Winning

on July 31, 2012
in All Posts

In the battle of IKEA Furniture v. Me, I think the side table is winning.

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I put about 15 minutes of valiant effort in last night and didn’t get very far at all.  But tonight… tonight, I shall succeed. 

 

Second win of the day was a win on my behalf – this dinner. The combination sounds strange, but it’s really tasty and fast.

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Arugula

Baked sweet potato

Baked beans

Sunflower seeds

 

Third win involved getting out and going for a run.  It was the middle of the day, so it was sticky and humid.  But I was not going to miss my one chance to run – my mother-in-law had stopped by to play with Henry, and since I’m getting more comfortable with babysitters, I went for it.  I did another Couch to 5K workout.  I’m up to over 2.5 miles now!  Not far off from a 5K at all.

 

During my run, I was thinking about how I never feel like exercise is a chore anymore.  Since Henry was born, I really see exercise as truly ‘my time’ – it always was my time, but now more so than ever.  It’s so much easier to motivate myself to workout when this attitude.  The other day, I ended up going to the gym at 8:15 PM at night because the baby was sleeping, Kristien was home from work, and I had some free time.  I did a 30 minute speedwork session in the pool and felt so accomplished.  Thirty minutes or so of free time are so rare these day; if I have the opportunity to sweat, I will take it – no matter what the time of day or weather conditions! 

 

Now… motivating myself cleaning the house is another story.  There are only so many things I can prioritize.  Dishes and IKEA furniture are loooow on the list.  Hah.

 

And last, but not least… Win #4 of the night:

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Nursery Tour

We are starting an official bedtime routine for the baby. He’s still going to sleep in his bassinet in our room at night for a long, long time, but we’d like him to sleep from 8 PM to 11 PM or so in his own room (interrupted with a feeding or two, of course).  Tonight we had a bath, dinner, story time, and then it was crib time.  So far, there is minimal fussin’…. let’s see if this win remains a win or if I crumble under the baby pressure!

{ 32 comments }

 

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More July 31, 2012, 8:58 pm

    I love his nursery so much!! 🙂

  • Hannah July 31, 2012, 9:22 pm

    Love the daschund light! (And the new font :P) Good luck with the new routine!

  • Jessica @ New Girl, New City July 31, 2012, 9:37 pm

    I LOVE Henry’s nursery and I seriously want to model my own baby’s (future baby) after that! Good luck with crib time!

  • Allison k July 31, 2012, 9:39 pm

    Does he reliably go to sleep at 8 or are you hoping to train him to do so? My baby is 12 weeks and still has a bedtime “window.” we do a routine when I can tell he is getting sleepy, and I think he is going to go down for the night…but he doesn’t always. Sometimes its a 20 min nap and then down for the night the next time he is sleepy. Reliably an hour to hour and a half later

    • simi July 31, 2012, 10:40 pm

      That’s exactly how it is with my almost 7 week old baby.

      • Caitlin July 31, 2012, 10:46 pm

        It’s window. I am going to try to time it around 8-830 according to when he eats near that window. I am excited about this because I think when he does start sleeping in the nursery all night it’ll make it easier. It won’t be such a sudden transition.

  • Lindsay @ Fuel My Family July 31, 2012, 9:47 pm

    Love his nursery its adorable! I put my second in her own crib all night at 6 weeks (only with the reassurance of an angelcare breathing monitor) and its amazing how much better everyone slept since my husbands snoring didnt wake the baby and the babys grunts didnt wake me! Sleep is so UNDERrated!

  • Sam @ Better With Sprinkles July 31, 2012, 9:50 pm

    Henry’s nursery is so gorgeous!

    And I’m pretty sure IKEA furniture beats me every time. 🙂

  • Laura @ She Eats Well July 31, 2012, 10:01 pm

    I think Sweet Potato is always, always a good idea. It’s the best, year round. And I like your combo! Way to think outside the box 🙂

  • Priyanka July 31, 2012, 10:03 pm

    I did the exact same thing and my son has started sleeping from 8:30 to 3:30 on the crib with feedings in between. I did have to go and pat him a few times when he whimpers in his sleep.

    Henry’s nursery decor looks great!

  • Sana July 31, 2012, 10:17 pm

    I hate putting together furniture. So annoying! Stick parts E and D together using tools A, B and C- WHATTT?

  • j3nn July 31, 2012, 10:19 pm

    I like the way you cut the sweet potato. All the toppings nestled in just right.

  • Miranda @ Biting Life July 31, 2012, 10:35 pm

    Aww his nursery is so cute 🙂 It’s great that he’s starting to get to spend a little bit more time in there. It’s also awesome that you’re getting some quality time to yourself.

    One thing I really love about this blog (specifically since Henry was born) is that, more so than many other couples, it seems like you and your husband really share the parenting and responsibility of the baby equally. It’s really nice to see that! You two are being great role models for everybody else.

    • Caitlin July 31, 2012, 10:46 pm

      Thank you. We appreciate that a lot. The husband is truly a wonderful husband.

  • Erin July 31, 2012, 10:53 pm

    I feel the exact same way about exercise now that I’m a mommy. It’s truly my favorite “me” time. I am running now more than I ever have because I enjoy my morning runs so much.

    His nursery is so, so cute, by the way!

  • Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See August 1, 2012, 12:26 am

    I’m intrigued by that sweet potatp + baked beans concept. Do you use canned baked beans?

    • Caitlin August 1, 2012, 8:54 am

      yes!

  • Elisabeth August 1, 2012, 12:51 am

    Yay! The blog is loading properly again – thanks for the fix! 🙂

    I enjoy the baked beans on SP combo, too. I also like sloppy joes (which I’m sure you could make meatless) on SP also 🙂

  • Allie August 1, 2012, 8:03 am

    I had forgotten about the dachshund night light and went back to the nursery tour to find out what that glowing object in the last picture was haha 🙂 So cute.

  • Jodi @ Jodi, Fat or Not August 1, 2012, 8:24 am

    I always keep a bottle of wine around for the nights I assemble Ikea furniture…makes the process go MUCH smoother ;)!

  • Kelly August 1, 2012, 8:31 am

    LOVE his nursery! Gorgeous!!

  • Olivia August 1, 2012, 9:02 am

    Just curious … what happens when Henry starts sleeping for longer stretches? He could surprise you next month and start sleeping through the night! I was thrilled when this happened (my 3 month old sounds like a warthog when he’s sleeping so I was happy to move him to his own room) but it sounds like you and Kristien want to keep Henry close by for a while. Will you move him in his sleep to his bassinet when you go to bed, or leave him in his crib?

    • Caitlin August 1, 2012, 3:36 pm

      We’ll prob transfer him into the bassinet after his last night feeding regardless until he’s 6 months old or so. I’ve read that cosleeping in the same room reduces SIDS risk.

  • Lauren T August 1, 2012, 11:16 am

    Yay for all your wins! Don’t feel too bad about the IKEA side table winning haha IKEA items are so annoying to put together! My sister just got a bed frame and there was an important part missing, so she can’t put it together until she gets the part. There are so many awesome things about IKEA, but putting things together isn’t one of them! Good luck with it today!

  • Kristin August 1, 2012, 12:49 pm

    Just a thought for the routine, bath then dinner, do you mean yours or his? Now that my 5 month old is eating solids bath time comes AFTER dinner who would have ought such a little Person could get so messy eating 2 tablespoons of pears!? Lol. Just a thought since if you are trying to set a routine u wouldn’t want to have to switch things in a few months. One time daddy gave our daughter a bath while I was at the gym at about 5pm because she had spit up on herself and I came home and she was sleeping, she knows that after bath it’s sleepy time even though it was early! Haha.

    Is great you are trying out the crib gradually! It won’t come as such a shock when he gots in there more and more. I think it was harder for me to put izzy in the crib then it was for her haha. They grow so fast!

    • Caitlin August 1, 2012, 3:37 pm

      I try to feed him last so he passes out from the milk – thoughts???

  • Lisa August 1, 2012, 12:53 pm

    Oh IKEA…what a pain in the butt! We remodeled our kitchen–all the way down to the subflooring–and our new cabinets are all IKEA. They are beautiful but it was a nightmare building everything!

  • April August 1, 2012, 1:56 pm

    During my run, I was thinking about how I never feel like exercise is a chore anymore. Since Henry was born, I really see exercise as truly ‘my time’ – it always was my time, but now more so than ever.

    OMG, my exact thoughts on exercise too Caitlin…i have an 8-month-old and now i have been know to go to the gym on (brace yourself) a Sunday…i NEVER would have gone on a Sunday before, ha ha. Just relating to ya is all:)

  • Melissa August 1, 2012, 1:59 pm

    I missed your Ikea post because my mom and I were battling an Ikea sink base-we had a few snafus though; I know your pain. If you have a drill I recommend using a drill with a Phillips head if you have one for those funky screws that are not really screws. We will be installing a whole kitchen in about a month. I am hoping we will make it through without a divorce :).

  • Julia H. @ Going Gulia August 1, 2012, 3:11 pm

    Mmmmm sweet potatoes & baked beans. I feel like you’ve posted that on here before, and when I saw it that time I was all “WOW I definitely want to try that!” Well, I still haven’t tried it. So thanks for eating/posting it again! Maybe now I’ll actually remember to give it a shot haha.

  • Lauren @ SassyMolassy August 1, 2012, 11:50 pm

    Hey Caitlin, Just thought I’d share a great podcast that I found through one of the bloggers I read (sally mcgraw of already pretty) is part of a three woman group who do strong, sexy and stylish blog and podcasts.

    I just listened to the Sexy Mama one (5/21/12) today and they had some good ideas and reminders about life after baby and just being able to reconnect with your partner and such. Have no idea if you’d be interested, but I thought I’d pass it on. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/strong-sexy-and-stylish/id492502978

    • Caitlin August 2, 2012, 7:04 am

      THANKS!

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