Monday is here and another weekend passed by a little too fast. Our weekend was full of family fun from start to finish! We did a whole lot of nothing on Friday night in preparation for what we figured would be a pretty horrific night ahead sleep-wise.
At the urging of our pediatrician, Ryan and I felt compelled to try to help Chase get closer to sleeping through the night. Up until this point, we hadn’t really done anything in terms of sleep training and I was still regularly getting up to nurse Chase two (okay, often three) times a night. Our pediatrician told me that even though Chase is small, he’s at a healthy weight for a six-month-old, and was likely nursing during the night out of habit. And so our adventures in sleep training began on Friday… And it went so much better than expected!
I could easily write a whole post about our first sleep training experience, but I’m not sure if it would interest many of you guys out there. I didn’t want baby sleep to take over this weekend recap even though it definitely was the biggest part of our weekend, so just let let me know if you’d like to see a post with more details about our first baby sleep training adventure in the future and I’ll happily share.
Though baby sleep stuff was on the forefront of our minds on Friday night, Ryan and I managed to have a laidback night together after Chase went to sleep. We watched New Girl on NetFlix while sipping on homemade hot cocoa and eating a bunch of the fruit (and all the chocolate-covered strawberries) off the delicious fruit bouquet Ryan sent to the house for me as an early Valentine’s Day present.
Saturday
Saturday morning began with a little meal planning. I had a teeny tiny helper to aid in my meal planning for the week and even though we ordered another Blue Apron to be delivered at the end of this week, I still wanted to plan out our meals through Thursday.
(Side note: I am SO glad Clean Eating Magazine is back! I missed it so much when it went out of publication a few years ago and am psyched to see it available again. I jumped at the chance to re-subscribe and love the simplicity of the healthy recipes featured in the magazine.)
Here’s a peek at our meal plan this week:
- Monday: Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers
- Tuesday: Whole Roasted Chicken with Carrots, Onions, Celery and Sweet Potatoes
- Wednesday: Black Bean and Edamame Stir Fry Slaw with Sriracha Peanut Vinaigrette (<— planning to omit the chicken and use black beans instead)
- Thursday: Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken
- Friday: Blue Apron Delivery
Once we were done meal planning, I read some books with Chase before he was ready for a nap and Ryan was done with his workout. Then it was off to boot camp where I completed a full-body workout that began with an awesome warm up that had us completing 25, then 20, 15, 10 and 5 reps of the following exercises:
I loved this one! I made sure to snap a picture to save in my phone to use it for one of my at-home workouts in the future.
Once my workout was done, it was time to head home, nurse Chase and shower before our day date! After a little baby-related hiatus, Ryan and I decided it was time to bring back our monthly date night tradition at the start of the year and since February was my month, I planned a fun family adventure for Saturday afternoon.
The three of us piled into my car and drove Uptown to Discovery Place to visit Body Worlds, an exhibition featuring more than 100 plastinates – real human specimens preserved through Dr. von Hagens’ Plastination process – that reveal the human body in all its stages and varying health conditions. To say this exhibition is interesting is a severe understatement, especially if you have any interest in the human body. It was educational, thought-provoking and eye-opening and Ryan and I both said it was well worth a visit.
Admission to the Body Worlds exhibition included tickets to Discovery Place which ended up being a lot of fun for Chase!
Though he’s definitely still too young to really experience Discovery Place and the interactive exhibits, we walked through the museum with him in our arms and got a kick out of the wide-eyed look on his face and his desire to reach out and touch some of the things on display.
Ryan and I both said we can’t wait to bring him back when he’s old enough to run around and really experience everything Discovery Place has to offer… like astronaut ice cream!
Sweater: French Connection via RueLaLa // Jacket: Cole Haan via RueLaLa // Tunic: White Plum // Leggings: Lululemon // Over-the-Knee Boots: Breckelle’s (I have the gray pair but they have lots of colors) // Beanie: Tart Collections via Stitch Fix
After our time at the museum, we walked a few blocks to 7th Street Public Market, an indoor market featuring delicious food and drinks from local and regional farmers and artisans.
We popped in for hot beverages from Not Just Coffee and I ordered a vanilla sugar almond milk latte that was creamy and perfectly sweet. I loved every sip and Ryan raved about his ginger chai latte as well.
Oh and for those who asked me to report back on the Ju Ju Be diaper bag backpack I bought last weekend, all I can say is that I LOVE IT. This thing is the BEST. It has SO many pockets (and a shoulder strap if a backpack isn’t your thing) and I am kicking myself for waiting to buy it until after my trip to Denver. There are so many compartments and it’s also very comfortable to wear.
Anyway… Back to our date!!
With hot beverages in hand, we headed out and made the chilly walk back to our car since Chase was telling us it was time to wrap up our little adventure. We spent the rest of our Saturday around the house, leaving only to pick up The Scorch Trials on RedBox (and ice cream and popcorn from Publix to enjoy with our movie). Though Ryan and I are both big-time fans of The Maze Runner series (<— highly recommended if you liked Divergent!), we didn’t care for the movie interpretation of the second book at all and ended up turning it off halfway through.
Saturday night marked Night Two of our baby sleep training adventure and it also went better than expected. Progress, my friends!!!
Sunday
Our Sunday began around 7 a.m. when Chase started stirring in his crib and I headed in to feed our little guy. He greeted me with big gummy smiles and I wished him a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
After breakfast, Ryan headed off to the gym right as Chase was going down for his morning nap. The timing ended up working out perfectly for my Valentine’s Day plan and I quickly got to work decorating Ryan’s bathroom mirror with a post-it note heart featuring little notes that highlighted some of the things I love most about him.
Yep, we’re super cheesy around here and I love it. Embrace the cheesiness!
I also ended up cleaning our bathroom which, if I were Ryan, would probably excite me even more than the post-it note heart.
Aaand I’ve officially reached the stage in my life where I’d prefer to have someone clean my house over giving me little gifts. I’m the coolest.
When Ryan arrived home from the gym and Chase was up from his nap, it was time for our annual Valentine’s Day mission!
Every year we head out of the house at the same time and divide up for two(ish) hours. We have a $20 budget and must pick up some special treats for the other person within the $20 budget. It’s so much fun and we both really look forward to it every year!
In the end we both went a little over budget this year, but we ended up with some great little gifts for each other.
I picked up the following goodies for Ryan:
- A book all about the National Parks of the West (A handful of National Parks are on our travel bucket list!)
- Pentatonix CD (We share an intense love for this group!)
- Ryan’s favorite picture of Chase framed for him to take to work
- Balance Bars + Gu Energy Gel for pre- and post-workout fuel
And Ryan ended up giving me the following treats:
- Oversized sweatpants (I’ve been wanting a pair of oversized sweats for a while now since I fear my favorite pair of Reebok sweats are on their last leg…)
- EOS Honeydew lip balm (My fav)
- Krave Beef Jerky (My current grab-and-go snack obsession… There were three packs but I ate the black cherry barbeque one on the spot.)
Not too shabby!
We always love celebrating Valentine’s Day with our annual Valentine’s Day mission tradition. Ryan actually came up with the idea when we were in college and we’ve been doing it ever since. It takes some of the pressure off the holiday but still feels thoughtful and fun.
The rest of our Valentine’s Day centered around our Date Night In! Pizza, wine and a movie in our pajamas. Heck yes!
I hope you guys had a great weekend and a lovely Valentine’s Day, too! Enjoy your Monday, my friends!
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Would love to hear about your sleep training experience! I’m still working on it with my 8 month old and any helpful ideas would be appreciated 🙂
I just love your posts and keeping up with your cute little family! I also love your style – would you recommend those boots? They are so cute on you but just wanted to see if they’d work for me since I’m short (5 ‘3)
I went to a similar exhibit called Bodies in NYC years ago and still think about it. It was awesome! Glad to see they still have something like it going on.
Yes to this, “Aaand I’ve officially reached the stage in my life where I’d prefer to have someone clean my house over giving me little gifts. I’m the coolest.” Girl, YES. I’m the coolest too, because that’s where I’m at.
You two are an adorable couple, and I love how hard you both work at making each other feel special/noticed. It’s awesome! Fuel for a lifetime of love!
Great recap, and I want to try that krave jerky now! Watching your visit to Discovery place is fun – I used to have a BLAST at the Science Museum of Minnesota, which has tons of interactive displays (live tornados! Giant waves!) Fun times.
Oohh I definitely want to hear more about sleep training! We have a new little one so I’m always fascinated to hear about other babies’ “schedules” at different ages. We are still very much in the no regular schedule zone, but I’m very interested to know what’s ahead.
I’m really loving the Krave beef jerky too! I love that the texture is a little softer and the different flavors are amazing.
I love the $20 gift idea! I’d love to see posts abut sleep training!
Love your sweat pants! What a great idea for Valentine’s Day! I bought Jeff a card at Walgreens yesterday while he was standing right there but told him he was crazy and didn’t actually see anything. 🙂
Also, I am in LOVE with New Girl.
Glad you had a great weekend!
I am 16 weeks along with my first and I’ve read about sleep training and it seems pretty daunting so I would love to see a post dedicated to this for more information from someone’s personal experience!
Sleep training will save you!! Don’t wait to do it. Start em young.
Did anyone else think that Julie had super tiny hands in the pic with the clean eating mag, AND then realize…’Oh duh…that’s the baby!” hahhaha…it was a quick glance on my part and Monday! Sleep training…we just did it…I promise you (and everyone) that you come out a lot happier on the other side 🙂 Would love to hear your journey!
I would love to hear about sleep training!!! We’re about to go through that ourselves and I’m so nervous ?
I would love to hear all about sleep training. Definitely feel lost in that area with my first!
oh yes I embrace the cheesiness!! I think those little notes and such are the best! 🙂 Sounds like a great weekend–that fruit is delicious I’m always so happy with those!
Would love your thoughts on sleep training! My little one will be six months old this week and is still up 3-4 times a night. Any ideas would be awesome!
I would love to hear about sleep training! I have a four month old.
I’m so with you on the scorch trials! Huge letdown. I turned it off halfway through thr movie, too. It was bad. Ohhh….someone else to clean my house?!? Yes please! That would be amazing. Looks like you had a great Valentine’s Day!
This mama of a 3.5 month old would Love to hear about your sleep training. I don’t know where to start!!
I would LOVE to hear about sleep training. My daughter is about two weeks younger than Chase. We are considering it but we aren’t quite there yet… any info would be so helpful to me!!
Also, I LOVE those sweatpants and I’m in the market for some new ones! Can you tell me more about them or where Ryan got them!?
Thanks!!!
Discovery Place looks like a lot of fun! I love science and technology museums! I’m also loving the fruit basket you got too!
You and Ryan are such a cute couple…I love your monthly date idea and your cute Vday tradition.
I would love to hear more about sleep training and any and all mommy related things 🙂
Love this Valentine’s Day tradition! I am thinking that we make our own cards/ notes next year……they are like $5-$8! It’s crazy! I’d rather have ice cream! lol
Also, please share alllll the baby related things! I am 32 weeks now and would love it hear!
Girl! You better share the sleep training story! Us mamas need to stick together! ?
Share the sleep training! I don’t even have children, but I love hearing about little Chase 🙂
Sleep learning post please!
Oh yes, I definitely need to hear about your sleep training adventures please!
Sleep Training Post PLEASE 🙂 My little one is almost 8 months and still waking up every night at least once. I’d love to hear details about what you’re doing!
I’d love to hear more about your sleep training experience. I have an 8 month old that still wakes up once a night to nurse (occasionally twice), and I do believe it’s more comfort than food, especially if it’s twice.
We sleep trained our now 9-month old at about 6 months. I also felt like it went way better than I thought it would. It gave me the impression that I had been holding him back with the night nursing, and that maybe I had denied him the opportunity of sleeping through the night! Just like with sitting, crawling, etc., he was never going to sleep through the night unless I gave him chances to practice and try…… and I’m so glad I did! Happy for you guys!
Love your baby posts!! My daughter is 11 weeks so it’s so inspiring to read your writing! Keep writing about that little guy and sleep training!!
I’d love to hear your adventures in sleep training as well! I have a son a week younger than Chase so in the same boat as you. He had been getting up once a night to nurse but it’s turning into 2-3 times. I know he doesn’t need it. We just need to bit the bullet and sleep train too!
Yes please with a cherry on top to the sleep training post!!!
That picture of Chase sticking out his tongue is too cute!! It actually made me laugh out loud. Sounds like a very fun low-key weekend/Valentine’s Day! I actually ended up buying my wedding gown on Valentine’s Day this year, which is super cheesy and coincidental but kind of cute at the same time – it gave us something else to celebrate at dinner!
What is a cricket in your bootcamp exercise?
I would love to hear about your sleep training. I have a 12 week old and could use some tips
Hope sleep training is going well! Seems like once we finally get into a good routine with sleeping, either a trip, teething or a cold kicks us back into sleep training mode so don’t fret if it seems you have to repeat the routine over and over! You got this girl! Your weekend looks amazing! Our little family of three didn’t do a whole lot but it was nice to just be together! And I hear you on the clean house, I told my husband when I go back to work my request would be someone else cleaning my house!
No kids of my own but curious about sleep training anyway! Would love for you to share!
I would love to read a post about sleep training! I have a 3.5 month old little boy and I’m starting to read about sleeping training. It would be great to hear about your experience 🙂
I would live to read about your sleep training! I have a 4 month old and am trying a few things but always helpful to read others experiences. Love your blog, always makes me smile!!
Please post about sleep training! My daughter is four months old and is similar to Chase in many ways. I’m wondering if you still put Chase to sleep with a binky? We do and our now running into the problem of having to pop it back in every hour when she wakes up or she has a major meltdown!
YESSSSS on the pacifier!! It is KEY for him right now! And believe me we played MANY rounds of “paci-pong” for months! Chase finally learned how to put his pacifier in his own mouth last month and it was a HUGE game-changer. I feel for you! Hopefully your little girl will learn to do that soon, too!
I would love to hear what method of sleep training you used! I have a 12.5 month old who still cosleeps and hates her crib and still wakes a minimum of two times a night and I’m pregnant with our second, so I need to get this under control! ?
I would love a post about your sleep training experience!
You guys are too darn cute! That photo of Chase is adorable. The family date at the exhibition and all was a great idea.
I would love to hear about your sleep training! Also, if you have gotten Chase to sleep without his Merlin suit. My little man is almost 6 months and the large seems to be getting a little small on him. (he is VERY long!) I have anxiety just thinking about him out growing it before we get him to sleep without it haha
Would love to see a post about sleep training. I have a newborn (16 days!) and I have loved going back over your pregnancy and now baby posts. It’s been so helpful!!