have described by a yoga expert on Yoga Journal. These positive outcomes are both for parent and baby: a good bonding experience, reducing stress, facilitating smooth digestion and having a calming effect for both you and baby. It also brings awareness to their body’s…
Curry Some Flavor
I was presenting at my church’s health fair a few years ago and they were hosting a guest chef, The Guiding Knife, for a cooking demonstration. One of the entrees that I sampled was this curry couscous w/ chickpeas dish that was UH-MAZING. It’s was originally made to be a great vegetarian entree or side, but I like to add some chicken/shrimp for a full meat/seafood entree. What’s even better? When you break down the total cost of the ingredients, it’s roughly $1.50 per serving!! Recipe (serves 8) 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup water 1/4 tsp. allspice 3/4 cup couscous 2T olive oil 1 sweet potato, diced 1 onion, diced 1…
