Bye Bye Baby (Momma Monday)

On Saturday, our little Sophie turned the big O-N-E! I am still amazed even as I type that out. She is no longer a baby and we've now officially moved on to "toddler". Someone get me some tissue (and a glass of wine)...I can't believe it.

In lieu of a big birthday party bash, Dan and I decided we'd rather celebrate her birthday with our little (but mighty) family...just the 3 of us. At first I felt a little guilty about not having some big, most likely pinterest-inspired birthday bash with all our family and friends but we had such a great time celebrating her birthday in a more intimate manner that I now know that foregoing a party was the right decision for us.

We really tried to plan the day to be "sophie-inspired". We went to a children's museum in Berkley called Habitot....super cute place with all these different themed areas for kids to play. Sophie had a blast. Then we went to an early dinner and came home for cake and presents. 

Looking back over the past 365 days of being a mom, I've really learned a lot and come to terms with many things about being a parent that used to bother me. It'a  melancholy celebration, I'm excited to have survived (and I think thrived) the first year of parenting and am looking forward to each day that comes, but it's kinda sad to think this year flew by so fast. 

Here are just a few things off the top of my head that I have learned the past year....

1. Every single cliche about how much you love your child from the moment they are born are 100% true! It's unexplainable

2. I never thought I could talk so much or have so many conversations revolve around poop

3. Tough as it is, I'm coming to terms with the fact that Sophie is going to get hurt. Nothing major, but she constantly gets scrapes, cuts, bruises, bumps her head, falls down, etc. But that's how she learns. I can tell her a million times not to climb onto the Sophie, but nothing quite works as well as her stumbling when she tried it and then she never does it again.

4. I feel no shame in admitting there are days when I pretend I have to go to bathroom simply so I can lock myself in a room for 5 minutes for some peace and quiet. 

5. I couldn't have survived without family and friends babysitting Sophie. As hard and as scary as it is to leave your kids for the first (and second, and third and fourth) time, I think taking time to still have strong relationship with dan (such as date night) has made us better parents. And now Sophie is great at having family/friends watch her.

6. Those designer purses that I used to covet now get left home a lot in place of a diaper bag that doubles as a purse or that expensive purse now holds bibs, pacifiers, cheerios and misc toys. 

7. Everyone has an option  of how they think you should raise your child. Most mean well (i.e. family that is only trying to help) but strangers are pushy. Sometimes you just have to smile, say thank you, then call up your fellow mom friends and vent about what a stranger just told you.

8. Cheerios are a god-send!!

Content Chaos

I always had a hard time when sitting down and trying to think of what to post about each day (er.....each day is wishful thinking! more like each month). So, in order to really help me organize my thoughts I thought I'd try something new.

I'm going to try and following the weekly topic schedule below....
Momma Mondays
- My chance each week to dedicate to all things related to being a mom

Try It Tuesday
- Dedicated to posting about a new recipe I've tried, pinterest inspired craft project, new product, etc.

What I Wore Wednesday
- Outfit post of an outfit I put together that week that I liked or simply something to ensure I put some thought into my outfits on my stay-at-home mom days

Thankful Thursday
- A sounding board designed to simply ensure I am taking the time each week to reflect on the positive and truly give thanks for something that week

Fitness Friday
- Update on any nutrition/fitness related topics. Health is important people!!

I hope this outline helps me keep up with this blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts or any feedback as I go thru a couple weeks.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Xoxox

You Scream, I Scream, We all Scream (while I secretly cringe)

I know it's normal for babies to cry but is it just me that gets nervous when my daughter cries in public?

I tend to be a person that overly cares what other people think...even perfect strangers. Believe me I know this is an issue I need to work on but for the foreseeable future it's a trait I'm stuck with.

That being said, whenever Sophie cries in public I feel a little bit nervous and then I feel bad for the people around me. If we go to dinner and she gets a bit fussy, I suddenly find myself signaling the waiter to back up our food to go and apologizing to the strangers around me.

Thankfully Dan is much more calm and has the common sense to realize that babies cry. It's what they do. A lot. So I need to deal with it. He's usually the one that looks at me (like the crazy person I am) and says "just give her a minute", then she stops crying once she's found her toy or found her hand to chew on, and we go back to our dinner.

Now I'm in public often (as normal non-hermit people are) and I see babies out all the time and I hear them cry or get fussy and I find it normal. I often feel sympathetic for the baby's mom who obviously is doing what she can to soothe the crying baby, so I don't know why I feel guilty when my baby cries.

Anyone else relate?

Mother's Day

So obviously I'm a little behind on this blog, but it's my goal to write more each week....let's see how I do.


May 2013 marked my very first Mother's Day and it was.......uneventful, just like I wanted it to be.

Dan and I both agreed that for mother's/father's day we didn't really want to make a big deal out of it. I'm not Dan's mom and he isn't my dad, so we didn't understand why we should have to make a big celebration for one another or get each other gifts.

Instead, we decided that when Sophie gets older if she wants to get us a gift or make us something that is fine, but neither Dan nor I need to get a gift or plan some big hoopla for the other. It just works for us that we were both on the same page.

That being said, I did have a nice Mother's Day and went to Jack London Square for a little Farmer's Market Action and a Cocktail Al Fresco (my favorite way to drink...outside in the sunshine).

Agitating Advice.....Fun Failure #3

I think so far one of the hardest things that comes along with this motherhood business is all the advice that everyone has for you. Yep...harder than the sleepless nights, endless feedings, hormones, etc is complete strangers coming up to you and giving you their two cents on how they think you should raise your child.

Don't get me wrong, I am a newbie and gratefully accept most of advice....but mostly I appreciate advice from family, friends, people I know that have had children, etc. Complete strangers is a whole other story.

It's off putting when someone you have never met and most likely won't ever see again, comes up to you to give you some not so "constructive" criticism in the disguise of advice. So far I've been told that I shouldn't take my baby out in public before they are three months old, that having an infant in a grocery store is just an invitation for germs, that you can never have too many blankets covering a baby even when it's 80 degrees outside, and many others.

Most of the time, I just smile, say thanks and let it go.

For some reason, on St. Patrick's Day I had one of my first major meltdowns, ignited by the advice of strangers.

Our neighbors are good friends of our and were playing with their band at an outside patio on St. Patricks Day. We wanted to be supportive, so we told them if Sophie was in a good mood, we'd try to drop by while they were playing for a little bit to show our support. It was a warm day, I checked with my neighbor to make sure it wouldn't be too loud for Sophie and we brought mini earphones for her to wear in case it was louder than we thought.

So we joined the green-wearing crown (it wasn't even really that crowded) and went for a bit to show our support. We were there for about 20 minutes and Sophie was asleep the entire time. We had her away from any speakers and obviously the music wasn't bothering her since she remained asleep the whole time. That however did not stop people from coming up to me telling me that babies shouldn't be anywhere so loud. Add the never ending advice to the fact that I overheard a group of people talking about me bringing a baby out and "couldn't I afford a babysitter" and you have the basis for my meltdown.


I almost started to cry right there, informed Dan that we needed to leave right then, and rushed to the car before the tears started flowing.

I can usually let these things go but for some reason on this day, at this particular moment, it really bothered me. I had a good talk with Dan and my girlfriend about it and decided that I just have to be confident that I know how to raise my own baby.

So lesson learned: people are going to have their own opinions. Some of it is helpful, some of it isn't.  I just have to roll with it and not let it bother me.

Dating My Husband

Dan and I have been married for almost 5 years now but we've been dating since we were in high school....that's a whole lotta dates.

Not to be cheesy but I can without a doubt say that he is my absolute best friend. I never get tired of him and he is my favorite person to hang out with.

One thing that both Dan and I completely agreed upon before we had a baby was that we still needed to put in the time to be "us". Obviously our live changed once we added Sophie to the mix, but both of us truly believe that it's so important to still have "Brynn and Dan" time. 

I never thought I'd say this, but it's hard to do. It's insanely hard to leave Sophie for even a minute. Don't get me wrong, we bring Sophie almost everywhere we go (she's been out to eat so many times since being born it's kinda funny), but I had to force myself to leave her with a family member a few times to go on a "date" with my hubby.

I read somewhere that nurturing your relationship with your husband sets a great example for your baby and I agree with that. I think it's so important for a child to see a loving relationship between their dad and mom and it makes for a happy family dynamic. 

So, in the two months that Sophie has been born, we've gone on 2 dates san Sophie. And they were both wonderful! It's great to just take a step back and not talk about diapers, breastfeeding, laundry, the cute thing Sophie did that day, etc. I made a rule that on date night we can't talk about Sophie the whole time....let's face it, sometimes you just crave adult, non-baby related conversation.

So find a family or friend that would watch your little for you for even just an hour and go on a date with your partner.

Breaking into Breakfast

The old saying is true......breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

As a Registered Dietitian my first piece of advice whenever I met with a client was to make sure you have breakfast.

What you have for breakfast is just as important and actually having breakfast. It's important to not only set the tone for your day, but it's extremely important to have protein in the morning when you wake up.

Here are a few of my new favorite breakfast items that I've been having this past week:


A poached or fried egg on top of a bed of micro greens (sometimes I use arugula or spinach) with some smoked salmon.

Eggs are a fantastic choice for breakfast. They are full of protein and quick to cook. The only issue I have is I don't really care very much for eggs on their own. Dan can eat 2 eggs everyday no problem, but I have to dress them up because I don't really love them all that much. Adding smoked salmon adds a little more protein and heart healthy fats. I add just a little greens as a way to add to my daily vegetable servings.


Greek Yogurt with cut fruit and a drizzle of honey.

I fell in love with this dish when I was on vacation in Greece two years ago. Greek Yogurt is lower in sugar than most other yogurts, gives your body healthy bacteria and is packed with protein. Adding just a touch of honey gives it a touch of sweetness.


Ranchero Style Egg White Salad

This is an item I purchased at Trader Joe's that I love. It's got a little kick to it but is low in fat because it's made with whites only and is low in calories. It's pre-packaged so it's great when you are running late or need a quick meal without prep.

Paired with a cup of black coffee....delish