Good morning, my friends! How are you doing today? I survived what I can only assume was Chase’s first big growth spurt yesterday. He was cluster feeding like a maniac and I felt like quite mama milk machine. Ryan said my one-handed skills are quickly improving as I get more and more comfortable juggling a baby and tackling random tasks simultaneously, but for the most part all I really want to do right now is cuddle Chase, kiss his soft face and give him all my love. And that’s basically all that’s been going on in the Fagan household these days!
I am typing up today’s Things I’m Loving Friday post with a sleepy baby on my lap. (One handed typing is an art I have yet to master, but I’m trying!) Below you will find a short list of things that are making me smile this week. (I did my best not to make every single bullet point baby-related!) As always, please feel free to chime in and share something that is making you smile as well.
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Ross and Leslie’s Arrival
My sister and brother-in-law (and their chocolate lab!) left Jacksonville around 6 a.m. this morning and are currently en route to our house in Charlotte! They will be spending the weekend with us as they get to know their new nephew. I am so, so excited for Leslie and Ross to meet Chase and know he will love them dearly! Woo!
- Honey Sriracha Chex Mix
Breastfeeding hunger is REAL and I cannot stop snacking these days. My mom took the time to throw together this easy-to-make Chex mix on Tuesday and I was psyched… and then addicted! It is so, so good and I love the unique spicy/sweet flavor. We had no trouble polishing off an entire batch in less than 24 hours.
- Grey’s Anatomy
When I was in college, a bunch of my sorority sisters would gather together in the living room of the Kappa Delta house to watch Grey’s Anatomy every week. I was never into it because I am horrible with medical stuff and came in one evening when the show zoomed in on a surgery of some sort that totally flipped my stomach. Well, now that I am glued to the couch for hours on end as I nurse Chase, I was looking for a new source of entertainment and stumbled upon Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix and decided to give it another shot. Now that I’ve made it through labor, I think I can make it through fake medical emergencies on a random drama TV show, right!? I’m a few episodes into the first season and enjoying it a lot so far. Great mindless breastfeeding entertainment!
- $3 Target Cup
Though my Bubba Keg is still my BFF since it holds a ton of water, I couldn’t resist this adorable $3 cup when I saw it on sale at Target a few weeks ago and have been pouring some of my favorite sparkling water in it and sipping from it every day. I’m a sucker for the gold and mint green colors. The $1 and $3 spot at Target gets me every time! (Side note: My friends at La Croix sent me some of their new flavors to try and the pink grapefruit cantaloupe La Croix is fantastic. So refreshing!)
- Food from Friends
Ryan and I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends in our lives and we have yet to make one dinner ourselves since Chase arrived thanks to meals our friends have brought to the house or had delivered from afar (and thanks to my amazing mom)! We’ve had pizza, barbeque, Chinese… The works! I am so grateful for everyone’s thoughtfulness and generosity. (Special thank you shout out to my blogging buddy Monica and real life BFF-turned blogger Laurel since I can link to them! Everyone else needs to start a blog ASAP so I can stalk their lives online, too.)
After a few nights of nursing Chase under way-too-bright lights, I placed an order on Amazon Prime for a Himalayan salt lamp, thanks to Gina’s recommendation. I am in love with it! The soft glow is perfect for middle-of-the-night feedings and it has a calming effect I adore. (You can actually control the level of light the lamp emits which is fabulous.) I cannot recommend this one enough to any of my expectant mom friends out there. I didn’t really think too much about what lights we’d turn on during late night feedings before Chase arrived and only wish I would’ve had this lamp ready and waiting for us when we arrived home from the hospital.
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
And, just for fun…
- For my fellow mamas out there: Did you binge-watch any shows while feeding your baby? Any recommendations?
I know Colleen is all about Bloodline… That one is on my radar! Right now Grey’s Anatomy is entertaining me, but Friends will always be my go-to show when I am looking for something to make me laugh.
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Oh girl, I have seen every single episode of Grey’s since it first came out back in high school! Just wait! 🙂 Chase is SUCH a cutie!!! You are making me so excited and giddy about our own! Enjoy this time!
Hi Julie! That’s awesome your sister will be there to meet little Chase this weekend. And as far as all of your friends jumping in and giving you food, another wonderful thing. So glad you could say hi to us today! Chase is adorable. 🙂
I cannot get over how adorable Chase is!
That Chex mix sounds delicious! I will have to make that soon!
I love, love, love Friends! It has always been my go-to show! Another odd, but funny one is the Drew Carey show!
Thank you! And the Chex mix was seriously SO good. We’re making more this afternoon to have on hand for the weekend… if it lasts. 🙂
If you want REAL mindless TV, check out “Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23” and “Drop Dead Diva.” They’re both good for “half paying attention” TV, and I watched both post-surgery when I was always in and out of consciousness!
And omg, THAT LA CROIX. I’m so ready for those flavors to hit the shelves. Gimme!
OMG Don’t Trust the B! Yes!! We watched that while it was on and were so sad when it went off the air. SO funny, so mindless, haha!!
my breastfeeding show was scandal!
THE BEST!
Chase is adorable!!! Congrats on making it through your first growth spurt! Cluster feeding can be tough but its all worth it in the end 🙂 I wish I had that lamp during night feedings!! Definitely getting it for Baby #2. I would recommend the show Friday Night Lights on Netflix…I was obsessed with it! Bloodline is also very good. Enjoy your time with your sister!
I loved watching Parenthood when I was nursing or pumping for my twins. It’s kind of cheesy but also heartwarming!
I watched the first two episodes of Parenthood a year or so ago and could not get into it. Everyone always RAVES about it! Did you feel like it sucked you in right away or did you have to power through a few episodes at first?
I loved that show, but I feel I always have to power through the first two episodes to get a good feel for any new show. Also, I’ve teared up sooo many times watching Parenthood, so I can only imagine once you’ve gave birth with the hormones and such! Just FYI.
Hang in there with Parenthood, I promise you will not be sorry! It’s such a relatable show now matter who you are. Another couple good ones for mindless but good watching is Gilmore Girls and Hart of Dixie, both are cute girly shows. Have a great weekend and enjoy family time with your sweet boy 🙂
I would give Parenthood another shot too. Something about being a new parent that totally sucked me in! We also got sucked into The Good Wife and The Office Reruns.
My babies were born before Netflix! But I majorly binge watched Law & Order when my daughter was born 17+ years ago. It was on a couple of cable channels all the time! I’m Telling you she knew the opening theme music and would hold up and shake her little hand to it by the time she was about 6-8 mos. Truth!!! (It was so cute)
Enjoy this time because when you have your second baby you’ll be binge watching Disney Jr. shows while you nurse baby 2 so Chase will sit still and not get into mischief while you nurse. 🙂
Friends! It’s actually part of our bedtime routine now: bath, nurse while watching an episode of friends, bed. We went through the same thing with lights, it’s just not something you think about ahead of time!
Yes! I was using Ryan’s hiking headlamp at first for nighttime feedings — haha! The salt lamp is a much better fit. 🙂
I binge watched ALL of the shows during my time breast feeding. The list is frighteningly long. Community, The good wife, Bones, The Mindy Project, The New Girl, an alarming amount of project runway… that’s just a few of them. It’s unbelievable how fast you can power through shows when you’re trapped on the couch under a newborn.
I watched the entire Friday Night Lights series on my maternity leave. Sooo good! That’s actually the advice I give when new moms ask: find a TV show you love watching because it’ll make those middle-of-the-night feedings and marathon nursing sessions just a little easier. Glad to hear all is going well, Chase is adorable!
Loving your baby posts & congrats on your beautiful family! I’m loving summer weekends! My husband has been working a LOT of overtime lately, so this weekend he is off work and we wasted no time at all to book the last camping slot in gorgeous Traverse City, MI (shout out!) for a mini weekend away. There are bike rides and lazy beach naps in our future for the next few days with my FAVORITE person in the world 🙂 Cannot Wait.
Product Love – camelbak water bottles! I had a water bottle lid not hold this week on my way to work. Needless to say, I had to run home to change and was a little late to work that day. So I am investing in CamelBak spill proof water bottles that I can shake, fill, drop, and no messes! They even have some bike bottles that are pretty awesome too! 🙂
I’m just loving the updates…and the new LaCroix! Have a great weekend!
chase is the sweetest!
How fun that your sis & husband are coming! I always loved that newborn phase when people I loved most met my new darling. Have such a lovely weekend!
p.s. that salt lamp does sound kinda amazing. I will for sure check it out b/c our 2nd baby is due next week!
Oh, and I binge watched Biggest Loser & Once Upon a Time when L was born–it was kinda awesome that I got to just sit there & watch show after show. Haha!
My boyfriends mom has one of those salt lamps that she is always recommending to people.
We bought a new car last week. Although we don’t feed it or change it, it’s like our baby!
Loving all the Chase pictures! How freaking cute is he? So exciting that your sister is coming up and I hope you have a fantastic weekend with them. I’m currently loving all the fall shows starting up- America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway specifically!! ANTM is a great binge watching show 🙂
Congrats to surviving your first cluster feeding! They can really take it out of a momma. Not a TV show, but I know you like podcast and one I love that pertains to parenthood (especially early years) is The Longest Shortest Time.
The Good a Wife – so addicting and perfect to binge watch!
I binge watched the entire series of How I Met Your Mother. It was perfect, entertaining, funny and you only needed to half pay attention ? enjoy your new little man.
Chase is adorable. So very happy for your guys!
I got hooked on Grey’s for the first 4 or 5 seasons then lost interest because my life got busy. Keep us up to date on how you like the series, then I’ll consider watching the rest of the seasons. I’m re-watching Gossip Girl right now, and my husband and I just started Breaking Bad.
Have a nice weekend!
1. That Chex Mix is getting in my belly at some point this weekend.
2. Things I’ve been loving: Your baby posts! Chase is such a cutie patootie!
3. I became an Aunt a year ago and live a ways from my nephew. Things to to expect from Auntie; many, many facetime calls requesting Chase, not you Mom haha. Sorry, show show us the baby!
I’m in Seattle right now for my Babymoon and was just thinking about how Grey’s Anatomy would make a great binge watching when the baby comes show! I used to watch it in college, but it’s been YEARS!
So happy for you and your little family! I am not a mama but I do binge watch shows anyways – Lost series a while ago, Orange is the New Black, Arrested Development, and Entourage are some of the recent ones 🙂 Have fun with your sister and brother-in-law!
Woo I’m a link! That ziti does look cheesy! Hope everything is going great. Thinking of you all! xox
Chase is so sweet. I have one of those salt lamps already and it might end up in the nursery now…or I will get another one!!! I am going home from the hospital today with my baby who was born on Wednesday and can’t wait. I see a lot of Grey’s and other Netflix series in my future too! Have a great weekend. 🙂
Friday Night Lights and Big Bang Theory! 🙂
Lol I did the same thing with my newborn last summer watching Grey’s!! It’s the perfect show because you don’t really have to pay attention. I tried scandal but I kept missing stuff and getting confused haha. I’m kind of mad at you because your son is so cute and making me want another baby.
I cannot stand blood and guts, but oh man I love Greys. My husband is actually the one who got me addicted to watching it. He is a firefighter-paramedic so the blood never bothers him. I always look away and he then tells me when it is safe to look again 🙂
I binge-watched “Parenthood” while breastfeeding my baby! So good! And on a related note, she is almost 14 months old, and I am weaning her this weekend. In fact, we had our last nursing session (sob! ?) this morning. She is my 3rd and likely my last baby to nurse, so I’m feeling slightly emotional about it. Enjoy every minute nursing sweet baby Chase!! He is a doll!!
I’m due in three weeks and am looking for breastfeeding binge-watching shows too! I will say that Bloodline, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and House of Cards are really good! Parenthood is a tear-jerker but so so so good.
I need a new salt lamp- somehow ours got lost in our move! I’m so glad you have some amazing friends 😀
I bought the same salt lamp for the exact same reason too! We still use it as a night light, even though I am not nursing in the middle of the night anymore. I love it!
Loved watching Witches of East End while pumping!
Oh man, reading this makes me so excited to meet my baby girl in December. Is breastfeeding going well for you? I always found the beginning to be challenging!! I love reading how you and baby Chase are doing, he is simply precious. God bless your sweet family!
I only make chex mix at Christmas. It’s one of those treats that are so good I just can’t make it more often than that or else it would disappear instantaneously.
I LOVE my salt lamp, definitely a constant favorite in my life! That Chex mix looks yummy as well! So happy that everything is going well with you and the baby!
My little boy will be 3 weeks old tomorrow, so I am loving reading all of these nursing show suggestions! I have my daytime shows (ones that can be a bit creepy at 3am – currently loving NCIS) and my nighttime ones (Property Brothers, Gilmore Girls, and Cedar Cove which is really cheesy but good for when my mind can’t process a lot of plot.) I am so grateful to have Netflix!
I became addicted to Modern Family when I as nursing my son. Such a great show- lots of laughs and relatable moments. Congrats on the birth of baby Chase!
I binge watched tons while nursing (now my 6 month old tries to watch tv while I nurse her so it’s pretty much over now hah-) but in her early months I watched gossip girl, Brooklyn 99, The Mindy Project, parks and Rec, switched at birth, married at first sight. Pretty much anything and everything. Congrats again!!
With our first baby, I watched every single episode of One Tree Hill!
This post made me smile! I have such fond memories of binge-watching shows while I was breast-feeding – my husband and I would watch 24 and Parks & Recreation…a good balance of drama and humor! 🙂 Have a great weekend with your family and excuse me while I go make that Chex Mix…haha!
Modern family! It’s funny and a quick 20 minute watch. I can sit and watch reruns all day. And I have while nursing my new little one. Btw. Cluster feeding is rough! Hang in there!
When I was breastfeeding my go to show was Nashville and 90201. Recently, my husband and I have found Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Tina Fey is a producer and it a great show! We cannot wait for next season but it does not come out until March 2016.
I binged watched Friends (10 seasons didn’t last as long as I thought it would :P) and Game of Thrones (something I wouldn’t normally watch but it was there).
If you haven’t watched Gilmore Girls, you must! It is my all-time favorite show!
Sounds like things are going really well!! Chase is seriously adorable! I’m so glad you’re surrounded by family and love and getting to love on your little one!
So happy to see updates on baby Chase. He is one cute little man! Keep the updates and pictures coming! xo
That little Chase is too stinkin’ cute! So glad to hear you’ve have friends and family there to help. It really does make all the difference in the world. I remember watching tons of Sister Wives episodes on Netflix when Hunter was first born. Ha! I was always so intrigued by that family.
I spent my entire maternity leave watching bachelor (sean lowes season) and topped it off with Downton abbey… both were watched only while nursing!