Checking In

I’ve been meaning to write every weekend for the last two months.  It’s insane how difficult it can be to do with a new baby and house.  Soy Bean is a relativity easy baby too, but still it’s hard to fit things in.  I thought I would just catch up on a few things…

Me: I’ve been hanging in there.  Going back to work was extremely difficult.  I’m so fortunate that I’m leaving the baby with my parents, but still I want to stay home and snuggle all day.  I think one of the most difficult parts about being a mom is finding balance.  I have a career I love but I also want to be with my son as much as I can.  On the other hand, I would probably go crazy if I was home with him all day every day.

Our routine has been pretty successful so far.  I wake up at 4:45, shower, get dressed, nurse, and then sit down and have a cup of coffee with my husband.  We load Soy Bean into the car and drive to my parents’ house which is thankfully only 6 minutes away!

After school we don’t really have much of a routine yet.  When I first went back to work I put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything done by 8 pm.  Not going to happen!  Everyday looks different for us so we have to go with the flow of things.  I also know that if I don’t get to sleep until midnight (which has happened a few times) I will survive.  Thank goodness for coffee!

Coffee and stretchy pants that looks like dress pants have been my savior this fall.  When I planned on breastfeeding I figured all my baby weight would melt off.  Well, I’m apparently not one of those women.  I’ve been about the same size (semi effortlessly) for the majority of my adult life, so I feel like I’m in an odd place when my clothes don’t fit right and I have to think twice about what I’m eating.  I’m also amazed I still have hair, postpartum hair loss is not joke.  Yikes.  Once I hit three month my hair started to shed like crazy.

So I’m heavier than usual and losing my hair.  Not fun.  Walking has been a good escape for me to help me feel better.  I love going on adventures with my dog, for a 10 year old dog she has some great stamina.  We’ve been enjoying living on the south shore and checking out new places.  I’ve been fortunate to have some fantastic fall (spring?) weather too.

House:  We’re getting there with the house.  It’s easy to forget how expensive moving can be.  We had to purchase a washer/dryer, fridge, curtains, rugs etc.  It adds up fast!  We’ve been enjoying owning our own home though, and not sharing walls.  We have a few project to complete before we really feel settled.  Our neighborhood is full of couples in their 30’s with young kids (and usually a dog or too) and we are looking forward to getting to know our neighbors.   Everyday I come home from work and appreciate where I live.

Soy Bean: SB is such a sweet baby, we really lucked out.  He’s always been a really good sleeper, once he’s down, he’s down 98% of the time.  He’s a peanut though, and we actually have another weight check for him this week.  Sigh.  His doctor recommended starting him on solid foods, which I was hesitant about but once we tried he loved it.  I’ve actually been looking forward to him eating solid food, but  I didn’t think we would be starting until December.

So far he’s had rice cereal, avocado, sweet potato, banana, apple and butternut squash.  I made my first batch of homemade baby food this weekend and froze it for future use.  My goal is to make as much of my own baby food as I can.  I invested in some ice cube trays with lids so I can freeze baby-size portions whenever I make batches.

The Impressionable Vegan:  Well we’ve been eating, I promise.  I go though weeks where I meal prep, and some that I don’t.  It’s been hard to find that groove while balancing work, baby, and house.  I have a few hacks I want to share as well as some good fall recipes.  I’m also experiencing some major Trader Joe’s withdrawal (the closest one is about a half hour away!

Well that’s all for now.  I have a baby and a dog staring at me…they probably want something!