I have a lot of randoms on my mind tonight, so this post is going to be all over the place. Consider yourself warned.
I have the best husband, and I love him so. Last week kicked off his busiest time of the year at work (and by busy I mean he is not home until after I'm in bed 2-3, and sometimes more, nights each week). Before we had Lilly, I worried about whether this year would be hard for me in regards to working full time and not having much (if any) help in the evenings during the week. I cannot say enough how committed Dan is to his role as a father, and how helpful and hands-on he is with Lilly. Every day I am thankful for him. For the past two weeks, on the nights when Dan hasn't had a work commitment, he has been home by 6:00 or 6:30 so that we can eat dinner as a family. He then gives Lilly her bath, reads her books, and puts her to bed (a task that is much easier for him now that she is fully weaned...more below). My favorite parts of the past week have been listening to them giggle at each other during bath time while I'm downstairs cleaning up the tornado that is my house (welcome to a one-year-old). After he puts L to bed, he turns on his computer and finishes the work that he didn't finish so that he could be home in time for dinner. Prince Danny, if you are reading, I just want you to know how grateful I am for your help, and that I do not take you for granted. I love that eating dinner together as a family is important to you and how you make it a priority when you can. Most importantly, I love how much you love our little girl, and I hope you know how much she loves her Daddy right back.
Some of my other thoughts are equally as sappy, so let's take a sap break for a moment and talk about how "operation starvation" is going. I have been pleasantly surprised and really happy with my progress so far. It has been a lot of work, a huge adjustment and really hard (and I've definitely considered quitting), but so far, it's been worth it. My Mom and I are using the same plan, and it's been really helpful to have a buddy. It's especially nice on days like today when I sent her an e-mail entitled "WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE ME?!" and then went into great detail about how clearly everyone in my office wants me to fail because there are approximately 7 boxes of girl scout cookies in the break room for sharing. I laughed out loud when her response was, "Have you ever eaten Jimmy John's and THROWN AWAY THE BREAD?! Because it was catered in today and that's what I had to do." HA! At least we're miserable together! But we've both seen progress and feel great, and that's all that matters. Here are just some of the meals I've been eating that have been my favorites so far (and super healthy to boot):
Breakfast Scramble |
Chicken Satays and Bok Choy, courtesy of Chef Prince Danny |
Turkey Lettuce Wraps |
More of what's on my mind: Lilly has officially been weaned. This was such a bittersweet experience for me, and I've blogged before about how much I was dreading weaning and how much I would miss nursing. I don't think it was so much about the actual logistics of stopping as much as it was an emotional thing. Nursing has been both my biggest test and my greatest accomplishment thus far in my limited parenting experience. It has been such a fulfilling year, and it has honestly been the most rewarding experience I've ever had. I know that sounds crazy, and I can't really put it into words very well, but it's the truth. Logistically, L made it super easy on both of us. Remember how I was anxious about going cold turkey since she was nursing before bed and hates cow's milk? I needn't have worried, because she essentially weaned herself. In the week after her first birthday, she honestly just ate less and less each night until I got brave enough to see what happened if we didn't nurse. Starting last Friday night (so one year, one week and one day old for anyone who cares), I let Dan take over her bed time routine. I thought it might be easier on all of us, and hoped that she wouldn't think anything about not nursing if he put her to bed since he was not the
This post is longer than I intended for it to be, so I'll wrap it up. The last thing on my mind is: when my child falls, WHY is it that the evidence of her battles with various household objects is always on her face?! I mean seriously, I know it's totally normal and that it comes with the territory of learning to walk/run/climb, but sometimes I worry that people who don't know me are going to think I'm a terrible parent. Is it too much to ask for her to bruise/cut/scrape somewhere that can be covered with clothing?! Remember when she fell out of the stroller with Carney? The evidence was on her face:
How about when she first started walking and lunged into the coffee table? Facial evidence:
Most recently (as in yesterday), she was trying to open a cabinet at the neighbor's house (did I mention she only wants to play with things she isn't supposed to even though we have a gazillion toys?) and fell into their entertainment console. Evidence? You guessed it. On the face. I somehow only managed to get this battle wound on video and I'm too lazy to upload it now, so you'll just have to picture a scratch and small bruise on her forehead above her right eye. Le sigh.
I have some other musings that I'll save for another day, because this one's a long one. Birthday party (and Christmas, for that matter) to come at some point in the future. :-)
I have no reason for posting the following pictures except that (a) they make the blog better and (b) I find Lilly's serious expression to be hilarious:
Serious face. WHAT. |
Daddy and Lilly playing in the "kitchen" |
Watch out, world! Crazy baby driver on the loose! |
The child loves black beans. I'm quite afraid she's going to turn into a black bean. |
Happy Tuesday!
Sarah
are you doing a no carb diet? I'm assuming that's why no bread/carbs in these photos and why your mom threw out her JJ's bread. Would love to hear more about your progress and what a standard day of food consists of!
ReplyDeleteI am going to e-mail you at your willtherebecake e-mail address because it will be easier than typing it all here. Plus, I'm long-winded. :-)
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