Vacation 2013-The Beach(es)

One of the blessings of Nick not teaching Summer School this year is the luxury spending our time when and where we like. Usually, we're lucky to go out of town for a couple days, but this year we were gone for 11 days. It was amazing.

The view out of window...no wonder we didn't go on the beach Thursday.

I manipulated my 6 week post partum appointment a few days early and as soon as I was cleared to resume all normal activities, we headed down to the Outer Banks to join my parents at their beach front condo. Unfortunately, they had to leave the next morning due to a business emergency, so we were left on our own. Thursday was cloudy and nasty, so we visited some shops and found some grub. And we had a little mishap where we wouldn't find the key to the condo. We searched everywhere-retraced everywhere we had been-only to find it in the bottom of the diaper bag. Oops.

You get to see the sunrise when you're up with a little one...

Friday brought better weather, so we headed down to the beach. The beach sucks when there are only two of you with a newborn. We couldn't go out in the water together, as someone had to stay with Jack. Hanging on the beach was relaxing, but I would have loved to get further than ankle deep in the water. I started out putting Jack in his baby bathtub on the beach (thank you, Pinterest!), but later we found he was just as content laying on a couple blankets on the sand. 

Saturday morning we packed up and trekked 6 hours further down the coast of North Carolina to Holden Beach to join Nick's family. Of course, we procrastinated on filling up, so we coasted through a wildlife refuge on fumes, holding our breath and crossing our fingers the whole time. Additionally, 6 week old babies require lots of stopping. 

We spent almost everyday down at the beach. This time we took turns watching Jack and going out in the water with our siblings, which was awesome. Additionally, we were surrounded with people who love Jack as much as we do, so there was always someone willing to watch him. 

We made a couple of outings down to Myrtle Beach...the first time, we were hoping to go to Margaritaville for dinner. 2.5 hour wait-no ma'am. So we ventured over to Planet Hollywood. I hopped out, in the rain, to get a table for 12 while Nick parked the car. Just as soon as I put our name on the list, I saw Nick walking up the stairs to the entrance-empty handed. I mouthed to him, "Where's the baby?"

"What?" With a shrug. 

"WHERE'S JACK?"

"Oh, shit!" 

My husband left the baby in the car. Seriously. Who does that? Never mind, my husband. In his defense, it was cold, rainy, and Jack was in there about 2-3 minutes alone. Certainly not something I would encourage, but if you have to make that kind of mistake, I guess this was the best way. And I can promise you, he will never do it again. 

Jack's thoughts on the 2.5 hour wait.

Jack's first introduction to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Planet Hollywood.

But, on a happier note, I was able to send the week getting some of my physicality back. Bike rides, long walks, miniature gold, I was even convinced to lead a family Pilates class. It felt so good to start moving again-even if I ingested many more calories than I expended that week.

I'm a baby wearing pro! I even got 2 hole in ones that night.

Dad, however, got creative.

Family Yoga/Pilates/Stretch class...notice the little ones photo bombing.

Friday evening when we left it was bittersweet. We had a wonderful time, but I'm not sure we were ready to head back to the real world. The best part, though: we left at 8PM, made it home about 1:45AM, and only had to stop one time for Mr. Jack this time. Fabulous.

Liebster Blog Award

 

I feel so honored. Rachel nominated me for this award, which, in all honesty, the only award I should be getting right now is for blog neglect. Oops. I have so much writing to get caught up with. Hopefully little man will start napping more and I can finally get on top of that. At any rate, many thanks to Rachel, who's blog I love reading to see her adorable boys, Jack and Cal, and see what good things she's cooking. 

When you’re nominated for a Liebster, here’s what you do:
1.    Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2.    Nominate 11 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
3.    Answer the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.
4.    Display the Liebster Award logo.
5.    No tag backs, meaning you can’t just re-nominate the person who nominated you.


1.  If given the choice, and money were no option, what would you choose to do for your career? I'd probably do something similar to what I'm doing now...maybe I'd teach on the collegiate level, or maybe I'd just be a free lance choreographer. Something along those lines.
2.  Name a food or a meal that you could eat every day. Just about anything Italian or Mexican. I'm debating both for dinner. 
3.  Do you have a regret about something?  Feel free to unload! Buying a house when we did. Don't get me wrong, I love our house, and I'm thrilled to be a home owner, but given the market we were buying in, we definitely overpaid. Now we feel stuck in our home with little option as far as where we can move if our jobs took us there.
4.  What is your guilty pleasure tv show? What Not to Wear...there are some stupid people on there.
5.  Kids or pets not included.  What would you grab in the event of a house fire? My dance bag, although it lives in the car, so it might be OK. Otherwise, Jack's baby book, our wedding album, and our iPads.
6.  What is one thing you consider yourself really good at? Organizing.
7.  What does your dream home look like? Craftsman style rambling ranch with front room over garage (FROG) which would be an awesome sports bar type room for all Nick's memorabilia.
8.  Are you an introvert or an extrovert?  Why? Some people think I'm an extrovert, and I can play one well, but I'm really more introverted.
9.  In your Favorites menu on your internet page, list the first three that come up. Facebook, TheBump.com, and and Bloglovin'
10.  Where is your favorite place in the world? The beach. I feel most at peace when I'm there.
11.  Name an actor, author, political figure, alive or deceased that you would love to spend a day with. She doesn't quite fit into any category, but probably Helen Keller. 


  And here are my questions for those I've tagged...
1. What color best describes your personality?
2. How do you see yourself in 20 years?
3. You meet someone for a summer. How do you hope they remember you?
4. What's your hidden talent?
5. Beer, wine, or cocktail? If you don't drink, what are doing reading my blog?
6. What's your favorite childhood memory?
7. What is your ideal pet? Why?
8. If you could live inside one movie, what would it be?
9. What celebrity is top on your freebie list? (You know, the freebie that your spouse/significant other would let you sleep with if the opportunity arose.)
10. What's your favorite type of weather?
11. If you could solve one world problem by snapping your fingers, what would it be?

So...keep your eyes open to see if I tagged you as a nominee!

Brews and Vines of NC

It's about damn time I had a post about alcohol again, huh?

One of the things I love about going out of town is enjoying local brews and wines. And I've been known to be able to sniff out a local winery or  brew pub better than any one else. While we were pn vacation (more to come on that later), I made sure to check out some. So, where did we go?

Outer Banks Brewing Station -I have always been curious as to how this place was. Our food was awesome-Nick got a bratwurst sandwich, and I got the fish platter. Our seats over looked the brewery, and I enjoyed a Nitwit (Wit (White) is Belgium’s answer to Hefeweizen. It’s light, hazy, refreshing, ale brewed with a portion of un-malted wheat. Ours is fermented with Forbidden Fruit (a special strain of reserve yeast from the famous Hoegaarden brewery), and spiced with a subtle lacing of Coriander and Bitter Orange. (4.5% abv.)) Nick had the Stormy Roses Stout (Inky black & creamy-smooth dry-ish Irish styled stout is brewed with Scottish Golden Promise malts and Chilean dark crystal & chocolate malts which lend a smokey, black licorice note! Perfect for watching passing summer storms… (6.6% abv)) and later a Lemongrass Wheat Ale (A zesty golden hefeweizen infused with a potent smack of Lemongrass. The flavor is crisp, tart and refreshing – World Beer Cup Silver Medal winner!! (5.2% abv.)) We both really enjoyed our beers-lived up to expectations!

**Beer Descriptions taken from www.obbrewing.com.***

Trio- Last year we found this awesome little shop. They used to do a special tasting of NC wines, but alas, not so much this year. BUT, they do have wine vending machines in which you can get a taste, half a glass or a full glass of wine. I had seen these before, but hadn't had the opportunity to give them a try. It's really easy to use. In this case, we went up to the bar, turned over our credit card (just like if you were starting a tab), got plastic card that kept track of our purchases, and swiped that at each machine we used. We tried to stick to NC wines, but when I came across a wine associated with Dave Mathews, I had to indulge. The white was good, but I really enjoyed the red. It was a red both people who like red and those that don't typically enjoy it. We walked away with a bottle of white for a friend, a bottle of red for ourselves, and two wine glasses.

Sanctuary Vineyards- We passed this vineyard on our way down, and, had we had more time, I would have loved to go back and do a tour/tasting. As luck would have it, they had a tasting set up in one of the gift shops we went in. (I knew there was a reason I wanted to go in there!) They had a huuuuuuge selection of wines, but since Nick and I tend more towards the dryer wines, we stuck with tasting a handful (seriously, about 6 wines) of those. While I enjoyed Shipwreck (Syrah and Mourvedre blend)  and Wild Pony (Chardonnay/Riesling blend, we walked away with a bottle of Morton (A surprisingly elegant, yet buyer friendly, blend of our winemaker’s choice red wines. Syrah, Tempranillo, Tannat, Aglianico and Cabernet Sauvignon have been carefully blended, giving flavors of blackberry, black cherry and spice with subtle sweetness and oak.)

***Wine description from www.sanctuaryvineyards.com ***

Full Moon Cafe and Grill- I found this place by accident in a tourist book. We decided to head over for lunch on our way out of the OuterBanks, partially out of convenience and partially because it was a lit cheaper for lunch. Nick got the tuna (steak) sandwich-which was amazing-and I got the Roanoke Shrimp Melt, which was pretty darn good. To accompany our meals, I had the Lost Colony Ale (A northern English style of ale. Walnut-colored with a sweet malty taste, plus caramel, coffee and molasses flavors from the imported British malts.5% alcohol by volume (abv)), and Nick had some red ale that i cant find on the website. Both were awesome, and if we had had room in the car for a growler, one of them would have come home with us.

***Beer description from www.thefullmooncafe.com. ***

Boardwalk Winery- We found this place down at Broadway on the Beach in Myrtle Beach. All the grapes are local to North and South Carolina, and the  wines are made there at their storefront. WE each tasted 7 wines for $4 and ended purchasing a bottle of wine. Too bad we didn't have this coupon I found on the website for a free souvenir glass if you purchase a tasting and a bottle of wine. Oops. lesson learned: in the age of smart phones, always go to a store/restaurant/attraction's website before finalizing your purchase to see if there are any deals you can hop on. Most of their wines tended more on the sweeter side-lots of fruit wines-but we did come home with a bottle of Endless Summer Semi-Dry (Endless Summer is sure to please the masses. This is our top selling blend. With it's wonderful blend of Mango & Peach wine, each bottle promises to bring back those feelings of long summer days...and nights! 12% Alcohol.)

***Once again, wine description from www.boardwalkwinery.com.*** 

One place I had hoped to hit up, but we never got the chance to, was Silver Coast Winery. Hopefully, we'll make it there next year. 

Not only did we enjoy some awesome drinks, but we came home with a lot more glassware...Now, to find a home for each of them. 

Post-Partum-Week 5

Another week has passed, and I hate to say it, it's had one pretty big fails. 

Fail #1-Milk blisters. Ow, OW, OW! My nipples are friggin killing me this week. I have milk blisters on both sides. I cannot even explain the excruciating pain. 

Fail #2-Blow out. This starts off sounding like a win-we're starting to fit into our one size diapers. Woohoo! 

Except that I forgot to adjust the rise on a Charlie Banana pocket diaper. When I was feeding him at Buy Buy Baby in their lovely feeding room, he pooped...and it all came sliding out of the diaper and onto my lap and the chair. I had to send the hubs 2 doors down to buy me a pair of yoga pants Old Navy. I put Jack in his back up outfit-a sleeper-which he apparently has just outgrown. Jack was not pleased with his uncomfortable outfit, which resulted in a new outfit, complete with cape. 

And, I had the mortifying job of informing the employees they had a shitty chair to clean up. Lovely. 

Fail #3- I'm down only 1lb. This should be a win, but the fail is more that I didn't track, and, while my habits were improved, I still didn't do as well as I would have liked. And bathing suit shopping was successful this week, but not fun. 

Fail #4-Jack hates to nap on the afternoon. Fights it like crazy, and just wants to nurse and cry. I'm more than apply to let him nurse if he's hungry, but don't use me to avoid sleeping when you're obviously exhausted. He has started napping better in the swing, and we had an awesome nap in the Moby wrap while I vacuumed yesterday. 

In other news, Jack's outgrown about half of his newborn clothes. I'm constantly in awe of how big he's getting. Last night he slept a 4.5 hour stretch, which was amazing. And Saturday night, he was well behaved for Ellen, who watched him while we say Paul McCartney in DC. Tomorrow night Jack's grandfather is baby sitting so we can go see fun. Let's hope that goes just as well.  We're starting to fall into a rhythm (definitely not a schedule), so that is helping some at home. Just in time for us to through everything off by going out of town for a week and a half. 

And just for fun, here's more of Jack. 

Jack-1 month!

I cannot believe you've been here for a month (+1 day) at this point. Time has flown and yet stood still (like those evenings when you just want to eat ALL NIGHT LONG). It has been a bit of a crazy month-we haven't sat still much, so much that I had to abandon our weekly updates. Oops. During this month, you experienced a lot of firsts...

• First Wedding(Saturday, June 22, 2013)
• First Overnight trip (Saturday, June 22, 2013...Thursday, July 4, 2013...Monday, July 8, 2013-I said we were on the go a lot!)
• First Bath (Wednesday, July 3, 2013)
• First Holiday (Fourth of July)
• First Bottle (July 6, 2013)
• First Trip Restaurant Outing (Tuesday, July 9, 2013)
• First  Night with a Baby Sitter (Friday, July 12, 2013)

  You had your 1 month check up today, and you did great, although you werent thrilled with round two of the Hepatitis B vaccine. You are officially not a newborn anymore, which is a bit bitter sweet rugjt now. Here are some stats on your first month...

Weight: 8 lbs 10 oz
Length: 21.25 inches
Head Circumference: 14.25
Clothing: You are officially outgrowing your smallest newborn stuff and into some (smaller) 0-3 month clothing. Mainly Gerber newborn onesies and Babies R Us brand newborn sleepers have been retired. There are a few Carter's items you can wear in the 0-3 month size, but they are few and far between. 
Hair: Brown, long and thick...although, it is lightening up some and I can see where new hair is growing in underneath. After your bath, or when you get sweaty, it gets curly, which makes me think you have your mama's hair texture.
Eyes: Brown with a little bit of dark blue around the edges. Sometimes they almost look a little bit gray or slightly green. I would not be surprised if you defy all odds and end up with hazel eyes.
Sleep: You started off sleeping in the rock and play in our bedroom, but we moved you into your own room (still in the rock and play) once you hit two weeks. You sleep about 3.5-4 hours during the first stretch of the evening, then about 2 hours at a time. I think you'd sleep longer if you stayed in our room, but you are such a noisy sleeper, I would stay up worried about you the whole time. You are not a very good napper during the day-usually only half an hour at a time, unless you are being held. We are hoping to move you to the crib soon, although we'll probably wait until after we get back from vacation.
Nicknames:Jackie, Jackie Doodle, Jack-o-lantern, Just Jack,Jack Jack, Jack Attack...the list goes on and on.

Milestone: You started smiling this week! Last Monday, I wasn't sure if it was a fluke, or a conscious smile at me while I was getting you dressed in the morning. Saturday morning, though, you smiled at Daddy when he was playing with you, and then you did it again for Aunt Ellen! You're head and neck control/strength are ridiculous right now. You haven't done a whole lot of tummy time on the floor, but you spend a lot of time doing it on our chests. You even use your hands to push up against us, and try to press down with your feet. I also noticed this that you are following the mobile on your swing with your eyes as you swing back and forth.

First Bath with Mommy

Daddy's Turn

Like Father like Son?

First Bottle

Milk Coma!

The Dogs are not thrilled with the lack of space in the backseat now.

 Fireworks?

First outgrown sleeper

Serious

Naptime with Grandma

My favorite way to sleep right now...

Bedtime story

Post Partum- Weeks 3 & 4

So things have gotten a bit crazy around here. To be honest, the shit hit the fan, not with Jack or Nick and I, but in several things regarding our lives, and it's been difficult to find the time to breathe, let alone blog. We are thinking things are going to slow down for a little bit, so I should be hopping back on the blog more frequently. Also, I've had the chance to try a few new beers, malt beverages and wine, so I need to get back on writing about some of them!

As soon as I think we're getting into the groove of breastfeeding, something ends going not quite as smooth. Jack has hit several growth spurts lately, encouraging him to feed like crazy and very little time between feedings. I get cranky from sitting for long periods, and sore. My butt hurts, my back hurts, and heaven help my poor nipples. That being said, after a day or two of frustration, it calms down and we're good again. I've started pumping more to build up a supply, and Nick has taken one of the middle of the night feedings. It's nice to not have get out of bed at 3AM, but I'm still using that time to pump. Additionally, even though I know Nick is completely competent, I stay up listening to him on the monitor, wondering if I need to get up and help him. I have not gone in there yet (although, I would if he asked me to), but I can't let myself fall back to sleep while he's in there.

We left Jack with a baby sitter for the first time. He stayed with Nick's sister Ellen while we went to see Paul McCartney (which, by the way, it sucked to try to pump while there). I was thankful to have some pocket/all-in-one diapers for her to use on him. Of course, he was a pooping machine while we were gone, so he went through all 6 of them and 2 additional disposables while we were gone. I thought that Nick would like these diapers, too, but he actually avoids them like the plague. He much prefers the prefolds and covers (now that he knows how to use them).

During the week, I also celebrated my 31st birthday during the week. It was an awesome birthday. My family asked what I wanted/needed for my birthday. I knew I needed a new purse, so I was perusing the Vera Bradley website. I ended up finding 2 purses, a cooler tote, and a check book cover for $100, with a beach towel thrown in for free. Mom got me those for Christmas, and considering that each of the purses were originally $74 or so, I think it was a pretty good deal. I also got some beautiful flowers to plant in our front yard (which desperately needs some attention) and a promise for manual labor to help get everything cleaned up/planted, and a gift certificate for a spa package (pedicure, facial and upper body massage). I'm debating whether or not to try to use it before we go to the beach for pretty toes, or wait until we come back.

As far as the weight loss goes, ehhh...not pleased. 2 weeks ago, I was up 3lbs, and then down 1.5 this week. I rejoined Weight Watchers this week, and although I haven't been as good as I was previously with tracking thus far, I have been making better decisions. Everyone keeps telling me my stomach has gone down so much, which is great, but in all honestly, I'm much more concerned about my hips and thighs. I cannot wait until I can start Pilates again (and maybe throw in some yoga) once I'm cleared at my 6 week post partum appointment.

While I am not digging my body right now, at least my hair looks decent.

Stay tuned for Jack's One Month post...I'm waiting until we go to the doctor tomorrow to update his height and weight stats.

Post Partum Week 2

A day late...but I couldn't get the pictures to cooperate yesterday! And really, who wants to read this without the pictures....

Another week down, and we're all getting better acquainted with each other. It's been a crazy busy week-in the last week, we went to a wedding, took our first overnight trip, visited dad's old school, visited with lots of friends and family, and ran a plethora of errands. Jack's 2 week appointment was earlier this morning, and we were thrilled o learn he grew 1.25 inches (up to 20.25 inches) and had surpassed his birth weight (up to 6 lbs 15 oz-->a full14 ounces in a week and a half!) everything went well at the appointment this morning, and Dr. Baust cauterized his belly button, removing most of the umbilical cord stump.

Jack with big cousin David

No! He's Mine! -Cousin Colbie

With Aunt Jeri-Lee

Very Serious

Daddy calls your forehead wrinkles your WiFi reception.

Everyone's taking pictures of the little man.

Napping before the wedding.

Jack and Emily, the Bride

Tank goodness Wegman's has carts big enough to accommodate a car seat and our massive cereal haul.

Breast feeding is getting better and better. I need to find a better chair to sit in downstairs so I don't kill my back, and we're working on being able to lay down and nurse at night. 

Cloth diapering is going well, too. I can't wait for him to fill out and be able to wear his one size diapers. I still love using fitteds at night, and we're able to use his itty bitty Kawaii Pure and Naturals and Little Bamboo Baby pockets. I'm anxious to see if he'll fit in his Rumparooz-they say they fit at 6 lbs, but I've been too nervous to try them. 

Happy Baby, modeling a Thirsties XSmall Diaper Cover

 As far as my recovery goes, I'm doing well. As of today, I can start driving again. I haven't taken any pain killers since Tuesday, and even then it was just Advil. The dermabond covering my incision is starting to peel off, and the incision looks pretty good. My swelling has gone waaaaaaay done-my feet and ankles look normal again my hands are still a little puffy, but I can finally wear my rings again. I'm down another ten pounds from last week-I weighed in at 221.4 this morning. 22.6 lbs down from delivery, 61.4 to go till I'm back at my Weight Watchers goal. I've read conflicting information on rejoining Weight Watchers after pregnancy, so my plan is to wait until my weight loss either tapers off or I reach 6 weeks pp. That will give my milk supply a chance to stabilize, and as long as I'm losing weight, I do t think Weight Watchers can do much more for me right now.

Seems to have gone down some, although, we took this picture after a Mexican smorgasbord. I feel like I look a little smaller most of the time...