Lakes Basin Trip

       A couple of weekends ago Jon and I wanted to get out of the house and do something. You can only spend so many hours at the beach with a newborn, bike rides aren't an option at the moment, and most of our favorite trails nearby aren't doable with a munchkin. So we packed up the boys and headed out on a drive. We decided to head north to the Lakes Basin area. The Lakes Basin is located about 1.5 hours from us, and is composed of lots of high sierra lakes (hence the name) connected by small roads and trails. We had planned on camping there this past Memorial Day Weekend, but those plans were foiled due to late snowfall.
       We drove the hour and a half, with one pit stop for feeding Nolan and picking up picnic goods. Then made our way to a trail head area so that we could set out on foot. We found a great little 2 mile trail that took us out to a gorgeous lake. It was  the perfect mini-getaway for us.

Jon made the trek with Nolan snug in his carrier.

Pretty, no?

Hope that you had a great weekend.

Lots of love from Tahoe!

Project: Loose the Baby Weight. Ugh...

       Ugh. That's my current sentiment on weight loss. This isn't the first time that I've had to shed some pounds. I think some people think that I've always liked getting up before the sun to exercise. Not true my friends. Living in England my junior year of college and then again while living in Ecuador about 6 years ago, I ate to my hearts content. And didn't exercise a lick. In England I was living on a teeny tiny budget and the cheapest foods to buy were white bread and white rice. I also remember trying every pastry shop from England to Italy to Spain. I  remember the humungo calorie breakfasts that my host mother prepared for me when I lived in Ecuador. I would come downstairs to find hot chocolate, a glass of freshly made juice, breakfast pastries, toast, and white rice. Thats right- white sugar, white sugar and more white sugar. And...I would eat it all. Happily. 
        Well, both times that I returned to the states I had about 12-15 lbs. to lose. And now I remember how un-fun it was to lose that weight each time. But I did it then and I can do it again...I hope. Progress hasn't been moving along quite as fast as I had hoped. People definitely weren't kidding when they said that it's hard to loose baby weight. 
My Progress:
       Let's start with my goal to move every day. I've been getting out on walks somewhat frequently, but I've missed a few here and there. I got out on just a couple of runs this week and made it to the gym only once.  I do feel that I've done a good job of nixing lots of the junk. I've successfully gone without ice cream and I've been controlling my portions when satisfying my sweet tooth. I indulged in pizza one night (this mama was too tired to cook and Jon is always begging to order in pizza) and went out to breakfast one day too. My daily meals have been for the most part healthy, filled with lots of fruit, veggies, and whole wheat. Sadly, though I've earned an F in my attempt to drink more water. 
       It looks like I've lost just about .5 lbs.- 1lb. this past week. I have noticed that a couple of my pants do seem to fit a bit better, which is refreshing. This week my goal is to make it to gym three times for weight training sessions, and to get out on two runs. And I must, must, must drink more water!

     I've got just four more weeks until I'm back at work (something I'm still coming to terms with). This process has made me realize that I need to adjust my concept of working out. I use to rely on being at the gym about 5 days a week, and I realize that this is no longer possible or even how I want to be spending my time. I may even be canceling my gym membership pretty soon, so that we can save a little moo-lah, and I will have more time at home with my boys.  Yesterday I decided to try something new: I rented a work out dvd from the library. I'm going to see if I can get myself to exercise at home regularly for 20-30 minutes as a way to maintain my weight.  I hope I have good news on my progress to share next week!

How are your weight loss goals going? Any progress? Did you get out moving this week?

What being a parent to a newborn means...

       Clearly Jon and I are mere newbies to this whole parenting gig. The only thing that we know is that we know zilch. We're taking every day as it comes. Some are easy (well, relatively), and some nights we got to bed with spit up on our shirts and in our hair, but we're just happy to be in bed. So, in the spirit of Mr. Letterman, this is our list of what being a parent to a newborn means. It means...

...showering becomes a luxury. "Oh crap, I haven't showered in three days." Usually a nap or a chance to sit down beats hopping in the shower. 
...sleep becomes your number one goal in life. Getting the baby to fall asleep. Achieving 5+ hours of sleep. Getting him to sleep in his crib. Why does college not include a course on "Getting your baby to sleep like an angel?" 
...bodily fluids become a part of your day. Spit up. Peep and Poop. Buggers. All of the sudden a mom holding her kids chewed gum doesn't seem so gross anymore. 
...you can do just about anything one handed if you want it bad enough. Typing. Eating. Making coffee (this is an essential skill to master). Making the bed. Unloading the laundry. Making lunch. Check. Check. Check.
...leggings, t-shirts and flip flops are stylish right?
...you will never complete your daily to do list. The baby will make sure of that. "How is it 4pm already?"
...you say things like "tummy time". Its too embarrassing to even discuss the other terms that enter your vocabulary. 
...your living room will never look the same. Its like Babies R Us threw up all over of your house. Swings. Bouncy Chairs. Playmats. Blankets. Burp Cloths. Welcome to a cluttered life.
...cuddling with your spouse becomes about as high a priority as cleaning out the garage. 
...styled hair is a thing of the past.  Forget about blow drying, straightening, and curling. This is why the ponytail was invented.
...you will have the chance to watch more terrible daytime TV then you could ever wish for. You need to do something while you sit and nurse your kiddo. And yes, all of it's terrible but it's so hard to look away.
...a vacuumed carpet and clean dishes equals success. Forget about scrubbing the bathtub, cleaning windows and washing the toilets.  There's no time for that nonsense.

       But it's all worth it right? 
Clearly.

3 Day Weekend Fun

       Jon, Nolan and I had a great 3 day weekend. We spent the day at our favorite beach, went on a 6 mile hike, BBQ'd up some steak, and had breakfast at our favorite joint. Jon's back at work now (sigh), and I've got just 5 weeks left at home with my little wonder boy (double sigh). 

Here are some photos from our great weekend.

We L-O-V-E Speedboat Beach.

Nolan got to go on his first real hike. 

6 miles, 3 crazy dogs, 1 sleeping baby, a beautiful sierra lake, and great friends.

And when you hike with an 8 week old, 

that means breastfeeding stops along the way.

Blue wore his backpack.

Someone needed to carry the diapers, burp clothes, and blankets. 

Seriously.

It also means diaper changes on the dirt.

Have I mentioned that Nolan loves tree. 

He happily stares at trees and the light streaming through them. 

I think we may have a future arborist on our hands.

I've been trying and trying to get a good family picture of us. 

Nice attempt, but not quite there yet.

The lovely Millers. 

I carried Nolan half of the trip,

which meant hiking with an 11 lb. munchkin strapped to my chest. 

I'm hoping this gets me one step closer to my weight loss goal.

Nolan was an angel all day. 

He even allowed us to sit and enjoy some beers and burgers after the hike.

Happy Baby + Cold Beers = Two Very Happy Parents. 

After 3 days of playing we've got lots of chores to take care of this week. 

Hope that you guys had a great Labor Day Weekend Too!

Babies Everywhere

       I've heard that there is another baby boom taking place. I guess with the down economy everyone's staying home and entertaining themselves (if you get my drift). Based on our circle of friends, I would say this is definitely true. At work, I was one of seven women pregnant. I watched (and am watching) as one girl after another left work on maternity leave and delivered their little bundles. We also kept stumbling upon friend after friend telling us they were expecting- my cousin, Emos, my sister-in-law, Church friends, etc., etc. We're happy that this means lots of little baby friends for Nolan to play with. 
       A couple of weeks ago, friends of ours (Thanks Merri and Justin!) had a little baby get-together. Yes, we've officially gone from bar hoppers to baby partiers. Who knew that talking about diapers, sleep patterns, and colic could be sooo much fun? I hate to admit it, but it was. Going to a party where there's a nursery where you can conveniently change a diaper and nurse your kiddo is definitely a plus. Oh, how things have changed. Until this, Jon was pretty sure that Nolan was the only baby on earth that cried. He was relieved to see that other babies cry too. 

Nolan was the only boy in the gang, and the youngest.

He loved all the female company. 

Here's us mommy's with our kiddos.

There were 8 adults there, 

but at any given time there were only 4 or 5 at the table, 

because a baby or two always needed something.

We can't wait for our remaining pregnant 

friends to pop out their kiddos. 

We're praying for lots of healthy babies!