A Free Moment...

Whew.

This past weekend, yes I realize we are three days into the short week, was quite the whirlwind. Here I chat all about how we stay home a lot, haven't been getting out, don't have many plans and then all of a sudden the "inaugural" week of summer comes--Memorial Day Weekend--and we are out and about and realized it will be a little bit non-stop for the next few weekends!

Friday, we were up early-ish and out and about running errands. Replacement social security card for me, emissions for Ben, Costco for the family and then home to enjoy the rest of the sunny day. My parents stopped by for a short bit around dinner time to say hi to the baby and then we grilled and hit the sack.

Saturday morning, we were up earlier and trying to time out a feeding and then nap time for Eleanor around 9ish because we were hitting the road. Our group of college friends have been going on the same camping trip since freshman year of college and since it's less than a two hour drive from home, we decided to go up for the day and say hello to everyone. The morning was great, E went to sleep in the car and then it felt like all hell broke loose because we were picking up a friend at A park and ride but apparently there was a mis-communication about which one. Well, we ended up getting lost, having to back track and listening to our whining dog. Eleanor slept most of the time but woke up about 15 minutes from our destination. Had we not been such idiots about the getting lost and such, she would have slept the whole way! Oh well. 

We arrived at the site and hung out for a few hours. We got to catch up with some friends, have lunch enjoy being outside in the nice weather and then we tried to feed and get back on the road for another nap in the late afternoon. Well, she slept the first half hour to forty five minutes but once we got off the freeway to drop our friend back off at his car she was not having it and cried the whole rest of the way home. About another forty five minutes. Awful to listen to but we made it. We played outside a little bit when we got home and I made dinner.

Sunday morning we got up a little slower, made breakfast and then headed about an hour south to some friends' house to visit with them and their seven month old baby girl. We had lunch, some yummy burgers, and played some Xbox Kinect--which Ben even got me to play the Micheal Jackson dancing game. I am NOT a dancer. But it was fun!--and then tried to time out feeding and napping again. This time it worked perfectly and Eleanor was a perfect, little passenger snoozing all the way home!

Monday morning we got up slowly and then headed over to my parents' so that Ben could help my dad slaughter their chickens they had been raising and then we had a late lunch. It was quite the experience seeing the chickens so I pretty much stayed in the house. Obviously I eat meat and it isn't about feeling bad for the animals but more the gory details. Ben and I were talking about how weird it is that most people, including us most of the time, are so far removed from their food and where it comes from. I love the idea of raising my own food whether it be a cow or a head of lettuce.

Anyway, we had lunch, my parents played with E for awhile and then we headed home to relax for a bit before having to gear up for Ben to head back to work on Tuesday.

Come Tuesday, Eleanor and I were playing around the house and I noticed she had some sniffles--I had never seen snot come out of her nose before--as well as a little cough and some sneezing more than normal. Ben let me know he was working from home on Wednesday which he decided before we knew E had a little cold coming on. Wednesday night was not pleasant, we took shifts trying to sleep with her because she was not wanting to lie down by herself so I was either nursing her or Ben had her in the recliner. It was a rough night to say the least. It was great timing that Ben stayed home yesterday and having the both of us here was so great. Ben tried to explain to me that it was good that she had a little cold and it would build her immunity up even more and even though I know that to be true I still figured I could keep my daughter in a bubble as long as possible avoid sickness a little longer.

We used Simple Saline "Baby" to flush out her nose and although it was obviously not fun to blast something up her nostril, it help a lot and we got a lot of mucus out every time. The only downfall of it is that we were only able to use it on each nostril twice and it was five bucks for the container. Slight ripoff.

Anyway, the babe did a little better last night, is on the mend today and woke up talking, laughing and crawling around the floor. Such a relief to my heart because I cannot stand it when she can't tell me what's wrong, she has a pitiful look on her face and we can tell she just doesn't feel good.

That's what's been going on around here. A whirlwind weekend, a baby that didn't want anything but snuggles from mom and dad the past couple of days and tomorrow is already Friday again!

Friday Letters

Dear FOUR day weekend: I love you. Yes, Hub has today through Monday off. Super exciting. We actually have plans, too! Dear New Phone: I think I will learn to love you. I am not too tech-savvy so it will take some getting used to but I think we will grow to become dear friends. Dear Baby Sleeping on My Chest: You are so warm and cuddly and I never want you to stop! Dear Holly: I am sorry we haven't been very good dog parents lately. We are trying, really. I hope you know that Eleanor will be your best friend soon enough and I promise that you will have all the attention you can handle soon enough. In the meantime, I promise to try and get you out more. Dear Chickens: I cannot believe how much you have grown. Also, it is fun for us to create little personalities for all of you. There are some tendencies that all of you have that lead us to create these personas. Don't worry, we aren't crazy. Dear Costco: Why do you always rob us of all our money? We go in with a list and within 2.5 seconds of being in the door, the list is thrown by the wayside and our cart is full of items that were not on our list. We are weak to your forces, I tell you. Dear BBQ: Gosh, I love your ways. Love the char you put on my food, the scent you give off while cooking it and the ease and quick clean-up you provide.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Hope you all enjoy!

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Small Pieces of Fabric can Talk Big...

I love summer. There is no doubt about it. I would love to live in an area where we had more of it but that is not reality right now. We definitely like to make the best of what summer we do have around here by grilling, going down to the lake, going on walks, camping here and there and whatever other summer activities we may dream up. I'm sure this summer we will probably even take a couple trips to the zoo. Even though E may be a little young to understand it, she will obviously like to get out and take in all the sights!

One thing I am a little nervous about for summer is ... a post-baby-body bathing suit. 


Let's face it. I haven't actually bought a real bathing suit in quite a few years. I was the same size for quite some time and since we don't get too long of a summer stretch, my suits don't get too worn out. A couple years ago when I had a wild hair to do a sprint triathlon I bought a couple pieces that I would wear during the swim portion. Basically a sports bra and some little Nike bootie shorts. Cute as they are, I'm not quite in the shape I was then.

So, thoughts of one pieces have commenced.

They are not the oober-mommy-looking suits they once were. There are some downright stylish, cute ones. I don't know why I am so obsessed with the idea of a swimsuit. I don't always wear one. But I think I would if I had a cute one that I felt good in. I got the Nordstrom book last week and of course I found cute ones in there. But, I'd be really off the deep end even more than I already am to think that I could drop that sort of coin on a small piece of fabric!

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I love the bunching in the middle to hide the lil' pooch I still sport. I also love the navy and white--clean and classy.

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So yes, technically a two-piece but covering up what I want to cover up. I know the tie-dye is a little crazy, but I do love that it's different and I am always a sucker for purple.

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Very cute print here and again, I love the bunching in the middle.

I am obviously seeing a little pattern here in all the styles I like. These suits, in regular me fashion, are all well out of my price-range. However, I feel like this may be a good jumping off point to seek out the styles I like in a little more wallet-friendly atmosphere. 

We are going on a vacation with friends in early September and even though that is still a ways away, I think it will be fun to have a cute suit that I am not embarrassed to put on!

A Spontaneous Outing

Last Friday afternoon, E and I stopped by my best friend's house. She has an eight month old and a four year old, both boys. The baby was making noise, the little boy was running around and she kind of looked around and said, "We need to do a girls' breakfast. How about this weekend? I need a break from this!" I kind of laughed and said yes that would be fun.

We had tried to do this for a few consecutive weekends a few months back but it never ended up working out. She invited another good friend of ours but she had to work. I woke up to a text from my friend at about 7:30am Saturday morning saying, I'm ready when you are. I always talk myself out of leaving the baby, of getting out of the house, of timing out the feedings properly so this morning I didn't do any of that. I got dressed, let the hub know the plan and waited until Eleanor was hungry, fed her and then texted my friend. She came, picked me up and we went.

It was a beautiful morning and the place we picked for breakfast was really quaint. It is in a town close to ours but neither of us had ever been for breakfast. We ordered big breakfasts, took our time, visited and relaxed. This girl has been my friend since about third grade so we go way back. She was my maid of honor and I will be in her wedding next year. We have been there for all the big milestones of our lives. In fact, I was laying in be last night, or rather after our morning feeding this morning, thinking of some words to use in a speech at her wedding. 

She went out of state for college but it seemed like our bond strengthened after that. We just always kept in touch. Even if we got busy and didn't talk for a couple weeks, it never mattered. It still doesn't. 

Even though both of us are busy with babies, families, partners and many other life situations we know we can always connect somehow. We used to just pick up and go wherever together, in the car listening to music, head to the mall, to get coffee-- all those fun things young gals do but these days it isn't quite that simple. But that's ok. 

A simple, Saturday morning breakfast was just what we needed.

A New Spin on Peach Cobbler

Like everyone else, I peruse Pinterest. I wouldn't say I look at it all the time but of course I have lots of pins that I haven't "made" but always want to. So this weekend I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try a recipe.

I saw it a couple months back and thought it was so cute.

Source: sugarderby.com via Allyce on Pinterest

I looked at the recipe a couple days before to see if I needed to get anything at the store since I was headed there. The day of Mother's Day I looked at Pinterest again to see what to do and the website with the recipe was gone! I Googled other canned peach cobbler recipes and found this one. The cobbler was easy to make so we took the pan of cobbler, the cones and ice cream to my parents' for the Mother's Day dinner.

After dinner, Ben scooped everything into the cones and served it up.

Our overall review was that, although it was fun to have it in the cone, it wasn't really beneficial to the cobbler. The cobbler was under the ice cream and obviously we ate the ice cream fairly quickly so as not to melt, but that didn't give it any chance to melt over the cobbler which is usually the best part of a cobbler--melted ice cream on top! Also, I am usually only one for using fresh fruit in cobblers and probably would not go the canned peach route again. Just not much flavor. 

A fun experiment but not over the top excited about it. Buy, hey, it was fun to actually try one of my pins!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I am loving that we have a BBQ to go to this weekend to celebrate some friends moving into a new house!

I am loving this fun cake for a spring BBQ.

Source: zoebakes.com via Erin on Pinterest

I am loving these cute dresses.

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I am loving this beautiful, spring weather we have been having!

Source: weheartit.com via Aukse on Pinterest

I am loving that we have our chickens in their coop and our garden planted. A couple months from now we will be enjoying some fresh eggs and fresh produce!

I am loving taking pictures outside because the natural light is so beautiful. I, by no means, think I'm any kind of photographer, but the natural light sure helps my talent-lacking pictures some extra prettiness!

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Being Wished my First "Happy Mother's Day"

I have been a mother for about five and a half months now. But something about my own mother wishing me Happy Mother's Day was very surreal. And then my grandmother wished me Happy Mother's Day. I've never been a person that is a stickler for big celebrations on the specific day but obviously I was aware that this day was a little extra special because it was my first mother's day. 


I finally realize that it is true what they say: "You can't understand a parents' love until you are a parent yourself." Or something along those lines. This thought has resonated with me ever since I had Eleanor. I have always, always, known my parents love me more than life. Or so they would say. But now that I have my own baby, I can feel it. 


So everyday, I learn a little more about what it is to be a mother.

On my first mother's day I was made to feel very special. First of all, I woke up at 5am to Eleanor making some noise after being asleep for eight hours. Thank you for the Mother's Day gift, my dear!

My husband made me breakfast which we enjoyed at the table as a family.

My grandparents stopped by on their way to a brunch and gave me a nice tomato plant.

We chatted with Ben's family on the computer and wished my mother in law a happy day and they did so for me.

We went for a walk as a family on which Eleanor actually took a nap. Her napping on walks has been hit or miss lately.


We cleaned up and headed over to my parents' for the rest of the afternoon on a beautiful PNW day. About 80 degrees and beautiful. Eleanor got to try out her pool, we all relaxed, ate good food and spent quality time together. It was nice because all day long I never felt rushed to do anything, I let myself relax, let others enjoy Eleanor and ate a huge portion of the yummy salmon, prawns, pasta and fruit salads for dinner. Lately, my appetite is insatiable. 

It really wasn't about the breakfast in bed. Being waited on hand and foot. Getting really nice gifts. Maybe down the road when E is a little older and understands that she is making breakfast for me or knows that she is helping me out but this day was more about celebrating my new role. 

As a mom. And loving every minute of it.

Thank you to my husband, family and of course Baby E for making my first Mother's Day as a mother a memorable one. 

Friday's Letters

Dear Friday, I welcome you and this weekend with open arms! Dear Spring Weather, Seriously. Keep it coming. I am loving these sunny days. 80s in the next few days? Yes, please! Dear 2012, Slow down. I cannot believe we are almost in mid-May. Dear Coffee, You are yummy. Dear Red Wine, I missed you and have enjoyed our couple of meetings this past week. Dear Clothes, Wherever you are, I wish I could find some that I felt comfortable in. Maybe I will feel better about wearing some dresses now that the nice weather is here. Combine weird body with nursing {hence, needing easy access} and we have a recipe for slim pickin's in the wardrobe department. Dear Eleanor, Although I am glad it is Friday, 6:30 is not an acceptable wake-up time, got it?!

Happy Friday, Friends!

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Mother's Day Link-up: My Mother, The Haggler

Thanks, Holly, for having a fun link-up for Mother's Day to share stories about our lovely mothers!

I figured I could go on and on about how much I love my mom and how she's my best friend and a great lady and she's been there for me through thick and thin and yada, yada, yada...{well, there, I did, in the condensed version} but it's more fun to share one of her quirks.

And quirks she has.

My mom and I are opposite in a lot of ways but I like to think I inherited her loving and nurturing ways. One of the main ways we are opposite is the are in which my mother has no shame when it comes to getting a good deal. Getting what she believes to be the best deal. I keep thinking that maybe as I get older this will come more naturally or I won't feel so bad for trying to haggle someone who is trying to make a little extra money or ends meat down to the last penny that I think is possible.

There are stories upon stories over the years including car salesmen, couch salesmen, cell phone guys, antique dealers, and of course garage sales. The most current would be the meat salesman who came to our door on Monday. My mom and I were in E's room trying to get her to sleep and a guy came to the door giving some story about having an excess of meat so his boss told him to go get rid of it so it was a really good deal. It was basically an Omaha Steak situation, just a different name. I was holding the baby so Ben and my mom went out to the van. They were out there for a good fifteen to twenty minutes and came back empty handed with my mom going on about what she would have paid him had he taken it. They talked about the prices and the product for a few more minutes and then Ben just kept saying how he felt bad for the guy and man, what was he doing selling meat out of a van and such and such. My mom just laughed and said, well, he has a job.

So my mom left and a little later Ben just looked up and again expressed his disbelief in how my mom can just keep asking and asking for the lowest price and Ben just sits there feeling bad for the guy. I learned a long time ago that yes, in the moment it is really embarrassing to be standing next to my mom when she is working her magic wheeling and dealing but we are all appreciative in the end when we pay way less than we would have. And, she always says, it never hurts to ask and then if it doesn't work out, obviously they can't go lower on the price and we can make our decision to buy or walk away from there.

{another "mom" quirk? She has a beautiful smile full of beautiful, white teeth and she never manages a smile for pictures. I think she is always talking during pictures.... ;)}

So, Mom, Happy Mother's Day and thanks for never being bashful about getting me a good deal! ;)

Head on over and share a story about your mom!

A Couple of Mom Milestones

I guess the ol' blog keeps getting away from me as for some reason my days fly by. It sounds weird, and some of them seem rather long, but before I know it, I am cooking dinner and Ben is walking through the door. A wise friend said to me the other day: The days are long and the years are short. We haven't made it a year, yet, in this whole parenting saga, but I already know what that means.

Anyway, we had a couple of fun/new things happen in the past month that I wanted to document. I kind of wrote about going out and about with Eleanor back in February and I can assure you, I am definitely better now. I think it all just has to do with gaining confidence, getting used to having to take a million things along with us and everything taking triple the amount of time it used to. That's okay though.

Eleanor and I went out to lunch a couple of times. Once with my mom and once with a friend and her nephew. Both times she sat in her carseat the whole time, looking around, smiling and just being content. It was great. Well, a couple of weekends ago we went to Ben's basketball game which was on a Sunday afternoon and after that our group of friends had decided to go get some drinks and food after the game. We ended up at a pizzeria by the University of Washington which was actually perfect because when we got there, no one was there. At first E was great, looking around, sitting in my lap and playing with some toys. The place began to fill but I felt at ease because at almost every table there were either kids or babies. Very family friendly. As it filled, it got pretty warm as well. We got through our salads and our dinners had just come and E started to melt down. Ben walked outside with her and she immediately calmed down. He came back in, sat for a few minutes and she just wasn't having it. So I took her and Ben finished his dinner. Outside, she was happy as a clam, talking, smiling and resting her head on my shoulder. I think she just got a little overwhelmed.

This was a good outing for us because although it did not go perfectly {which, let's be honest here, what ever will in our lives now that we have a baby in tow?!} it went. I did not feel embarrassed that Eleanor was crying. I didn't feel anxious. I wasn't "angry" that I was "missing out" on dinner or visiting with friends. We just dealt with the situation. It may not be what works next time in the same instance but at that moment, that was what was working so that's what we did. I felt good driving home {even though she cried in the car} and felt just a little more confident about being a mommy.

Last week, for some reason, felt a little bit long by Friday morning. Eleanor and I had been home all week and even with a few visitors were feeling a little cooped up.  I had been looking on Old Navy's website and had seen a few cute baby clothes. So, instead of ordering them online {you know, like a true hermit would do...which I am totally not...}, I decided E and I could make the 20 minute drive to our nearest Old Navy. When I pulled up to the mall, she was still awake so I puller her out of her carseat, slipped her into the Ergo and went on our merry way. We wandered around the store, E was content and I felt good. She was close to falling asleep when we left the store so she fell asleep once we got in the car. My first solo shopping trip with my daughter. I think that's a milestone in any mom's book!

I know, some may look at me and think I am weird. Or a scaredy-cat or whatever other words you can use to describe a first-time mom who is hesitant to do a lot of things but I feel as if I am doing what works for us.  And, although it probably sounds silly to some, every little milestone we hit, makes me feel good. And like a mom.

5 Months

Dear Miss Eleanor Grace,

You continue to amaze us everyday. It is so hard to keep up because it just feels like everyday you do something new whether it's a little squint you do with your eyes or a big roll from your back to your belly.

That's right, you became a roller this month. It actually happened on a morning after I awoke to a giant "present" in your diaper for me, dog puke on the rug when we came out to the living room and then as I set you on the floor, turned for a moment, turned back around and you rolled from you back to your belly with little effort. It looked like you had always been able to do it! I felt like I was having a heart attack, I was so excited. I can only imagine what I will feel like as you complete more and more milestones.

Your personality continues to shine through and it seems you may be starting to figure out a little bit of a courtesy/fake laugh. It is pretty funny. You are happy most of the time. Evening still continues to be your most unnerved time but even that is mellowing out. You still continue to love bath time and you even sit up in the infant/toddler end sometimes not just the reclined position. You are getting stronger sitting up and are gaining more balance. I think you prefer to sit up with assistance these days as opposed to laying on your back. When you roll onto your stomach it seems that you get a little frustrated because it looks like you want to go somewhere!

You are wearing mostly six month clothes. I think I have said this before but clothes are very weird and all fit differently so it is hard to pinpoint one size.

We have tried a couple of cups this month. It is my fault for not being consistent enough because that means pumping breastmilk which I don't do much of. We tried some out of the freezer but didn't think that was the best idea. You seem interested in the straw so that is encouraging and hopefully that motivates me to pump more so you can continue to learn to use the straw.

You are still having a little bit of unhappy time in the car. You seem fine on the way to wherever we are going but no matter how long we are at a destination, whether you've eaten and had a diaper change, but you are not happy on the way home. You visited your first few restaurants this month. Once with Oma and I for lunch, once with a friend, her nephew and I for lunch and once with Dad, our group of friends and I for dinner.

You have noticed that you have a built in best friend around the house--the dog. You watch her whenever she is in the room and even laugh at her. You love being on your stomach and looking up at her and talking to her. I think Holly will be more interested in you once you start moving around and sharing some meals with her!

All in all, E, you are a joy. We just continue to smile and laugh with you and chomp at the bit everyday to teach you, love you and kiss on you.

We love you so much, pretty baby girl.

Xoxo,
Mama

The 4th Weekend in a Row With no Rain

Yes, I would say that is something to brag about around these parts. Ben said that to me yesterday and then we had a chuckle that even if it's fifty five degrees and not that sunny, just having no rain is something to be happy about.

This past weekend was really, really nice. A few weekends ago, I think we were feeling like we were in a rut. We hadn't been doing much on the weekends, but they seemed to go so quickly. So, last weekend, we made plans, hung out with some friends, went out to a restaurant and it was refreshing.

This weekend, we stayed home all weekend but it didn't feel like it flew by and it was enjoyable. Friday, Ben worked a half day and was home by one in the afternoon. We hung out, had some lunch and then I went to a home shopping party with a friend and Ben and Baby E had a date. I got home, Ben made some dinner and we  had a good night's sleep.

Saturday morning we woke up and got going slowly. We had the first season of Mad Men from Netflix so we watched a few episodes of that, played with Eleanor and relaxed. After a couple of hours, we both started getting antsy so we got some chores done. Nothing too exciting--vacuuming, dusting, getting some books together to give away, getting rid of some clutter, laundry, dishes cleaning the bathrooms. None of it really felt like work, though, we had some music going and were visiting the whole time. Ben, then, decided to head out and mow the lawn so E and I stayed in the house and she ate, napped and I read and watched the Kentucky Derby. It was relaxing. When Ben finished, we made dinner, had a glass of wine, watched the Spurs game and I headed in to nurse E to sleep.

Sunday morning we awoke to bright blue skies. We had known it was supposed to be nicer on Sunday than Saturday so it was nice that we had done a majority of chores on Saturday. We watched the last episode of Mad Men, made breakfast, talked to Ben's family on Skype and put E down for a nap. We headed outside and played with the chickens a bit and once Eleanor woke up we took Holly down to the lake to throw the ball for her. E got to ride in the front pack, sunglasses and all. Eleanor just loves being outside. She is relaxed and just sort of takes it all in. I love it. When we got back from the lake, we made lunch, laid a blanket out in the yard and let Eleanor roll around while we ate. We came inside for a bit, Eleanor had a little cat-nap and then we took her jumper outside and shaded her while Ben and I read. So relaxing. We came in, had a bite to eat before Ben went to play basketball and then it was just E and I. She napped for a while, woke up, played and then it was time for bed. We had a marathon diaper event before bed {3 diapers before we had a clean one to put her down in!} and once Ben got home, we got her down and she slept great again.

There was nothing major that happened this weekend. Now big event to report on. It was just an all-around, nice, relaxing weekend. At the end of each day we were relaxed, got to smile at each other and say we had a great day. I love that. I love that Baby E is so content when we are all together as a family, get to spend time outside and enjoy each other. I know we will always look back fondly on days like this as she grows and know that they laid the foundation for her loving family.

I just realized I exaggerated a little bit. It did rain on Saturday morning. But that was tolerable because we were doing chores! 

So, About Working Out...

I am totally not trying to make excuses. Things just happen.

I was doing so well for about 4 weeks with walking and doing P90X. Then my chronic back issue flared up. Without getting into too much detail about that, let's just say it put me out of "working out" commission and I haven't really gotten back into it. That was about two weeks ago. I am still having some back irritation so I am a little nervous to do any P90X. I have gone on a few walks here and there.

However, I am realizing that although there are the moms that get right out there the minute they walk out of their 6 week postpardum visit, there are way more that don't. There are way more that start working out when they feel right, or when they can get their workouts in and don't really fret about it.

I see so many moms, my real life friends and blog friends, that find themselves 6 or 8 months postpardum just starting to feel a little more normal. I also think that being a first time mom, my whole world has been turned upside down. Just finding time to grab something to eat is sometimes hard for me.

I also think that breastfeeding and working out is proving to be a little difficult. Breastfeeding is...time consuming. Yes, I knew that going in but the actual execution of it is a bit of a wake up call. So, after I have nursed my baby to sleep for a nap, it is hard to want to put her down and get up and at it. Also with breastfeeding comes the whole crazy, huge appetite issue. It's hard to find the perfect time to workout when, oh the baby is napping but I feel the need to stuff my face right now because I am feeding another human. 


Anyway.

As I said, I am not making excuses I am just realizing that it's hard. And I know the time will come when it's nicer weather and I can put E in the stroller and make her part of my workouts and yes, I am looking forward to that, however, I am not stressing about it.