So much to share.
I thought I’d get this post written much earlier today but it was one of those days where Finn wasn’t into napping and wanted as much physical contact with me as possible. Is there an 8 month sleep regression? Because my Google searching tells me this might be a thing and I think we might be in it.
This week was kind of tough. I am struggling a little with the transition back into teaching. On Thursday I taught four hot yoga classes and today I was absolutely drained. I canceled everything on my calendar minus walking with friends and stayed home with Finn all day. We never even left the house. I wrote a lot more about it here but I’m feeling protective of the slower pace of life that it took so much time and effort to recalibrate to after he was born. I am lucky to love my work so much but I also understand and appreciate work/life balance on a different level now.
To update you on yesterday’s post about the bowls that my dad wouldn’t eat. My inclinations that he would find them less than appetizing were spot on. I was talking with my mom on the phone today while he was reading the post and he yucked them all. It was hysterical. I asked which one he would eat if he HAD to and he said #1 the smoothie bowl and #2 the yogurt, granola and cherries minus the almond butter. He REALLY was not on board with the sweet potato/egg/sauerkraut lunch bowl. In this same conversation my mom also admitted that she also thought my combinations were weird. Haha.
Here are the rest of those eats.
LUNCH
There was no breakfast that wasn’t in a bowl so we’ll start with lunch.
Still working those turkey sandwiches. Tomato red pepper soup from Trader Joe’s on the side.
And another one. But keep reading because there’s some good stuff in dinner and etc.
One more that is notable because it’s on sourdough that I baked for the first time in months.
Sourdough with mashed avocado, sauerkraut and fried egg. I’m also still on my apple kick. Eating lots of honeycrisp, Kanzi and pink lady apples.
DINNER
Last Sunday I made the PaleOMG Pizza Spaghetti Pie with a few modifications and ate it three times for dinner. Finn loved it too.
To the recipe I added sliced and sautéed baby portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts and provolone cheese on top.
This was a Whole Foods salmon parchment dinner with wild Alaskan salmon, butternut squash, black-eyed peas and pearl onions. It was different and delicious. It came prepared and wrapped in parchment and I had to bake it. I served it with brown rice.
Dinner out with a friend at Sushi Guru. So good. I’m glad me and sushi are friends again.
Pasta creation for my pre-15K race dinner. Sauteed sundried tomato chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s with mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts, cream and jarred marinara sauce. This was so easy and so good!
Finally, I met a dear friend out for dinner this week at Burton’s. It was my first time there and it won’t be my last. I loved the ambiance and the food. BONUS! It was half-priced wine night. I had the salmon romanesco and ate every bite.
ETC
Gimme all the cake. Carrot cake from Laurel Market.
Italian cream cake with cream cheese frosting from Villani’s.
My salted fudge brownies with dollops of natural peanut butter swirled in. This was very good and you should try it.
That wraps it up for tonight. I’m off to bed at 9p on a Friday and very excited about it.
What ages did you experience sleep regressions?
Nap tips? Hit me up. Help.
What is your favorite sandwich combination?
Fun fact- I was part of the staff that opened the first Burtons in Hingham, MA in 2005 ( I think!) I’ve never had a dish from there that I didn’t love!
That is a fun fact!!!!
8 month regression for sure. I know my younger son went through it. Of course I was too exhausted to retain any of the details. My daughter turned 8 months yesterday and I think maybe she’s in it? We bedshare I don’t look at the clock when she wakes up but instead of going to sleep like she used to she gets on all fours and rocks bc she desperately wants to crawl.
Pretty sure there’s a 2.5 years sleep regression and we are in that and it’s some bullshit. No nap tips here! My track record for getting babies to sleep is awful. I nurse to sleep, that’s my only “tip”. And I drink lots of coffee. But they always come out of the regressions!!
Hey Alyssa – OMG Finn does the same thing getting on all fours and rocking. He is crawling but he also does this rocking thing!?
Sending LOTS of love and strength as you go through a 2.5 year regression! I also nurse and rock to sleep! No judgement here. 🙂 Our bigger issue is naps, nighttime has been okay!
Where in Whole Foods did you find the salmon parchment dinner. I would love to try the one you got and see what else they have.
At the seafood counter!
Love the random food combinations! thanks for sharing – goes to show we are all different and you just like what you like!
As for sleep, it was all hard for us and still is! I figured after they were 1 it would get better, nope. Lol. Not for us at least, and my daughter is almost 4 now. I will suggest starting a SOLID bedtime routine that you can both grow with. Example: pajamas on, brush teeth, potty/diaper, 2 books, lights out, hugs & kisses. Sounds simple but can easily take us a full hour some nights. It will morph over time (teeth, potty, etc.) but we try to keep it simple and the same every night. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip! We have really been working on starting to get one down so I will stay committed to it!
Jen I made the PaleOMG spaghetti pie and loved it! I would be interested to know how you modified it.
Some of the ways I like to modify this recipe include…
– I always use marinara sauce instead of pizza sauce and oftentimes use the whole jar instead of 1 cup
– I’ve also used other sauces before like creamy jarred sauces
– Switch the type of sausage. This time instead of Italian pork sausage I used sundried tomato chicken sausage
– Add mushrooms
– Add artichoke hearts
– Add red pepper flakes
– Add cheese – either in the mix or on top
Just a few ideas! Hope that helps!
Hi Jen, I love your food posts! Delicious! How do you induldge in all of those beautiful desserts and stay so slim and fit? I workout regularly and feel like I’m in good shape, but can’t eat sweets without gaining weight. More power to you!
We hit a 4 month sleep regression. It was totally brutal. But thankfully nothing since then. My Kade is a month older than Finn. And just last week I weaned him off his 3am nursing session and it is a LIFE CHANGER. He still wakes up between 530-6 but the uninterrupted sleep is amazing! The nap trick that worked for me was crib hour. If he woke up before an hour I would leave him and let him hang out in his crib until he was in his crib for a complete hour. It was super hard if he was crying but sometimes he would turn to his belly and go back to sleep. And after some time he got used to it. For example today he woke up after 20 minutes but I left him and he proceeded to sleep 2 1/2 hours!!! Every babe is different but that is what worked for me. Good luck!
We some how evaded the infamous 4 month regression. I’ve heard it’s so brutal. I have been trying the crib hour, I really think that is the best solution for us because I think sometimes he’s really not ready to get up and needs to go back to sleep. And hopefully he’ll learn he can also just chill in there and relax. <3
Please, please, please share commentary from your dad in the future. He sounds a lot like my dad (and I’m sure a lot of other readers dads), and made me laugh so much!!
HA! Will do for sure. 🙂
8 months sleep regression could be caused by separation anxiety, or the beginning of this phase. (And I also love to eat dinner in a bowl! Grains+proteins+veggies+sauce always make the perfect easy dinner.)
I considered that too.