Morning
My morning began at 4:30 a.m. when Ryder began crying from his crib. He usually sleeps in until around 7 a.m. but a leaky diaper had him up extra early, so I stripped his crib, nursed him and rocked him for a bit in his nursery and somehow he miraculously went back to sleep. Phew!
Once I had Ryder settled back down for the day, I headed downstairs and ate a muffin topped with almond butter and said goodbye to Ryan before he headed out to meet up with a friend for a workout before work. (My muffin was a sweet potato muffin that I made by following my recipe for Chase’s favorite whole wheat pumpkin muffins. I simply swapped canned pureed sweet potato for the pumpkin and they turned out great!) I used the rest of my kid-free pre-dawn morning time to respond to time-sensitive emails and schedule a handful of social media shares.
About 90 minutes later, Ryder was up for the day and I nursed him again and brought him downstairs to play in his activity jumper while I made myself a cup of coffee. I’ve been making a mix of decaf + regular caffeinated coffee lately and topped off my cup with some foamy coconut milk.
I much prefer coconut milk from a can to the coconut milk that comes in a carton because it’s 10 times creamier. I just store the remaining coconut milk in a mason jar to use throughout the week and it works like a charm.
Chase was up around 7 a.m. and Ryder joined me in Chase’s room where we eased into the day by reading some books before we all got dressed and headed back downstairs for breakfast. On the menu for the boys = Eggs scrambled in coconut oil, waffles and a banana, plus some puffs to keep Ryder occupied while Chase helped me make the eggs!
After breakfast, Chase entertained Ryder while I packed his lunch for school and loaded up the car. I did the whole preschool drop off + settling Ryder down for his morning nap routine before making myself an egg white oatmeal protein pancake and a smoothie for breakfast 2.0. (FYI, I’ve been adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to my egg white protein pancake recipe and think the pancake is even better that way!)
And yes, I forgot to flip my protein pancake on the stove top as I was making my smoothie, hence its less-than-desirable appearance. At least it still tasted good!
My smoothie, on the other hand, looked and tasted good. I added Califia Farms’ probiotic drinkable yogurt to the Daily Harvest dragon fruit smoothie base before blending everything up and loved every last sip!
I’m still ordering regular deliveries of Daily Harvest cups and while I generally opt for the Harvest Bowls over the smoothies (simply because smoothies aren’t all that hard for me to make on my own), I do thoroughly enjoy the smoothies made with ingredients I don’t usually have on hand like dragon fruit, acai and lychee. (The mint + cacao smoothie will forever be my favorite! I cannot for the life of me replicate it at home which drives me a little bananas since the ingredients aren’t all that unusual.) If you’re looking for Harvest Bowl recommendations, two of my favorites are the Butternut Squash + Chimichurri and the Cauliflower Rice + Pesto bowls. They’re both fantastic and I usually add chickpeas, leftover chicken thighs or shrimp the bowls to give them a little more staying power for lunch. And just a reminder, if you want to give Daily Harvest a try, you can use my affiliate code pbfingers and get three free cups on your next order!
I polished off my smoothie and protein pancake while I worked on the computer and Ryder slept. Ryder took a decent nap which was wonderful and allowed me to get a bunch of work done. Once he was up, I nursed him and set him up in his high chair for a snack.
He’s into grabbing and tasting anything and everything these days so I used his curiosity to help me get through a little dinner prep. While I chopped veggies for a curry dish, I gave Ryder some leftover roasted broccoli and passed spoons, baby shakers and other toys his way to entertain him. It worked like a charm and I ended up having enough time to finish off the curry on the stove top before we had to leave for Chase’s preschool pickup.
Afternoon
By the time we were home from school, Chase was ready for a snack so I re-plated some of the uneaten food from his lunch along with a muffin and we headed upstairs for “picnic + stories” before the boys’ naps. I really, really try my best to get Chase and Ryder’s afternoon naps to sync up and lately I’ve been lucky and get about 45 minutes of afternoon nap overlap which is fantastic. I used this time yesterday to complete a quick garage workout with the baby monitor in tow and it felt good to sweat a bit.
My workout for the day started with 10 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill and concluded with about 20 minutes of upper body strength training. I followed my Everything One Minute Upper Body Workout and completed the exercises while I streamed part of the latest episode of The Bachelor.
Once I was done with my workout, I had just enough time to take a speedy shower and scarf down leftovers for lunch before Chase was up.
In my bowl: Moroccan marinated tofu, black lentils, corn, roasted broccoli and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Chase was up from his nap first and not long after, Ryder joined the party. We hung out a home for a bit while the boys played and I did some laundry. I wanted to wash the lining of Ryder’s two Rock ‘n’ Plays so we could store them up in the attic and of course I couldn’t help but have a mom moment when I realized we officially have a baby who is too big for the Rock ‘n’ Play now. How did this happen!?
It also made me think about how much we LOVED our Rock ‘n’ Plays for both babies and how similar Chase and Ryder seem to be when it comes to their baby product preferences. They were both all about the Ollie Swaddle and Merlin Magic Sleep Suit for sleep and the Baby Einstein Activity Jumper is, without a doubt, Ryder’s favorite playtime jumper just like it was for Chase.
Unfortunately this means the stuff Chase didn’t like was also a big-time flop with Ryder. Let’s just say the 4Moms RockaRoo was my biggest waste of money for both boys and I actually ended up passing it along to my sister whose daughter thankfully loves it! This made me wonder if any of you out there with multiple children noticed the same thing. Did your kids have similar preferences or were they totally different? Also, I’m curious to know what baby products everyone else’s babies seemed to love that your little one just didn’t like at all? What baby stuff works varies so much baby to baby so it’s always interesting for me to hear about what works and doesn’t work for certain kids!
Eventually the afternoon sunshine outside called to us and I figured we all could benefit from some fresh air. I leashed Sadie up and loaded the boys in the double stroller and we headed out off on a walk around the neighborhood.
It’s back to rainy weather again today so I’m glad we took advantage of the gorgeous sunshine when we did yesterday. Afternoon walks are my favorite and I am feeling very, very ready for spring.
Evening
By the time we made it home, Ryan was on his way home from work and everyone was ready for dinner. I reheated the curry I made earlier in the day and we dug in!
After dinner, I settled Ryder down for the night while Ryan and Chase played downstairs and then I said goodbye to my boys before driving off to a local coffee shop to meet up with my small group. We’re almost done with our latest study (we’re doing the David study from Love God Greatly) and it was really nice to get together and chat over a hot mug of tea.
I made it home for the night around 9:30 p.m. and Ryan and I caught up for a bit while I made myself a cup of Four Sigmatic hot cacao topped with frothy whole milk before bed.
I spent some time reading my latest book, Along the Infinite Sea, the third book in the Schuyler Sisters series I’m loving, and read until my eyes could no longer stay open. And now we’re all caught up! I hope you guys are having a great week so far!
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We’ve been keeping the rock n play next to the shower, and I just noticed yesterday that umm, my baby was SITTING UP IN IT WATCHING ME SHOWER. I looked over expecting him to be laying there playing with his toy and lo and behold THERE HE WAS. Completely upright. HAHA time to pack that sucker up!! It makes me sad like you though, because the rock n play was like the first thing we used when we came home from the hospital, so to me it totally symbolizes those precious newborn days!
Isn’t it crazy how one minute you’re using something every single day and then the next minute you never use it again!? Just a reminder how FAST the baby days go!
Is Daily Harvest really $8/smoothie? Wow, that’s steep. What makes it so good? I can’t fathom spending that on a smoothie. I have a hard time spending that on a meal I make at home…
It’s between $7-$7.75 depending on your order quantity and I totally get what you’re saying! It’s definitely not cheap (though in our area that actually is cheaper than our local organic juice/smoothie bars — crazy, I know) and that’s one reason I generally limit my smoothie orders to the ones that include more obscure ingredients I can’t easily find myself. It feels like a treat for me. I am actually more into the Harvest Bowls b/c they really do help me eat healthier during the week when I’m trying to quickly assemble a healthy lunch. Definitely not for everyone but I’ve personally really liked having the cups in my freezer to reach for when I need something easy and nutritious.
It’s not exactly a product but none of my three kids ever really loved being swaddled. In fact, my preemie HATED it…it almost freaked her out. Probably because she never got big enough to run out of space in the womb and was used to being all stretched out ?
So interesting! I wonder if there’s some truth to your thought!? I mean that makes total sense to me!
My kids loved to be swaddled, one was born at 34 weeks, the other at 32 weeks. Both my kids didn’t really care for the MommaRoo either. My first slept in a Rock n Play until she was 6 months old. Her feet were hanging over the end. I remember at her 6 month appointment the doctor told us to start lowering her crib mattress and I thought, we aren’t even in it yet. She was sleeping through the night and I didn’t want to rock the boat. The saddest part is now we’re are done having kids, so once they grow out of things, it’s done, over. You truly never know when something they do will be the last time they do it.
I’ve never heard of a hot cacao drink! Very interesting!
The Mamaroo was also useless for us! Thankfully it was a hand me down from my sister in law! Also, any silicone placemat/plate has been a waste of money because my son can yank it right off! ??♀️
Thankfully our Mamaroo was a hand me down from my brother because our little one did not like it. She liked the Rock and Play better but surprisingly liked the Boppy Newborn Lounger the most.
Also, we are just starting solids and I received two silicone placemats as gifts. We will see how that goes. 🙂
The rock n play was sleep GOLD in my house when my daughter was an infant. She slept soooooo good in that thing and it was a rough day when it had to come to an end. Thankfully the transition to the crib wasn’t completely terrible.
I tried not to buy a lot of stuff before I had her because I was worried about wasting money. My mom bought the rock n play once I realized she liked rocking to sleep, so I had a good feeling she would love it. That, and my Lillebaby carrier were hands down the most useful, amazing purchases. I still use the carrier to this day, and she’s almost 2.
If I had to pick, I would say the wipes warmer and the travel system might have been things we could’ve done without. My friends swore by the warmer but she never cared about warm or cold wipes. We also used the stroller that came with the carseat, but we purchased a running stroller pretty early on that we used a LOT more. It was so much easier to steer and a smoother ride for her. We didn’t run with it obviously when she was really small, but we used it for walks. She also loved being worn, so I used my carrier a lot more than the stroller.
Random question but do you wash the wubbanubs in the wash? My little one also has many but I struggle with keeping them clean!
I do!!
Great post Julie! I am so bummed when my second son outgrew the rock n play! We just took down our crib after having it up for over eight years! My boys are almost 5 years apart and even though my older son never liked the my breast friend nursing pillow, I kept it for my second child just in case. I ended up using it a lot with my second!
Apparently Monday’s episode of The Bachelor is going to be the most dramatic episode of all time. The fence jump is finally going to happen. Would love to know your thoughts about Colton and the girls. This season has been a little crazy but I have never missed a season since 2002!
So, so many people raved about the rock and play, but I think my son may be the only baby who wasn’t into it! He could take or leave it, and we only used the rocking motion a few times because it never seemed to make a difference. We ended up packing it up after only 2 months!
My son who is the oldest hated being cold so we got a wipe warmer for diaper changes. My daughter couldn’t care less so we ended up not using it for her. Also, I bought a swing like the Graco Everyway Soother swing and both kids hated it. I could pop the seat of it out and when they had stuffy noses I would set them in it for naps, but didn’t touch it otherwise.
Can you share the curry recipe or where you got it? The last curry recipe I tried was a fail!
Yes! It’s the Healing Lemongrass Curry from Ambitious Kitchen! I altered it a bit just b/c of the ingredients we had on hand but this is the basic recipe I followed: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/healing-lemongrass-chickpea-thai-green-curry/ So, so good!
Hands down the biggest flops we had were a swing (never ever put either of them to sleep) and pacifiers (neither of my kids took one – although the older one was a thumb sticker and is now trying to break the habit of at 5.5 yrs old). But both freaking loved the rock and play! That thing was such a lifesaver and was the only way I got a shower in the early days.
I’ve been wanting to try Daily Harvest and may have to pull the trigger after seeing that smoothie – yum!
Agreed on the Rock ‘n’ Play! That’s why we ended up with TWO! Ha! One downstairs & one in our master bathroom so I could shower 🙂
Pacifiers! I swear we had a hundred of them and not one of my triplets would use them after about a month of being home from the NICU. And can we talk sippy cups?! It took me forever to find one that wouldn’t spill, I could clean really well, and didn’t spit milk out of the straw for no reason! I felt like I was throwing money out the window.
which sippy cup did you find that you love? we loooove the lollacup and used those for chase but i can’t carry it loose in my bag because it will leak if it tips over.
The Nuby brand. They leak a tiny bit if tilted a certain way with milk but by far the best ones I have found!
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nuby-Thirsty-Kids-Flip-It-Soft-Grip-Soft-Spout-Sippy-Cup/55303241
Just adding another sippy cup perspective, these are our favorites. They only leak if they’re thrown really hard on the floor (it happens!). And they have a top to help transition to a full cup option.
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Transitions-Sippy-Training-Green/dp/B019FZ16K8/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1ZH6T79PVLVDL&keywords=oxo%2Bsippy%2Bcup&qid=1551408685&s=gateway&sprefix=oxo%2Bsipp%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-6&th=1
thank you!!!
My daughter HATES the rock n play at home. We were so pissed after everyone talked it up to be the #1 must-have magic contraption. But wouldn’t you know, the day we sent her to the babysitter when I returned to work she napped in the rock n play there for 3 HOURS. Go figure.
I am definitely going to try the coconut milk!! I have a frother and I never use it since I don’t generally like milk but I think I would love coconut milk!!!
My little one never slept in his Halo bassinet, not one night. Luckily it was a gift from my mom, but I still hate that she spent the money. And he never really warmed up to the MamaRoo either. It was also a gift, but just feels so wasteful.
Rock and play was a flop for both of my boys. But the Wubanubs…. OMG My oldest is obsessed with “Doug” the dog and “Jeffery” his giraffe. He enjoys the paci but also loves the stuff animal.
I think I overspent $$$ on the double stroller. I thought I HAD to have one… but we don’t use it that often! I wish I would have gotten a cheaper, more practical one… I find myself using our Chico Bravo single for the car seat and just carrying my 20 month old.
My two boys were sooooo different!!! My first never slept in the Halo bassinet. He would lounge in the Boppy lounger for hours on end, or the play mat or jumper. My second loved the halo bassinet and was pretty much on the go from day one. He started doing backflips out of the Boppy lounger so soon, only lasted with the play mat for about a month and hated being in the jumper. He was always on the go! Full on crawling by 5 months then walking by 9months! He’s so active where my older son is much more into sitting and playing
The Munchkin Miracle 360 is our favorite sippy cup!
https://www.munchkin.com/miracle-360-6oz-trainer-cup-blue-whale.html
I love posts like these, Julie! Thanks for giving us a peak into your daily life 🙂 I have an almost 12-week-old and we are still working on a routine, and I can never get enough done! So I love seeing how other people manage the days. I didn’t have a bouncer for my daughter at first (we have the dock a tot and the rock n play, and a pack n play with the bassinet insert) but I realized she really likes to be more upright and able to look around and see what’s going on, so I bought her a bouncer and it’s been great! And it was only like $35. I can put her in that to get ready in the morning, make the bed, do some dinner prep or wash dishes in the kitchen, etc.
My daughter wasn’t a big fin of the baby bjorn carrier. I think I missed the window of opportunity with it and tried too late.