Catching Up

I realize I have not posted anything in a long time!  I think we have been so busy trying to get out and do things that I am neglecting my more inactive activities, like blogging.

Today, the DiPinto grandparents came over to sprinkle some fertilizer on our lawn, but little man had just fallen asleep.  So sad when this happens because I know they only have so much time here with him before they head back up north.  So we made plans to get together tonight. 

Warhol and Photobooth attacked the sleeping baby!

So little man and I are hanging out alone today while Daddy works.  I spent the morning playing with his new toys and whipping up some new baby food.  Although he is too little to eat said food, I want to play around a bit before the actual time comes, so I know all the little tricks and roadblocks I might run into.  So far I have made the following:

• Brown rice cereal.   I tried this a few weeks ago by simply grinding the rice in the blender before cooking it up with some water.  I thought this came out a little too grainy though, and I even cooked it with waaay more water and for way longer than the recipe said.  I think this is due to my blender not getting the rice quite fine enough.  So, I bought a coffee/spice grinder the other day.  I still feel like there are some harder bits in there (compared to the super mushy rice cereal you buy at the store), but it's looking pretty good.
• Oatmeal.  I used the spice grinder to grind some of this up, but I did not cook it up.
• Apples.  This is pretty straight forward.  Steam apples on the stove for a bit, then puree.  Easy peasy.
• Nectarines.  I bought a bunch at Wal-mart yesterday because they were on sale and thought they would make great baby food.  So I peeled it, removed the core, and microwaved for about a minute.  Then I pureed.  It was delicious!!
• Bananas.  This was an interesting recipe in my book The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet.  It said to saute a banana with a tablespoon on unsalted butter for two minutes, then mash or puree.  The smell, OMG...the taste, OMG.  I wish I was a baby so I could justify eating buttery bananas all day.

Photo from Amazon

 Can't wait to scout the farmer's market to find even more things for him (and me) to try!

Foto Friday

This week I am straying from the typical Nash photo and deciding to indulge my narcissistic side.  A while back, a friend asked who our favorite fitness model was, and it reminded me about how I used to look to her for motivation.  It's appropriate then that I should look to her again as I seek to rebuild my body and find my strength.  So, here she is!

Jamie Eason

She has an awesome attitude, isn't shy about sharing her secrets, and has a really nice booty.  INSPIRATION!

Thoughts on My Gym Experience Today

First off, had a great workout!  Am feeling myself get stronger, although I can tell my running and my abs are waaaaay behind what they used to be.  I can only run for a few minutes at a time, but it's increasing little by little.  I can already see changes in my body, as my muscles start to peek back through.  Feels good!

BUT...I have some other thoughts to share (warning:  I'm a bit snobbish here...don't judge):

1.) Planet Fitness touts itself as "The Judgement-Free Zone."  Yes, "judgEment," not the grammatically correct "judgment."  And today I noticed a sign in the women's locker room that read, "Please do not dipose of sanitary blah, blah, blah..."   Yes, "dipose," not "dispose."  Come on, people!

2.)  Nothing annoys me more than the girls who clearly aren't serious about working out and yet take up valuable equipment space.  For example, today I was waiting to do back extensions because a girl was doing the weirdest, most ineffective crunches on the thing.  After I took a closer look, I got even more annoyed.  Hair down, wearing a regular bra, lifting the lightest weight on the machines, moving at a snail's pace with no apparent purpose/plan.  Um, come with your boyfriend even though you don't work out?!?  Get off the machines and go rent a DVD, chick!  Ugh!  Please note this is different than the regular gym newbie, which I totally understand and support.

3.)  I am not a gym snob by any means.  That is, I can work out in the most basic gyms, and would rather not pay an arm and a leg.  That being said, PF seems to be looking very dirty and rundown these days.  I wanted to roll out my hamstring today, but one look at the grungy, no-longer-white foam roller caused me to decide against it.  Dirty floors, broken equipment, ripped mats...  Ugh!  But I so don't want to pay the $50 a month for Pro Health (plus a $100 membership fee!!).  ::sigh::  Will just have to be sure to wash my hands thoroughly when I leave.

4.)  What kind of gym offers FREE PIZZA?!  That's right, not protein shakes or bars, not fruit or nuts...PIZZA!  PF does...come on!  How serious a gym can you be?!  Here's a link to a great review of PF...I tend to agree with most of what's in the article.

Menu Planning Monday

Since I don't have much time before the baby wakes up (again), here is a quick rundown of what we ate last week:

Monday:  Chicken, rice, green beans
Tuesday:  Shrimp pasta with basil pesto
Wednesday:  Homemade Pizza
Thursday:  Chicken tacos
Friday:  Free
Saturday:  Chili's Take out
Sunday:  Breakfast for dinner (pancakes)

Here is my plan for this week:

Monday:  Pesto-crusted tilapia, risotto, corn on the cob
Tuesday:  Shrimp stirfry with brown rice
Wednesday:  Chicken, black bean, and corn enchiladas
Thursday:  Salmon, couscous, and broccoli
Friday:  Free
Saturday:  I have drill so think I will pick us up some takeout sushi on the way home
Sunday:  Drill again, so leftovers it is!

Foto Friday

Rocking Sweet Shades During Play Time

Family Stuff and Me Time

Things are going pretty smoothly in the house now that we have a routine down.  Nash seems to be taking better naps and having better nights...although he is still only sleeping a few hours at a time.  It's kind of time consuming to give him a bath every night around 730 (those are peak hours, I tell ya) and almost impossible when Joe's not around, but I think it relaxes him.  Also, we have to figure out an alternative for Thursday nights since Joe usually takes a shower and gets ready for work around 830 on Thursdays and it totally wakes Nash up.  Perhaps we will try sleeping in our own room for that first little Thursday period.

So, last night being Thursday, Joe woke him up and he was uber cranky.  So cranky in fact that I had to put him in the Moby wrap (being immobilized tends to knock him out).  THEN he was cranky every single time he woke up!  Made for a rough night since I had to keep putting him in the moby wrap and then trying to take it off once he was asleep on my chest.

Image via The Sleep Store (nz)

 On that note, I am trying a new thing called the Miracle Blanket. It's sort of like a swaddle blanket meets straight jacket.  Just got it in the mail tonight and it's the first attempt.  He was definitely cranky like last night, so here's hoping.  He calmed down and feel asleep, but I am also hoping it will help him stay asleep a bit longer. 

The one thing that I am finding surprising is that I am not totally hating the time it takes for him to fall asleep enough for me to put him in the bassinet.  Each night I sing to him, rock him, rub his back, and let him fall asleep on my chest for at least an hour, sometimes more.  I thought it would be so boring and I would be hating it, but it's totally the opposite.  I use that time (spent in the dark, quiet, empty room) to focus on my breathing, think about things I need/want to do the next day, and just enjoy cuddling with Nash.  It's only an hour of my life, and it brings me back to when I didn't have tv or internet and spent a lot of time reflecting instead.  Good for the soul, I think.

Workouts and Weight Concerns

Today was my first day back in the gym in about 4 months.  It was officially my first time attempting to run since I was about 4 months pregnant.  Even though I know it is safe to run while pregnant (especially if you've always been a runner), I just couldn't get over the feeling that the baby was bouncing around.  It was just too much weight all in the front to be comfortable.

I was so happy Joe agreed to let me have this one hour three times a week.  It means he has to stay here alone with the baby, which I know makes him nervous because he feels like the baby is attached me and he can't console him.  But I really need my "me" time, and the baby will never be comfortable with him if he only spends an hour a day with him.  So I made sure I pumped plenty of milk for him and set him up with everything he needed before heading off to my playground.

I literally had to fight back tears of joy when I stepped on the treadmill...literally.  I was just so happy to be back to doing something I love, something totally for me, and something that I knew would make me feel good.  I haven't had much time to myself, to focus on myself, since the baby, so this was incredible.  I didn't go very far or very fast, but it was enough to get me back in the saddle without over doing it.  I also did about 30 minutes of weights, since I believe it's a balance of the two that achieves ultimate fitness (and a killer bod).

Afterward I had to hit up Wal-mart to pick up groceries for the week.  I was nearly finished and still floating on a cloud when this girl started talking to me.  She was like, "Wow, I keep seeing you everywhere."  You're here buying milk and we're getting half n half, that's so funny."  Meanwhile, I'm like, uh, I've never seen you before in my life.  Then she drops a bomb on me.  "Are you pregnant?" she asks all nonchalantly.  I am literally speechless.  Although yes, I did just have a baby six weeks ago, I actually weigh less than I did before I got pregnant.  And I think I almost look normal...definitely not pregnant.  So I stood there for about a minute...before I am finally able to say, "No, but I did just have a baby."  After finishing our conversation, I make my way to the checkout like a zombie...totally fucked up that some random person saw me and thought I was pregnant.  Ouch.

Only thing I can posit is that I do have a slight pooch because my abs are not strong right now, and maybe I wasn't sucking in or something.  And because I am skinny everywhere else with this little bulge, I must be pregnant.  Ballsy move, chick, nonetheless.  People didn't even ask me that when I was pregnant (until I looked like I swallowed a basketball).  Second time in a day I had to fight back tears...

Bitch.