Hey friends! How are you guys doing!? This week has been a good one so far mainly because Chase’s weekend fever was gone by Monday (I still kept him home from preschool just to be safe) and I managed to sneak away for a fun dinner with some of my closest girlfriends which included lots of much-needed uninterrupted conversation. Since my friends and I usually get together with our toddlers in tow, it always feels like a treat when we can meet up, talk and relax without multi-tasking. Not a bad way to kick off the week!
After dinner on Monday night, I climbed into bed around 10:30 p.m. and was hit with another bout of pregnancy-related insomnia. Womp, womp. Let’s just say I didn’t wake up bright-eyed on Tuesday morning and opted to sleep in as long as I could which meant I was up a little before 7 a.m. thanks to a stomach that needed food immediately… or suffer the nausea consequences! I headed into the kitchen and made myself a big bowl of oatless oatmeal with zucchini and pumpkin so my breakfast was a hybrid between my original oatless oatmeal recipe and my pumpkin paleo oatmeal.
I’ve been eating a lot of bananas lately to try to increase my consumption of potassium-rich foods (my doctor recommended this to help with calf and foot cramps) and oatless oatmeal is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them since they naturally sweeten my breakfast in a tasty way!
I ate my breakfast while quickly browsing through my email inbox and then chatted with my mom until Chase was up for the day around 7:30 a.m. My mom initially planned to come in town to watch Chase while Ryan and I headed off on our babymoon but the timing worked out really well for her to extend her stay since we have plans to visit my Aunt Laurie who lives a little over two hours away in Raleigh for my baby sprinkle with my extended family on Saturday. Gotta love the extra family time!
Once Chase was awake, we all dug into pumpkin muffins from the double batch of whole wheat pumpkin muffins Chase and I made together on Monday and then it was off to boot camp!
The workout on the agenda for the day was a legs/shoulders/arms workout and my modified version looked like this:
I was more than ready for another snack by the time we made it home and topped a cup of yogurt with cacao nibs, chia seeds and blueberries.
Chase snacked as well and then the two of us headed upstairs to play while my mom went to a morning Jazzercise class. I made up a “shoe game” to coerce Chase into helping me sort through the shoes in my closet which served two purposes: Toddler entertainment + Organizing my closet. Chase helped match my shoes together – motivated by lots of high fives every time he got a successful match – and I was able to make a pile of shoes and clothes to give away through the matching fun.
We spent the rest of the morning hanging out round the house and tried to get Chase down for his nap on the earlier side of the afternoon. While he had “quiet time” in his crib (he never actually slept yesterday), my mom and I made ourselves lunch. I had a big ol’ egg and veggie scramble made with onions, peppers, spinach and roasted sweet potato. I topped it all off with nutritional yeast, goat cheese and avocado for more potassium and healthy fats!
And then I ate half of a bag (literally) of Boom Chicka Pop white cheddar popcorn while I worked on the computer.
I cannot be trusted around that stuff. It’s too good!
Since Chase didn’t really nap yesterday, his crib quiet time didn’t last too long, so we played at home for a bit before I had a dentist appointment on the agenda while my mom and Chase headed off to Chase’s swim lesson. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this on the blog before, but both of my front teeth chip regularly (so random, I know), so I find myself at the dentist for small chip repairs several times a year. Well, my front right tooth chipped over the weekend and thankfully my dentist was able to squeeze me in for an appointment yesterday in the early evening. My appointment didn’t last too long and since my dentist’s office is located right next door to the library, I took advantage of some solo time and returned a big batch of library books and took my time browsing for more books I think Chase will love.
Usually I have Chase with my during our library adventures because he LOVES the library, but this also means I’m often quickly selecting books at random and about half of them end up being duds. The book nerd in me loved browsing for books for Chase that I think he will love (basically anything with animals or some kind of transportation theme) and I picked up a few of my childhood favorites for us to read together, too!
(Helen Lester, the author of Tacky the Penguin, actually visited my elementary school when I was a kid so I’ve always had a soft spot for that book!)
I arrived home shortly after my mom and Chase returned from swimming and once Ryan joined us after work, we all quickly assembled an easy dinner that included coconut shrimp from The Fresh Market, baked sweet potatoes and grapes.
Random but it worked!
And of course my day wouldn’t be complete with a bowl of cereal (or two) before bed.
I ended up sleeping much better last night – thank goodness – and am feeling a lot more energetic today. Hoping for a great Wednesday for all!
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The avocado and grapes look delicious! I always love frozen grapes in the summer, such a refreshing healthy snack! Hope you have a great Wednesday!
I love reading my old childhood books to my 11 month old. Yesterday, I opened up a book that was signed by my dear Aunt that passed away a few years ago. It brought I tear to my eye for sure!
I can’t wait for our dude to be old enough to enjoy library time! Also, pregnancy insomnia is terrible. I was up for hours last night even after taking melatonin. And I am only 14 weeks… this could be BAD!
What a day! I know you appreciate all the extra help from your mama! And that random dinner sounds delicious!
I think you might have tried it not sure but my doctor recommended unisom for when I wake up in the middle of the. If they and can’t go back to sleep thanks to nausea and insomnia. It works but a half a dose is all I can take or I feel like a zombie!
Happy Wednesday! I always enjoy your day-in-the-life posts. You are blessed with such a great family and it’s always enjoyable to read about; what a treat to have your mom in town!
Browsing unfettered at the library is one of my favorite things ever. After a bout of unemployment once, I spent a lot of my days at the local library (where they also had free classes), and it’s so nice to be there on a week day without any time constraints. Plus, my local library has a working gas fireplace overlooking a rolling prairie. Win win!
lol love that Chase is still really into that rolling dog toy. So cute! Thanks for another great post as always.
Helen Lester must be local because she came to my Chicago-suburb elementary school too. Genius slow-game marketing though because I still buy those books all the time as gifts.
Step 1: Read books to kids
Step 2: Wait 25 years
Step 3: Profit!
Hahaha! Yes! It’s all coming back to her now! 🙂
After chpping two teeth at different times a few years ago, my dentist recommended Invisalign – Although my teeth looked pretty good, apparently there was pressure from my bite put on certain teeth. Its been 6 months since I finished a year of Invisalign and so far, no more chips!
So interesting! I had Invisalign right after college. During yesterday’s appointment, my dentist actually very lightly shaved one of my bottom teeth down a bit (it came to a point and he thought maybe that was causing the chipping on my right tooth) so I am hoping that might help a bit!
Happy Wednesday, Julie! Sounds like you had quite the day yesterday. I’m glad you slept better last night! All of your eats look yummy 🙂 xoxo
Sleepless nights are the worst! They definitely impact me the day after.
I feel so good after I do a closet clean out. I feel lighter after donating the clothing that I don’t wear anymore.
I can’t wait to take Adeline to our local library! I can’t believe we haven’t done it yet, but I have a feeling she’s going to LOVE picking out lots of fun books!
When you make a double batch of the muffins, do you freeze some so they stay fresh? I have been making different muffin recipes lately that call for bananas and almond butter and I find by the end of the week they seem to be going bad.
Yes! I always freeze them! To reheat, I just put one in the microwave for 20-30 seconds!
Picking out library books for my 3 year-old daughter is always a fun project! If I can recommend one, see if you can track down “Whoops!” by Suzi Moore. It has the perfect blend of rhyme, animals, and humor. We both loved it, and my daughter had almost memorized it by the time the return date came.
Thank you for the recommendation! I’ll add it to my list for our next visit!
My two front teeth kept chipping too! And I kept having to get them fixed which was such a pain. Even though I had braces as a kid and wore my retainers, my dentist and orthodontist both agreed that I should do invisalign because some things had shifted a bit. After invisalign, I got porcelain veneers on my two front teeth and I have to say, they look like REAL teeth and they haven’t chipped at all in years. If your teeth chip again, I would definitely ask your dentist about it.
Hi Julie! Love your blog. So sorry you are dealing with pregnancy-induced insomnia. Yucko!
I am a soon-to-be SAHM (“retiring” from teaching). I have a 15-month old. What are your best tips for being productive when staying home with a little one? I am so nervous and you seem to have it all figured out!
I recommend Piggie and Elephant books by Mo Willems or his Pigeon books! Kids love them and read them over and over. Lois Ehlert also has some good books for little ones.
I always love these day in the life posts! That sounds like a total bummer about your teeth! I’m gjad Chase is feeling better!
Be sure to check our Truck Driver Tom next time you’re at the library. My son loved it when he was Chases age. There is an entire series – Mr Cookie Baker and Pizza at Sals were hits too.
Hi Julie, I’m pregnant too just about a week ahead of you and have also been suffering from insomnia lately. My doctor suggested diffusing lavender essential oil in the bedroom at night, and rubbing magnesium oil on my feet before bed. Just thought I’d pass that along! 🙂
I’m glad you had a better sleep last night. It can really make you feel human again. I so related to your description of how you usually pick out library books with Chase in tow – same over here with my daughter. Have you and Chase read any books by Mo Willems? They’re my favorite toddler books right now! We read “Today I will fly” on repeat. It’s super cute and so are the other ones we’ve read by this author.
Oh my goodness, I LOVE having cereal before bed too! Such a comforting way to end a night–plus it is shown to help with sleep too! Funny because it’s a breakfast food XD the giant sweet potato and grapes are also calling my name! OMG and the Pigeon books: CHILDHOOD.
Hi Julie, congrats on your soon to be newest addition! I’ve noticed you don’t often post on Thursdays these days. It must be really nice to take a little break from blogging (work) each week! Have a good one!
Thank you! <3 Gah I wish my lack of a Thurs post this week was intentional! I actually had a brand I'm working with once again delay a posting deadline at the very last minute and the post I had through that collaboration was the only post I had ready for today, so I didn't have a chance to write another one before I left for Raleigh. But I do want to say thank you for supporting a breather here and there! I definitely appreciate it and I'm sure I'll inevitably have to cut back on some posting once our baby arrives.
Hi Julie…
make sure the salt is ok with your Dr…but my son used to get muscle cramps when he would do tough sporting events. A swig of pickle juice always helped get rid of them… not sure why but it really works!
If you want a change of banana for potassium, try medjool dates. They’re packed with potassium and satisfy a sweet tooth! I’m not fan of bananas and always reach for medjool dates instead!
Hope Chase liked the books 🙂