BPL // Children's Library


Yesterday, my friend Tara and her son Jett joined Roswelle and I to the Boston Public Library to visit the newly renovated Children's Library.  It is beautiful!!!  It is spacious, bright, and interactive.  There a few sections designed specifically for different age groups.  There are organized group classes, computers, and as many books as one could dream up.  And there are family friendly bathrooms with extra low toilets - very important stuff! I am thrilled that this is an option for Roswelle as she grows and learns in the city.

as my friend said, it's a must for Boston mamma's (no joke! :) ....4/1)





{the infamous hungry caterpillar}

{loves books and books and more books}




{the best we could get this time, but we'll be back to try again!}





Roswelle Gray: Life at 10 months!


Roswelle Gray turned 10 months last week!  I haven't written an update on her in a while.  She is a busy baby!  She has 2 bottom teeth, is wearing 12 month clothes, and is super 'expressive' ;)

Food: She still nurses 4 times a day, I have to admit I am SO excited to be near the finish line at 1 year!!! She eats two fried eggs in the morning.  She snacks on bananas, pears, avocado, celery w/ peanut butter, and organic steel-cut oats (from Trader Joes) with applesauce and cinnamon.  She loves to chew on dried apples form TJs - they are unsweetened and the perfect size for her little hands to hold on to - great for when we are out running errands! Her favorite green is broccoli.  
She will eat anything orange: steamed carrots/butternut squash/sweet potatoes. She isn't a huge fan of meat yet. I also make her "cookies" which is 1 cup of almond flour, 1 tbsp of coconut oil, 1 banana, & 1 egg.  Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.  Paul actually loves them too! 

Sleep: She is a great napper - typically naps from 8:30-10am and then 12:30-2pm.  Sometimes I will get a 30 minute nap out of her around 4pm if I'm really lucky. She is sleeping from 6:30-6:30am.  The past week she has been waking up at 4:30 or 5:30 but she will go right back down if we go in and hold her for a few minutes (I personally refuse to get up before 6am so I'll do anything to get her back down that early). 

Favorites: She LOVES to be read to.  Her favorite books are the touch and feel (pat the bunny).  The only time she will sit still with us is when she is drinking a bottle or we are reading to her.  She loves to be held...so much that she will follow me around the kitchen and living room pulling at my legs nonstop.  Once she is up on my hip she is quiet as a mouse (probably hoping I don't notice she is there). I'm assuming this is a phase (fingers crossed!).  She will wave and will try imitate sounds we make with our mouth.  Andddd finally I hate to admit this but she loves Blues Clues. eek! One day when she was sick I turned it on and we watched it together snuggled up on the couch.  Now I tend to turn it on during her mid-morning snack when she is in her highchair.  She gets excited when she sees Blue the doggie and bounces to the songs.  I was planning to wait a little longer to let her watch TV but I've decided a 30 minutes every other day or so can't be toooo bad?! Oh and we love dancing around to the Disney channel on Pandora - it plays all the classics - check it out!! 

Now that January is almost over, Paul and I are looking forward to our first weekend away!  For Valentine's Day this year we are heading back to the B&B we were headed to when my water broke almost a year ago!  My mom is coming up and will have Roswelle all by herself for 2 days and 2 nights.  We are all equally excited :)  I'm also starting to pin/plan for Roswelle's first birthday.  I'm going to be baking this grain, dairy, and refined sugar FREE smash cake: http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2012/02/graindairy-free-b-day-smash-cake.html. 

OK, I gotta get out the door to get to Trader Joe's!  We are literally out of milk and eggs and road salt and with the blizzard headed or way I have to get busy.  I'm so excited to take Roswelle out in her snow suite!  Check us out on Instagram for pictures! (@saralaurenl)

OHHHH and she has her first swim class this afternoon!! :) :) :)

{this is RARE moment - her mouth is never closed!!! so silly}

{about to crawl off the chair}


{pat the bunny!}

{sweet profile}



{chatting with Lady}

Tidy Spaces

{my coffee bar - I say "my" because I'm the only one drinking coffee in our house}

Hello out there!! It's been a while.  With traveling and hosting throughout the Holidays and a sick baby last week it's been tough to get back on the blogging train.  I have been putting it off because I didn't have the right pictures I wanted for a post I was thinking up or decided just to do something else with the free hour I had.  But this morning I decided to snap a few quick pictures and write.  

I consistently joke that I'm an official picker-upper.  I am CONSTANTLY picking up anything and everything...and I only have ONE baby...who doesn't even walk yet! (getting close!) I am one that needs order and control so the constant state of disarray sometimes gets to me.  To find some balance, I have set up a few spaces in my house that are consistently clean and put together, and if they get messed up it only takes seconds to get them back in order.  


{I make sure to keep this space clean and always have fresh flowers, it's a dependable place of order  in the early morning}






{Paul and I share one sink with a small countertop.  I've set myself up a small space for the items I use daily, it makes me feel a little put together even when I'm a general mess}


{I make it a priority to keep the countertops clear of clutter in this corner of our kitchen.  If something is sitting there, I simply move it to the other side of the stove.  May seem simple, but having one space that is clean does wonders when I'm cooking}


{and finally I love keeping our guest bedroom clean and tidy.  Sure I will park the stroller in there when I'm in a rush or sort laundry in there but for the most part the bed is made and the surfaces are clear.  It gets little traffic since it is on the bottom level of our house which makes keeping it a dependable clean space manageable}

Life Lately: 2014 Summer Wrap-up


Welp!...summer is officially over.  It was the busiest and best one yet, we made it to Truro 11 out of the 13 weekends we had available this summer.  This past weekend, Labor Day Weekend, was the best weekend of the summer in terms of beach weather - ending things on a high note. 

From Left to Right: Sandy, Ross, Paul, Roswelle, me, Jenny, Maddie, Rob.  We used a self-time to take the picture and I actually like that we are off center just a smidge.  

This past weekend we made it out to an early breakfast at my favorite spot in Provincetown.

{something was very intriguing apparently}

The girls are great early in the morning.  Paul and I will be making it to a lot more brunch spots than dinner spots this Fall, which is a-ok with me. 


By the end of the summer Roswelle was very used to the beach routine.










In between holding their babies up in the air, Rob and Paul played endless amounts of volleyball this Summer.





{Roswelle loves to sit up and LOVES tags!}


{Roswelle and Gigi (Sandy)}


{bath time}


{I think every baby should be bathed in the sink at least once}


{Madelyn Grace agrees with me}


{she looked like a doll to me the other morning at breakfast - hello eyelashes!}


{baby curls}


It was a great summer!  (thanks for posing Maddie!)


Personal update: tbt (on a Wednesday) to my cheerleading days.  I'm running the Newport Half Marathon on October 12th.  I'm up to 7 milessss.  I guess you could say I was giving myself a little pep/cheer/dance here (after completing the run).  Paul kept making fun of me for saying I needed to get amped up for my run but it is true!! It is hard to get myself out the door knowing I'll be running for over an hour instead of taking care of my baby/family.  I have to continue to work on taking care of myself and I know the healthier I am, the happier(and healthier) Roswelle will be.  

Sooooo long Summer.  I'm welcoming Fall with open arms (in a cute sweater/scarf/boot combo).  ;)

Roswelle Gray: Life at 4 months


I'm writing this as Roswelle is finishing up her 12th hour of straight sleep.  Well, minus the 20 minutes she was awake this morning at 3:40am (and a couple other times when I just reswaddled her and she fell right back asleep). I finally had the courage and strength to sleep train her and to be honest it wasn't all that bad.  She didn't cry more than 20 minutes over the last 3 nights, average was 7 minutes of tears a few different times.  It wasn't blood curdling cries either...it was more "I don't think I like this" crying.  My biggest piece of advice is to wait until you and your baby are READY.  Her signs were that she would wake up in the middle of the night but would only be awake for 20 minutes, she wouldn't eat much when she was awake, and she would crank her neck while we were holding her almost like she wanted to be put down.  I listened and laid her down while she was still awake and she would lay there relaxing before she literally just nodded off to sleep - happened last night at 7pm.  She was ready to sleep through the night, she just needed a little encouragement. 

I may be tootin' my on horn a little early, we'll see what happens over the next few nights, but I'm going to enjoy this moment for now :)


My mom saved so many of my baby clothes and they now make up a majority of Roswelle's wardrobe.   I love how classic and simple the outfits are, they just don't make 'em like they used to!  She is in my little eyelit top and my pink ruffled bloomers.  My mom just recently brought up another batch of clothes; Roswelle will be wearing 'vintage' pieces until she is 2!



Speaking of my mom, she came to visit for a week!  



We had the best time...all of us!  Paul and I enjoyed some free time at new coffee shops, working out together, and going to dinner.  While my mom enjoyed quality 1x1 time with her grand-daughter.  WinWin for all of us. 


New favorite date spot, reading spot, anything spot - cafe nero.  AHmazing coffee shop right in the middle of the city.  It's a European chain and this is the first location in the States.  If you visit Boston you must go!  

I overindulged on cappucino's one night...had 3 and it was totally worth it.

Other randoms...

We have a mover/scooter!  She can get around pretty well by raising her legs and throwing them down.  I only loosely swaddle her in a blanket that I know she can get out of because of this.


My mom's birthday cake form the PB boulangerie in Wellfleet.  

Roswelle graduated from the bassinet in the stroller to the toddler seat.  She loves to look around and doesn't want to miss a thing!

Ok...I'm off to feed R breakfast and then heading to BYOB pilates.  Next post will be on the wall gallery I've been working on during Roswelle's naps!  I'm really excited to show you guys!

xo

#fitmom

It goes without saying that there are a lot of new worries that come with being a new mom.  Not only do you worry about the new tiny human that you are trying to keep alive, but your body just went through the most dramatic change since your first year of life.  

During pregnancy I really tried to stay healthy and fit.  I ran until my 28th week of pregnancy, I went to yoga twice a week religiously, I did spin 2x a week in my 3rd trimester, and I ate relatively healthy (brussel sprouts are really hard to get down while you are "with child" but I managed).  I still gained a ton of weight, 45-50lbs!! I've admitted to my close friends and I guess I'll admit it here, I weighed more than Paul at the end. eek!  Your body does what it is gonna do when you are pregnant...and you just have to roll with it.  

Back to what I said early tho, your body goes through incredible changes while incubating a baby.  My personal experience was gain 45-50lbs in 9 months (not a healthy thing for the average person), lose 30lbs immediately after baby (first 2 weeks), and then have the remaining stubborn 15 to lose while keeping your new bundle of joy alive.  ahh!  Oh and did I mention I couldn't diet (bc of breastfeeding) or workout for the first 6 weeks? so you just have to sit there...with your extra self.  

Personally, my recovery from a c-section was extra long (which was kind of discouraging to me - I thought I would bounce right back for some reason).  For the first 5 weeks I couldn't walk longer than 10 minutes or get up off the couch without wincing.  I didn't actively start exercising until I was in GA and Roswelle was 10wks old.  One day I had to finally tell Paul that I needed help getting back on the exercise train, I was scared.  It was going to hurt and be annoying and be inconvenient and I needed a motivator.  Enter "Coach Paul" - I call him that to be funny but in all seriousness he has been such a great motivator - most of the time working out w/ me for a 2nd time that day.  I would whine and even tear up about how hard it was and how much it hurt, but each time I got through a workout I felt stronger and proud of myself.

I now exercise 5 times a week on average and I am starting to fit comfortably in my pre-baby clothes and I am only a few pounds shy of my pre-baby weight.  Exercising is actually way easier than I thought to fit in with one baby - I must say, I DON'T KNOW HOWWWW moms do it with multiple kids.. but I will worry about that later. 

Here are my workouts from the past week:  

Thursday - BYOB pilates.  These classes are great because you don't have to find a sitter.  You just show up with your non-mobile baby and try to get in a work out.  The class isn't about the baby, it's about you.  You are just allowed to have a noisy baby and no one will blink.  Plus it's a great way to meet other moms!
Friday - quick 2 mile jog w/ Roswelle - sprinting up hills. total time 25 minutes.
Saturday - family WOD (Paul, me, Rob and Jenny while babies were asleep) 50 air squats for warm up, then "10 to 1" rounds of 10 burpees and 10 lunges (each leg - so 20), then 9 burpees and 9 lunges each leg, then 8 burpees and 8 lunges each leg...and so on down to 1.  cashout of 2 sprints to finish.  total time 14 minutes. we were dying at the end.
Sunday - 3 mile jog without baby. blasted rap music and took my time, enjoying being alone. 
Monday - 1.5 mile jog sans baby - broke it up with 8 rounds of 25 squats during the run.  It broke up the monotenous run and I had finished 200 squats by the end. total time 21 minutes.  Came back to Roswelle screaming and Paul sweating it out but it was worth it.  
Tuesday (yesterday) - cleaned the house.  all day.  :)

It's been hard but really rewarding to get back in shape. It's also nice to have a personal challenge that is about me and not about my baby.  

{baby pilates!}

{runnin'}

{a garage WOD in our garage gym}

In other news - my mom is landing in less than 3 hours!!!! She is staying 'til next Thursday. Yayayayayayay.