Happy Wednesday friends. I documented everything that I ate yesterday for a “What I Ate Wednesday” kind of throwback post. (If you’re newer to reading blogs or just don’t read that many, WIAW used to be a big thing.)
I posted on Instagram on Tuesday morning about how my postpartum eats have been ALL OVER THE PLACE! Seriously, in one 18 hour span between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning I ate a defrosted cupcake that I found in the depths of the freezer for lunch, a bunch of leftovers from a meal that a friend brought for dinner, half a pint of Ben & Jerry’s for dessert and egg and avocado on a big cheddar biscuit for breakfast.
Eating with a new baby is all about fast and convenient….in more ways than one. In addition to the prep needing to be fast, I’m also eating faster than ever before as Mr. Finn seems to know exactly when I am sitting down to eat and likes to save his tears for those moments. 🙂
I “got it together” a bit more for the day of eats that I’m going to show you thanks to some help from my fam. Finn and I are in Florida for a few days visiting. I’ve also got an update on my third postpartum run, which was my best one yet.
WHAT I ATE IN A DAY
I haven’t been to the grocery store since arriving so I’ve been making do with whatever I can find in my parent’s or grandmother’s kitchen. Breakfast was two slices of organic multi-grain/seed toast with peanut butter, honey and banana and a peach. I also drank one cup of coffee.
I made a salad for lunch and as I was prepping it, I snacked on blue corn chips and pimento cheese. This brand of pimento cheese is one of my favorites if I’m not eating homemade.
Here’s my lunch salad. Spinach, grapes, half an avocado, tomato, pecans and dried cranberries with balsamic vinaigrette.
MAY I INTERRUPT THIS POST FOR SOME CUTENESS
I snapped this picture of my parent’s golden retriever, Sam, yesterday afternoon. You might remember that they used to have two (brother and sister) but they lost Missy to cancer very suddenly a few months ago.
And one more photo that I am throwing in for cuteness. Finn had one of his best days ever yesterday. He napped great, ate great and played a ton. There was minimal fussiness or crying. His absolute favorite thing to do (after eating, of course) is to lie on a play mat/changing pad/the bed….anything works…and kick his legs and wave his arms. He can kick for at least 30 minutes and makes tons of cute noises while he does. Of course he likes to have an audience for all of this and I’m happy to be one for him!
MY THIRD POSTPARTUM RUN
I went on my third postpartum run on Tuesday afternoon. It had been two weeks since my last run and this one felt better than the previous two. I’m still not 100% ready to get back into a regular groove with running but I’m sprinkling it in when I feel like it. I’ll increase the frequency as it feels right to do so.
From a cardiovascular standpoint, my fitness has definitely decreased quite a bit. My average heart rate while running seems to be about 20-25 bpms higher postpartum regardless of the pace. This was a completely flat run and my heart rate was pretty high!
BACK TO WHAT I ATE WEDNESDAY
My dad brought home a selection of kombuchas for me. How thoughtful! The best part was that he got flavors I don’t usually purchase. I loved the Guava Goodness and I also loved that he pointed out that he picked the bottles that said “rebuild, restore, enlightened, etc.” Haha.
I almost always drink a kombucha mid to late afternoon. They are especially refreshing on a hot day and after a workout and a shower!
Dinner was grilled chicken thighs with a baked sweet potato and grilled asparagus. My dad brined the chicken breasts and it made such a big difference in the flavor. I ate two thighs.
And finally, dessert was a mix of strawberry and cherry vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
What’s your favorite GT’s Kombucha flavor if you drink it? I usually get Trilogy, Gingerberry or Gingerade.
What are some fun activities for a 9-10 week old baby? Am I on the right track letting him kick and look at things? Anything else fun or creative that I can do with him?
How’s running been feeling for you lately with this summer heat?
With my first baby around 6 weeks I was like “oh i have to entertain him” because I was like “oh he has to be so bored” (because I kind of was) and I worried I wasn’t stimulating him enough. Then the doctor was pretty much like “his brain is absorbing so much info so fast, you just need to let him look around, feel things and hear things. Plus he can barely see so no need to put on a broadway caliber show.” Second kid, we just lived life. The play mat is perfect (love that piano one) and wearing him around (high fives for your two hands free!). But reading and just narrating your life to him is good and maybe just touching his feet or his arm with different soft things. You’re doing so great love the updates!
HAHA! I can’t relate enough to what you said about feeling like baby must be bored because you were kind of bored! I love what your doctor shared and how you changed your approach with number two.
Yes, Finn loves that kick and play piano mat and I’m sure once he can turn around in the Ergo he’ll enjoy that even more.
And I am trying to do a lot of narrating. It’s feeling more and more natural every day!
I love seeing your eats, especially when you are visiting family! My friend (loosely 🙂 tied balloons to her baby’s ankles (that had helium in them so they floated) when her baby was about Finn’s age and he LOVED kicking and looking at them!
That is such a cute idea!
Tummy time with lots of fun toys to maybe start to grab for or kick against. Talk to him like it’s a conversation, taking pauses to let him “answer.” Sing to him – head shoulders knees and toes, etc. Put items in his hands or on belly and describing what textures he’s feeling. Babycenter has a great list of play activities for each week of baby’s first year. But yes, you’re on the right track ☺️ Enjoy your family time!
Ahhhh he hates tummy time! But we do a lot of “conversations” which are so cute! I’ll check out Babycenter!
Looks like a great day of eats! That blue corn chips and pimento cheese combo sounds fantastic.
I babysat some babies around that age, and I think their favorite things were being cuddled, spoken to, sang to, and shown different things. I showed them household items and toys, and I remember my nephew was totally fascinated by light fixtures. At that age, they just love looking around at everything. Enjoy it!! It doesn’t last long and, at least in my opinion, it is the easiest time you’ll have entertaining your baby.
Yes on the light fixtures! And Finn also loves fans! You are so right on this being the easiest time to entertain a baby. Keeping that in mind for sure.
Your family seems really sweet :). My babies aren’t here yet (just a few more weeks!), but a fellow mama friend suggested following IGers who have babies around the same age or pediatric OTs to get an idea on age-appropriate activities. I thought that was a good idea!
Yes, they are so wonderful. Congrats on your upcoming arrival! And thank you for the great suggestion! 🙂
We’re pretty much doing the same 🙂 Loving the kick n play piano and just kicking on a blanket. I just found a little book that I got on Kindle called Begin with a Blanket, creative play for infants. Its written by a pediatric occupational therapist who lives in Charlotte. She has a website too, Candokiddo.com. She has some good ideas on little things to do with babies at each age and stage of development. Thank god, I felt like I was running out of ideas!
Yes! He loves his kick n play piano! And thank you so much for the recommendation on the book and website!
Some fun activities are to read to him because you never know how long he’ll sit still for books when he’s mobile. Texture books are fun and you can describe what he’s feeling. Remember he loves the sound of your voice! Also, my daughter loved playing with tulle fabric. I’d slowly move a piece over her face and over her body and she loved it! Pick up a small amount at a local fabric store for super cheap. OR you could have him paint! Put a small amount of paint on a golf ball and he can roll is around. It might not go that far and you’ll have to help, but it’ll be your most treasured art piece!
Yes, we love reading and great point on getting more mobile and not sitting still! 🙂
I love your unique suggestions about the tulle and the painting!
Do you have an activity mat for Finn yet? I have a skiphop brand one that I like a lot. You can do tummy time on it or lay him on his back to kick around. They have fun things to look at and reach for and mine even has a little (plastic) mirror which my baby loves. These mats are a great way to buy time to prep dinner, etc and get your baby some exercise in his “little gym” as we call it in our house.
Yes! I have a couple of them. He loves the Fisher-Price one with the kick and play piano!
My favorite flavor is strawberry serinity by GTs! So refreshing. 🙂
That is a good one!
Curious about running and the Apple watch. I’m a slave to my Garmin but would love to run with an Apple watch so I can listen to Apple music/podcasts – I never run with my phone. Plus, my husband would feel better knowing I could text if needed sine I run early in the morning alone. Do you find the pace/distance info to be accurate – is it something important to you? Also, which size watch face do you have? I have a tiny wrist but I’m 48 so feel like the bigger face would be better, lol.
I really love my Apple Watch for how easily it integrates into all of my other Apple products. I have worn the apple watch on one wrist and a TomTom on the other and found the stats to be identical. I like the size of the apple watch and I personally have the smaller face but have friends who have small wrists and like the bigger face too!
That is the sweetest picture of Finn and makes me a little sad that my three are waaayyy beyond that stage in life! What you’re doing with him now is perfect, and talking to him is good too. However, I think it’s also important to have time where he’s not hearing and seeing you so he is comfortable without the constant “intervention” to entertain himself;)
By the way, do your frequent visits to Florida possibly mean you’re considering moving closer to family? Seems it would be awfully nice to have them so close as you return back to work!!
We do lots of chatting! 🙂 And I like your suggestion on not always being right there when he’s playing. I have been really grateful to be able to spend time with my family during the early months.
Love the guava! So underrated!
I’m so glad he bought it for me because I loved it! Great to discover a new flavor that I liked!
Hi Jen,
I read your posts every day. I am 33 weeks pregnant, and love to comapre your weekly updates with mine. I am an avid runner who just last week had to quit running… for now… great to see you are back at it!
May I ask how far were your runs? Were the first ones really tough? I am trying to figure out my return plan… suffering with just limited exercise and this heavy body!
The spicy Palmetto pimento cheese is my favorite. I’m originally from the Midwest and had never had pimento cheese until moving to the south and I’m a convert.
You are definitely on the right track! Tummy time is important, too. He’ll get used to it as he gets older and it’s important for developing neck strength and upper body. Both my kids hated it at first, too! Also, read to him. There’s so much research showing how important reading to infants is with language development and brain development. Showing him pictures and letting him touch books is a great way to spend time together. Both my kids adored the Sandra Boynton board books. They are so cute!! We read Pajama Time every night for probably two years straight! 🙂
I think you are doing great! Finn is just precious, and I’m so impressed with how you are getting out with him, traveling with him, etc. I was nervous to go ANYWHERE with my son and was a hermit for the first 3-6 months. New babies are so precious and so sweet, but adjusting to parenting is so hard! I think there are always challenges with parenting – they just change as they grow. Anyway, I just wanted to send a note of encouragement. I love reading your posts, and I think you are doing a great job! Enjoy these baby moments as much as you can. Everyone says that, but it is so true. I was so stressed and emotional when my son was an infant and wish I had enjoyed it more and stressed less.
Can I ask what type of cancer Missy had? I lost my dog to hemangiosarcoma in March, which is very common in golden retrievers. My dog was actually a silky terrier and it was quite rare for her to have that type of cancer.
Have a wonderful time in FL!
I asked my parents and they didn’t know the exact type. It was of the liver and spleen. I’m so sorry to hear about your pup. It’s just the worst to lose them, especially to something like cancer. xx
That is so sweet your dad picked out the special flavors with inspirational saying! ?
Haha, I know! He’s a pretty great guy!
Yes, babies love to kick and take it all in. If you have a ceiling fan they really seem to like those too. Babies can get over stimulated so you really don’t want to do too much. Another great thing is to just walk around the house and point out things and talk about them – you might feel like an idiot but it so good for their vocabulary, etc. You can hand him toys to work on his grip too but I’m sure you are doing just great with him!