The Help -- Girls Night Out movie night!

Last night I met up with two of my sweet new mommy friends (who used to be sweet Junior League friends, but then we all became mommies, and 2 of us quit the League.....me being one -- I just couldn't commit to the time requirements with SB working and traveling as much as he is).  So.....we had all read the book, and were eager to see the movie.  My thoughts....well, I LOVED the book, and I liked the movie.  It was very true to the book's story, but somehow seeing it play out was very different for me than reading it.  I just didn't have the same strong emotions seeing it compared to when I read it.  Maybe because there are just so many story lines -- from the Civil Rights issues, to Skeeter's new love, to Celia Foote and all she endured, to Skeeter's actual writing and rejections - - I just felt like those topics were covered better in the book than in the movie.  However, the one thing I just loved about the movie was the fashion!  The dresses and hair were just so pretty, and sort of made me wish that we all still got gussied up like that for lunches.  Granted, it'd be totally impractical these days - but it would be fun. 

 

And now I'm off to tell my sweet little thing that he is kind, he is smart, and he is important.   (I love Abilene and Miss Mae Mobley - what a doll!)

Dog Crazy, courtesy of Etsy

After months and months of planning our nursery and online searches for all things baby, I am broadening my interests yet again.  For some reason, I'm kind of obsessed with our walls again, and trying to make our home feel a bit more "complete."  We still have pretty bare walls.  Granted, we have a lot more on them than when we first started out, but we still have a lot of bare spots.  We are having family pictures (and Logan's 6 month pics) taken this weekend (yay!!) -- so we should have some good shots for the living room walls. So now on to the point of this posting....  We are obviously pretty crazy about dogs given that we have two big, sweet, slobbery smoochers with us at all times.  I found these whimsical prints on Etsy, and I am thinking about getting one or two for our kid bathroom, or maybe even the laundry room.  I think they are just so cute! 

 Link for all of the prints above

 Link for the two above

 Link

And while I was searching for all things "labrador" on Etsy, I found these too....soooo cute:

 Link

Link

Yay fall...

Fall is definitely here, and I am loving the weather we've been having!  It's been bright and sunny, but the temperatures are nice and mild.  Yesterday Logan and I went for an hour run around a nearby lake, and it was just beautiful.  The breeze felt great, the sun was gorgeous (but not too hot), and there was a slight crispness in the air that makes for a great run.  Here are a few more things that make me excited for this new season:

Apple picking!!  I haven't gone in a few years, but I hope to go this year.  PLUS I am loving that Honeycrisp apples are back at the grocery store!

 Changing colors!!

 Football!!  College or pro, I love watching both!  SB is a UGA fan, so that is typically our team of choice.  I'm a Duke alum, and happily they've given us a few big wins this season already!  (and I'm from Madison, WI -- so the Badgers are always a fave too)

 

Pumpkin picking!  Hay rides!  I've never done either before, but I'm hoping to change that this year.

 

Pumpkin anything!!!  (but especially pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing)

 

Sweater weather!  Just bought this beauty at J.Crew this past weekend.  The color is gorgeous, and it's a wool/cashmere mix.  It feels divine (and the price is waaaay better than 100% cashmere)!

 

 

Jack-o-lanterns!  Halloween in general!  Logan is all set with his first Halloween costume ever.  He is so cute in it.  Of course I bought it like 3 months ago....another sign of a first time mom! (Let's hope he still fits into it!)

Warm lattes...mmmm (skinny, decaf until I'm done nursing)

Official Suburban Mommy Status

That's right, as of this past Wednesday, I am officially a suburban mommy.  One would think that title would come automatically by having a baby and living in the suburbs, but in my opinion, I only gained it this past Wednesday.  I attended my first night of Bunco in our neighborhood.  I'd heard of the game before, but hadn't ever played.  One of my sweet neighbors invited me, and it was awesome.  Well, I should say that the game itself is so/so -- but the group of young women in our neighborhood (who all happen to have babies under age 5!!!) was so awesome!!  I loved meeting everyone, and getting to know about 20 of my neighbors who live throughout our subdivision.  I can't believe we've lived here for two years and this is the first time I'd even seen 75% of them (and I run/walk through our neighborhood ALL the time!!).  I'm thrilled that we'll be getting together monthly -- in our neighborhood -- after Logan's bedtime -- and by the time SB will be home most of the time!  What fun!  (now if I can just learn to keep score and play while getting all wrapped up in fun conversations...)

Monday Night Football

 

Go Rams!!!!

SB is in NYC with the team, and Logan and I just returned from a long weekend trip to Wisconsin.  We had a great weekend with lots of family time -- a trip to the farmers' market, a fun family hike, some Scrabble games, a good run with my sister, and lots of tasty meals. 

Logan was a real champ on the 5.5 hour ride.  We stopped just once there and once on the way back to feed Logan.  I am really loving this stage -- 5.5 months old is lots of fun!  We have eating down, he is really interactive, but not totally mobile and into everything just yet :) 

God Bless America

 via

Land of the FREE, home of the BRAVE.

5 Months Old!!

It is with much amazement that we marked Logan's 5 month old birthday on Friday, September 2.  Somehow this month we noticed that he has gone from being a newborn to being a baby, from being a tiny little guy who didn't do much more than eat and sleep to a baby who loves to explore the world around him, who loves to bounce, and roll, and is trying hard to figure out how to crawl.  He loves listening to us read books, and has started to reach out to them (to put them in his mouth!).  He's very interested in whatever I'm carrying, and likes to try to hold it as well. 

Stats:
Weight:  ~18 lbs.
Height:  26.5"
Milestones:
Sleeping: You are now consistently sleeping through the night.  I feed you one last time right before you go to bed (around 7:30pm), and then you (for the most part) sleep through the night till 6:30 or 7am, when you wake up for breakfast!
Eating:  You ate like a champ this month.  You love your rice cereal, you started eating baby oatmeal, and it seems that you are not in pain anymore thanks to our reflux medicine.  You are a little more spitty these days though.  You have really gained a ton of weight this month (over 2 lbs!).  So much so that my elbows and arms are sore and tired from carrying you!
Clothing Size:  6-12 months, 9 month  -- every brand is different
Etc:  Your biggest milestone this month is that you now roll from your back to your tummy.  We find you in your crib on your tummy lots of times even though we put you down to sleep on your back.  We haven't been swaddling you (really every since 4 months or so) anymore -- so now you sleep in a "sleep blanket."  I bought you some new fall/winter clothes this month, and it appears that they aren't going to be as loose on you as I thought they would!  I hope they last longer than 1 month!  We had a really fun play date with your pals Tinsley and Caleb this month, and we'll see them again in October.  Daddy has been working long, long hours in preparation for the season.  Tomorrow marks the first regular season home game, and you'll be going to it with me and our neighbors.  I bought some special "noise canceling" headphones for you, so we'll see if that allows you to enjoy the game without all that noise.  I have no idea how long you'll be able to last at the game, but it will be worth a try!  We are absolutely in love with you, and we marvel at the new things you are discovering and doing every single day.  XOXO

A few outtakes from our photo shoot....the dogs wanted to make an appearance!  Logan LOVES to pet them, and sometimes breaks into giggles when he touches their fur.  I just love that.

 

Cute Lilly for Fall

Exercise, Pregnancy, and Working Out with Baby

A post by Abbie, of A Glimpse of the Girl Next Door, got me to thinking about how to fit in exercise during pregnancy and once you actually have a baby in the mix.

The number one thing you have to do throughout it all is listen to your body.  Especially when you're pregnant.

 via

So, this is my experience -- and of course, everything here is specific to me.  The best advice for you will probably come from your doctor. When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first questions I had for my doctor is how much I will be able to exercise during the pregnancy.  He advised that I could keep up with everything my body was already used to (running, tennis, classes at the gym), but suggested that I keep my heart rate below about 160 for any extended periods of time.  I invested in a heart rate monitor because I didn't know how else I'd know exactly what my heart rate was.  I like the Polar F6 Women's Heart Rate Monitor.  The bonus is it also tells you how many calories you burn, and it'll send you a report each week detailing how many times you worked out that week, total time, calories, etc.  There were times that I had energy to do a 3-5 mile run, there were times that all I could muster was a walk with the dogs, and in that first trimester, there were times when I just felt too ill to leave the couch.  I stopped running and intense classes at the gym at about month 4 (I didn't last long - it just wasn't comfortable for me).  I played tennis till month 7.  I did the elliptical, used free-weights and walked 3 miles till the very end.  I feel like because I stayed active throughout my pregnancy, I was able to bounce back to getting active post-pregnancy pretty quickly.  It didn't necessarily stop me from gaining weight -- I gained 45 pounds (yowza!), but the first 35 came off ~2 weeks after Logan was born (it was amazing!).  The next 5 pounds took like a month, and I'm still somewhere between 1-4 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, depending on the day.  I'm almost there....I will note that my body still feels totally different compared to pre-pregnancy.

So after Logan was born, in the first 6 weeks you're really only able to walk.  It was painful at first, so I would walk around the block, and slowly increase the distance/time.  Very slowly.  Don't rush yourself during that time while you're still healing.  After 6 weeks, I gained my doctor's clearance and I started to play tennis again, and jog.  Tennis was harder to work into the schedule as it meant I could only do it when SB was home and could look after Logan.  The best thing about running for me, is that I can bring Logan along with me.  The BOB Revolution is our jogging stroller of choice, and it is a-ma-zing  (highly recommend it with the infant attachment.  Worth every penny.)!!!!  I do feel lucky that working from home allows me to run before work if Logan wakes up early enough, during a lunch hour, or after work.  The heat we've experienced this summer limited my options - so I'd only do it if the temperature was comfortable enough for Logan.  I'm not sure if/when I'll be able to re-join the gym as Scott is just working too late right now for me to get away, but as long as I can get out and run a few days a week, I'm happy :)

The bottom line is that exercise is important for your health, and especially, if you're like me, it helps keep you happy.  It is worth the effort to fit it into your day.  Don't think of it as selfish, because it isn't -- you need to make some time for yourself, and you need to stay healthy!