Lincoln James: 8 Months

how has 8 months gone by? i feel like yesterday we were just bringing our little man home. i mean, if i'm being honest, my body still looks the same as the day we brought him home (unfortunately). i haven't changed, and yet so much has changed. he is weighing in at 19 lbs and is 28.25 inches long. beware this is a picture heavy post ;0)

lincoln has grown so much this past month. he is wiggling and moving and wants to crawl so bad or just be mobile and it's incredible to watch. he loves going on walks to the park and playing on the swings. he still adores bouncing away in the jumper we have for him, and he's intrigued by the incredible sensory board my husband made for him.

he's eating pretty much everything and anything (within reason of course) and has finally started to put on weight! (the past few months he wasn't gaining anything because of all the sickies that were plaguing him). he has pretty much loved everything we've given him to eat, from spinach and broccoli to blueberry pancakes ;0) this kid will eat anything, especially if it's something mama is eating.

he's sleeping so much better too! (thank goodness!) he's slept through the night (7:30p - 5 am) on several occasions...although he's woken up around 2 the past 3 nights again and he's slowly but surely becoming nap trained as well! i am so grateful for this.

he is such a curious little boy. he wants whatever i have in my hands, be it my cell phone, computer, a magazine, my water bottle. if mama has it, he's gotta have it to. i'm slowly starting to learn areas we're definitely going to need to baby proof soon because he grabs for ANYTHING within his reach, and if it's not within his reach, he lunges for it!

serisouly, this kid has NO FEAR. he just believes that we'll always be there to catch him. he lunged off the couch the other day trying to reach for a toy, and it's good thing my reflexes are quick, because he would have dove head first into the floor if i hadn't been right there. he's keeping me on my toes for sure!

every month i am so amazed by his growth and development and at the same time can't believe how fast it has all gone by. before i know it he'll be going off to kindergarten (sniff sniff) and he won't be my baby anymore (who am i kidding, he'll always be my baby ;0p) he is still a mama's boy through and through and i absolutely love that (although it can be exhausting 24/7 that's for sure!)

here are a few quick facts!

height: 28.25 inches


weight: 19 lbs ( up 2.1 from last month!)


hates: little man is developing a temper that's for sure. he still doesn't love being away from his mama, but now he is much more clear on his likes and dislikes when it comes to playtime too. he has the cutest little growl/grunt that he does when he's not a happy camper ;)


loves: his exersaucer/bouncer, being outside, the swings, mama and dada


head: little man has full head control and is sitting up all by himself!


eats: new eats this month include pretty much everything...pasta, chicken, pancakes, green smoothies, lentils, i've also started to add more seasonings into his food too!

sleeps: he's starting to sleep through the night semi-consistently!!!! he's also almost sleep trained at nap time as well!

Getting Over the Blahs

so it's pretty obvious that i didn't post anything yesterday about my eats and i'm not planning on doing so today either. I've been feeling down in the dumps and stressed out and my eating has definitely reflected that. i'm not giving up, i'm just taking a few days to get my groove back, push the stresses away and get back to my chipper self. i don't want this blog to be a negative space, so while i'm being a poop, i'm stepping away for a few days. everyone has their blah days, and right now i'm stuck in the middle of some.

i'll be back tomorrow with a little man lincoln update! he's 8 months old tomorrow! how the heck did that happen?!?!

until then here's an adorable photo of my adorable little man.

happy monday folks!

Saturday Swim Lessons

today was a pretty standard saturday. little man and i woke up and hung around the house this morning till we headed out for his swim lessons.

breakfast was simple. instant oatmeal with coffee and fat free half and half. much better than this peanut butter fiasco i had the other day. ewwww!

at 11 we headed down to our sports club for the little guys swim lessons. it's so cute to watch the little ones in the water. i don't think he quite knows what to think about it, but he doesn't cry so i'll take that as him liking it ;0)

after lessons, we came home and the lincoln fell asleep. i made lunch....a chicken and cheese sandwich on quinoa bread with half a cup of grapefruit.

my afternoon snack consisted of triscuits and two laughing cow cheese wedges. if you haven't tried the rosemary and olive oil triscuits.....do it! they are the best thing i've ever tasted. so good!

this afternoon we headed up to target to pick up a few essentials and i also finished lincoln's easter basket! this is probably the only year i can get away with shopping for gifts for the little guy while he's with me haha!

after our normal bedtime routine, i sat down to dinner. it was the second curry fail for me. the first one was last week when husband and i ordered thai food and it was awful! well, i think i still wanted good curry because i picked up a frozen meal from costco when i was there earlier this week, and while it wasn't bad, it was an indian curry and not a thai curry. i wasn't expecting it, so it didn't really cure the craving.

not to exciting of a saturday, i'm off to catch up on the blogs i love, and watch bad television before bed.

good night!

72 and Sunny!!!!!

you guys it was 72 degrees today. 72 degrees in MARCH. that's insane. and awesome. totally awesome. needless to say, the little guy and i took full advantage.

we headed downtown around 10 am and got breakfast at Method Juice Bar. I tried my first Acai bowl and fell in love. so good. lincoln really enjoyed the bananas on top ;0p

after breakfast, we headed into Riverfront Park to enjoy the sunshine. we walked along the river, over the bridge that shows off the falls, and then made our way over to the swings! lincoln is really falling in love with the swings and his little face lights up every time he gets to go on them. after the swings, we walked over to the mall, where he ended up getting his photo taken with the easter bunny! i'm not gonna lie, i kind of wanted that photo of the kid screaming on the easter bunny's lap. i think those are hysterical! but the face i got instead was even better. PURE JOY!!!!

after the easter bunny, we headed home and made lunch for both of us! the little guy got super green mashies (spinach, broccoli, and pears mixed in with a little cereal) and i got a turkey and cheese sandwich on quinoa bread with a side of veggies.

my afternoon snack (treat) included leftover milk chocolate easter eggs that i had bought for our little girl's night last night. (too bad they didn't all get eaten by my friends, right!)

this afternoon, we ran out to pick up my niece and my sister and after dropping them off, headed home to watch the ZAGS KICK UCLA's BOOTY!!!! #eliteeight!

dinner tonight was leftover blue apron baked fontina pasta with brussel sprouts and a single glass of vino. tasty! (sorry forgot to snap a photo so here's the one from lunch yesterday)

not too bad of a day, but i really need to kick my sugar addiction's butt. sweets everyday is definitely hindering my progress.

Calories came in at 1,665.

They get me every time

hello! today was a fun day and because it was FINALLY nice outside, little man and i got to go to the park! woohoo for getting outside!

breakfast was a little disappointing. i made oatmeal (which i love!)  but thought i'd put a spoonful of peanut butter in it to add some protein. bad idea. i love oatmeal. i love peanut butter. i do not love peanut butter in my oatmeal. i only made it through about half before i gave up and threw it out.

after breakfast, i cleaned up the house a bit while little man napped. after he woke up and had his mid-morning bottle, we packed up and walked down to the park. we're really lucky to live in a city that has so many amazing parks. we're even luckier to live in a neighborhood that is within walking distance to three different parks (four if we're feeling really ambitious ;0p). in my excitement to get out and get walking, i forgot to make myself a mid morning snack, so by the time we got back, it was a little after 11 and i just decided to go with lunch.

lunch was ok. i had our last blue apron meal (baked fontina pasta with brussel sprouts and sage breadcrumbs) and half of a cup of pink grapefruit. the grapefruit was awesome and really refreshing but the pasta was just so so. i don't think i put enough salt in it, and it could have definitely used a little more flava flav if you know what i mean ;0) maybe next time i'll add some garlic powder or something to kick it up a notch.

so lincoln has been sleep "trained" to go down at night sleepy but awake for a while now, and he's almost consistently sleeping through the night (knock on wood) but he's still had to be rocked to sleep for naps. starting this afternoon, i began to sleep train him for naps. i put him down, sleepy but awake and basically followed the same routine we do before bedtime (minus the bath). i read him a story, laid him in his bed, handed him his lovey, turned on the music and kissed him goodnight. i ended up only having to go in their once to comfort him and he fell asleep all by himself! i'm such a proud mama. i'm really hoping he's completely nap trained by the time we go to New York in a few weeks to visit husband, so his room mates don't have to listen to Lincoln's pre-nap temper tantrums ;0p

this is a little off topic, but i will say, i'm 100% behind sleep training, which is kind of a huge shocker.  when i was pregnant, i thought sleep training was AWFUL. how could i let my baby "cry it out?" but after months of no sleep, a battle every night (and during all nap times) to get him to go to bed, and doing it all by myself, i gave in and told my husband we had to try sleep training. it was definitely hard. brutal in fact, to hear the poor little guy cry the first night. and when your little one is crying, 3-5 minutes feels like hours, but i stuck it out, and he has turned into such a great little sleeper. there is definitely something to be said for baby schedules and training. it doesn't work for everyone and it depends on your little one, but for us it works. hopefully the nap training goes as well as the nighttime sleep training.

back to the eats....my mid afternoon snack may or may not have been thin mint cookies. those darn girl scouts get me every. single. time.

dinner tonight was appetizers and wine! i hosted a little mama/baby wine night this evening, since so many of my friends have little ones now. it was just a few of us tonight, but still always fun to get together, watch the little ones play (or roll around), drink wine and chat.

calories for the evening came in at 1,800 (all that wine ;0p)

Errand Day and A "Cookie"

happy hump day! today was a day for errands for little man and i. i really wanted us to get out and go on a walk too, but the rain. won't. stop. boooooo! so after getting soaking wet while we were out and about, we spent the afternoon in.

breakfast was one of my tasty green smoothies. the blueberry banana smoothie, which i absolutely love. i was skeptical at first, blueberries and peanut butter....who does that? but it works. trust me. if you haven't tried it, just. do. it.

the little guy and i were out and about going to costco, the post office, pharmacy, you get the idea. and then my mid morning snack was also a winner!!! i made apple "cookies" with apple slices, almond butter and topped them with a little granola for some extra crunch and they were awesome. if any of you guys have little ones out there and want to give them a healthy "cookie" i highly recommend this snack. i posted the "recipe" if you can call it that below :)

Lunch was leftover pasta and chickpea soup from Eat. Live. Run. This soup is great and it's easy to blend up and give to little man for lunch as well. I ended up blending about half the soup because it made so much and freezing it for Lincon's meals. You can find the recipe here.

My afternoon snack was more of my favorite Boom Chicka Pop White Cheddar Popcorn. While husband was here, he saw me snacking on it, and he was all "you really like that popcorn don't you" and i was like, "what is it that obvious?" needless to say i eat this stuff a lot. ;0p

After putting the little guy down, i ended up eating leftover curry that was not so tasty, and then snuck in a few thin mint girl scout cookies. both went undocumented.

not too bad of a day, my calories ended up coming in at 1,650.

Apple "Cookies"
Serves 1-2 (depending on how little your kiddo is)

1 apple
nut butter of your choice
granola

Slice the apple into "cookies." spread the nut butter of your choice on top and sprinkle with granola.

Other great topping options would be chocolate chips, coconut, peanut butter chips.

Enjoy!

Back to the Grind...FAIL!

today was just one of those days. i was exhausted all day long and any attempts at healthy eating were complete fails! i also neglected to take a single photo of what i ate all. day. long. but i hate posts with no pictures, so here's one of my favorite photos of little man ;0)

breakfast was another half of those ginormous pancakes from yesterday's brunch. i still have another whole half left! and then i headed off to my very last day of work. it was only a half day, since i was just there to train my replacement, but it was work nonetheless.

my mid-morning snack was another reeses easter egg (told you it was a bad day), and then i headed home for lunch. on saturday, i made another blue apron recipe, turkey chili. i made a MAJOR mistake and added an entire jalapeño, and that bad boy was SPICY. i wanted to try and eat some of the chili for lunch today so it wouldn't go to waste, so i stopped by the store to pick up some sour cream in an attempt to mellow out the spiciness. it was a little better, but still SOOOO SPICY.

my afternoon snack ended up being more blue apron leftovers. we had lots of leftover potatoes and cabbage from last night's dinner, so i warmed some up and snacked on that this afternoon. i also may have snuck in some more easter candy that i bought on a whim while picking up the sour cream this afternoon. i topped the potatoes with a little sour cream and they tasted like a baked potato.

dinner was a complete FAIL. husband and i wanted thai food, but we wanted to try someplace new. we typically order from bangkok thai or thai on first, but we thought we'd branch out and order from linnie's thai on the south hill. so bad. so so bad. i ordered the massamam curry and i literally had a few bites and was like, this isn't even worth it. i did end up eating three of the vegetable spring rolls we ordered instead. i'll probably slowly make my way through the leftover curry, only because i HATE throwing away food, but it really isn't that good. note to self: stick to what you know and love ;0)

again i forgot to weigh in, but i'm pretty sure i either gained weight or am the same as last week after our night out and today's easter candy binge.

Calories for today came in at 2,091 :0(

off to watch a move with husband before he has to fly back to new york tomorrow :0(

Weekend Recap

Back from my night off and more importantly, DATE NIGHT!!!! husband and i got to enjoy a night away from little man and we went out and celebrated like we were 21 again...until 10:30. And then we went back to the hotel and passed out like the 30 year olds we are ;0p it was a great night!

this morning, we woke up, hung around, showered and headed out to brunch. the line was so long, i ended up running home to pick up the little man so we could relieve my parents and brought him back with me to the restaurant to enjoy brunch as a family.

for breakfast i ordered buttermilk pancakes and a side of bacon. i ended up eating all the bacon and made it through not even half of one pancake for breakfast. they were GINORMOUS!! we also shared a little bit of my pancake with the little guy (without butter or syrup of course) and the owner brought out a little bowl of blueberries for him to enjoy as well. his first taste of blueberry pancakes! i think he was a fan ;0) i didn't snap a photo of my food, but here's the little guy enjoying his 'cakes.

after breakfast, we headed up to the dog park so poor porter could get some much needed exercise. i've been a pretty bad dog mommy since husband's been gone, and he really doesn't get to enjoy the dog park unless kevin's here.

for lunch, we stopped by huckleberry's and picked up some fruit juices. husband and i each got the berry refresher which had mango, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and banana. i also ate another half of one of those giant pancakes (i forgot to snap photos of both).

this afternoon, i made a bunch of baby food for the little guy and am working on stocking up the freezer again, and afterwards, we walked over to my parents house to watch the Zags play in the NCAA tournament (THEY WON!!!!) well, we intended to walk the whole way but we made it about half way there and it started to rain pretty hard so we had my dad come pick us up. and of course, by the time he got there, the rain had stopped, but we took the ride anyways ;0)

while watching the game i snacked on a veggie platter with ranch dressing (again no photos!).

after the game was over, headed back home to get little man fed, bathed, and ready for bed and husband cooked us another delicious Blue Apron meal! Corn Beef Seasoned Flank Steaks with cabbage, potatoes and carrots! I also enjoyed two glasses of champagne my mom left in our fridge. So good.

i didn't take very many photos of my food today, mostly because i was just soaking up family time, but my calories for today came in at 1,626 after burning 200 calories on our walks.

i forgot to weigh in today, but i'll do it tomorrow! i'm not expecting much of a loss this week after enjoying my night off saturday (think cheeseburgers and lots of adult beverages ;0)) but my night off is over and it's back to the grind. cross your fingers Saturday night didn't make me gain anything!

Guess Who's Back...

Back again...daddy's back!!!! husband got in late last night and we couldn't be happier!

needless to say, i was a little preoccupied soaking up family time to take photos of some of my eats, but i can at least write 'em up to keep me accountable ;0)

breakfast was my go to, yoplait greek yogurt with granola and a cup of coffee with some fat free half and half.

after breakfast, and little man's morning nap, we headed up to the grocery store, to pick up ingredients to make little man so more food and stock up our freezer. we're making chicken veggie soup from the fitnessista, chicken, kombucha squash and broccoli from Eat, Live, Run, and all of these yummy looking recipes from sprouted kitchen (side note: Sprouted Kitchen's blog is BEAUTIFUL!)

after the grocery store, i had a quick appointment downtown, so daddy and lincoln got some bonding time, and then afterwards came home so husband could run some errands. i snacked on popcorn, and then around 3:00 pm, we walked down to Perry Street Brewing where husband and i enjoyed some adult beverages ;0p and we split a chicken burrito from the taco truck. we also snacked on some pretzel sticks and spicy honey mustard. i had one full beer plus about 3/4 of a second.

afterwards, we made the 20 minute walk back to our house and got little man his dinner, followed by bath, bottle and bedtime. the little guy was so tired he fell asleep before story time.

dinner for both the little guy, husband and myself was this tasty pasta and chickpea soup recipe from Eat, Live, Run. super simple and really tasty. topped off with a little parsley and parmesan and it's the perfect way to end a good day.

my final calories came in at 1,345. WOOHOOO!!!  Hopefully those late night munchies don't hit, but if they do, it's nice to know i have a little wiggle room tonight ;0)

i'm taking tomorrow off from blogging (and calorie counting) because husband and i are getting our first night away from baby since he was born. it's also my first night out to enjoy some drinks and tasty dinner since before the little guy was born, and i plan on taking full advantage! but i'll be back to healthy eats, and accountability come Sunday morning ;0)

happy weekend everyone!

TGI...Almost Friday!

heyyyyyyy! happy almost friday! i'm in a pretty good mood today, because husband arrives home tonight!!! we haven't seen him in a month, and last time he was here, i left to go to wine country for my little sister's big 30th birthday bash so we didn't get to spend a whole lotta quality time together. so i'm super excited for his arrival.

so last night drinking a hot drink totally worked! i made myself a cup of this yummy trader joes peppermint hot cocoa and it hit the spot! only downside is this bad boy had a few more calories in it than i hoped for, so i'm going to have to pick up one of this low cal hot cocoa packets to have around for those late night munchie cures.

breakfast this morning was simple and sweet. some yoplait 100 calorie greek yogurt, 1/3 cup of granola and some green tea.

little man and i had a playdate this morning and met up with an old friend from high school and her little one. before we left to walk up to our local coffee shop/bakery to meet her, i had a morning snack of yummy homemade banana bread topped with a little bit of butter. i wanted to make sure to eat a tasty snack before we met up, because this particular coffee shop and bakery has my favorite cupcake on the planet, and i didn't want to be tempted to buy one.

lunch was awesome. i prepped it last night by making a sweet potato, brussel sprout and onion breakfast hash and then re-heated it in the microwave and topped it with two over easy eggs. super filling and so good (the recipe was a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but i've posted it down below for you!)

my afternoon snack was a reeses peanut butter easter egg (not pictured).....easter candy is the DEVIL!!!

husband comes home tonight (YAH!!!!) so my mama came over this evening, so i could do a mini clean session. our house was pretty nasty and it felt good to clean up a little. by the time i was done, it was bedtime for little man, so we did our normal routine, bath, bottle, book and bedtime! and then dinnertime!

dinner was quick and easy. a turkey and monterey jack cheese sandwich with a little mayo and mustard with a side salad of peas,corn and black beans. it hit the spot! i also sipped on half a glass of champagne my mom left me before she left.

Calories came in at 1,588.

off to ward off the late night munchies! don't forget to check out the sweet potato hash recipe below :0)

Sweet Potato Brussel Sprout Hash

1 large sweet potato, rinsed and diced
1 bag brussel sprouts, stems removed and cut in half
1 sweet onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt
pepper
oregano
red pepper flakes
garlic powder

first of all, if you don't like garlic, this recipe is not for you....but i love it and put loads into it!

preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

while the oven is preheating, bring a pot of water to boil and toss in the diced sweet potato for about 10-15 minutes. you want them fork tender but not mushy. drain the potatoes and set aside.

in a medium size bowl, toss the brussel sprouts, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder together till the brussel sprouts are evenly coated. lay out on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping half way through.

in a large saute pan, put remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. toss in the onions and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes before adding the sweet potatoes. season with salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. (when it comes to these seasonings, just eyeball and taste and get it till the flavor is right for you!)

sauté the onions and potatoes for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes start to brown and crisp up. once they're done, toss in the roasted brussel sprouts and stir together.

serve up with some breakfast eggs or ham or both!

Happy Hump Day!

you know what never gets old? this guy.... (ahahhahaha - happy hump day everybody!) i realize that since i don't post till the end of the day, hump day is pretty much over, but i love that commercial! my old coworker from Portland used to play that every Wednesday, and it never got old.

breakfast today was savory and delicious. two eggs over easy on a slice of quinoa bread and my organics chai tea. (i didn't take a photo so this is from before, but i didn't have the ice coffee pictured below)

snack time was again a slice of my delicious banana bread. i'm so glad i sliced this up and put it into individual baggies in the freezer, because i only take one slice out a day to eat and haven't been tempted to pick at more, which i definitely would have done, had i left it sitting out on the counter!

and lunch was the rest of this DELICIOUS bon appetite thin crust spinaci pizza. i'm obsessed. which means, i probably shouldn't make a regular habit of purchasing this, because i could quickly seeing it become the ONLY thing I eat!

around 1:30 little man and i headed out for an hour walk. it felt so good to get back outside and do our walk after being cooped up because of the rain (well and then i had to work - which makes my motivation to get out when i get home dwindle!). we live in a fun little neighborhood not far from a few shops, restaurants and a brewery, so we walked down there to check out the bike store. i want a new bike and a bike seat for little man, so we can go on family bike rides now that the weather is getting nicer. my afternoon snack included some delicious Sahale Almonds with Cranberries, honey and Sea Salt. I love these and they taste a little indulgent, almost like I'm having dessert. 

i forgot to snap a photo of my dinner tonight! but it was pretty boring to be honest. i made a quick sandwich on two slices of toasted quinoa bread, with a slice of monterey jack cheese, some chicken breast sandwich meat, light mayo and regular mustard. pretty. boring.

My calories today came in at 1,493. Whoop! Whoop!

so whenever i find a new blog i like to read, i get all stalkerish and go back to the very beginning of their blog and read it from the beginning. it takes a long time, but i like to see how everything got started for them. i found the blog pbfingers.com a few weeks ago, and have been reading from the beginning on her blog as well. she posted way back in 2010 some ideas about curbing the late night munchies and i'm going to try one of her suggestions tonight! she suggested that you make yourself something warm to drink (tea, hot cocoa, even decaf coffee would work). that way you still feel like you're indulging in something but with a lot less calories. maybe this will be the cure to my inner snack monster! i'll most likely be checking it out tonight.