Busy is good but like the word basic, I feel like busy is almost a swear word these days. I cringe when the words go past my lips. I’ve had a lot going on from expos, to shooting, doctors appointments, work and oh yeah, taking care of my son. I’ve been busy and I hate using that word as an excuse for not posting on my blog in a week!
Celebrating 33
I celebrated my birthday last week. I turned 33. It was so very anticlimactic. Once you become a mom, nothing is about you anymore and your birthday is just another day. Nick went to FoMu and got me some delicious treats and then on Saturday we went to Alden and Harlow, one of my favorite restaurants.
On my birthday, I also went to the Drool baby expo which is an event featuring all the top baby brands so you can test drive everything from rockers, cribs, strollers, baby wearing contraptions, swings, nursings bras, etc… Magic Beans puts it on every year and offers 15-30% discount as well on many of the vendor products.
I bought a toddler Red Sox hate (that’s lasted all of 5 seconds on someone’s head), a lollacup (Tommy refuses to drink from it already), splash mat, iPlay bathing suit, and a Bumpkins silicone grip dish (which is going back since it totally did not work on Tommy). I am such a sucker for deals and clearly I made some poor choices.
I was also really impressed with a new way to take a baby’s temperature, the Fever Frida made by the team behind the Nose Frida. You just put a patch on your baby under their arm. No rectal reading required. I wonder though if Tommy would tear it off.
I also got to test out the Thule and Bob jogging strollers. I have the Chicco Tre but am always curious about the other top brands in this category. I wish there was a way to try them out with an actual run along my running route.
Upping my Instagram/Photography Game
On Friday morning, I met with a photographer to take some pictures. She messaged me earlier in the week saying she had followed me on YouTube for years and would be in town if I was interested. Of course I was interested and am so glad I took her up on her offer. The photos came out amazing! I can’t wait to share more of them with you guys on here but below is a quick look.
Laura, whose company is called Laurel Creative, is also a wedding photographer. She is great and if you live in the NYC area and want some pics for your blog or Instagram, definitely hit her up!
After our shoot, Tommy joined me to the dentist and then it was off to the accountant for taxes! He loved every minute of these two activities, I swear.
This weekend, I took advantage of the birthday and got my nails done. It is such a treat for me to do this. I think this was my 3rd time in a year going. I always have polish color regret. For some reason, I got electric blue on my toes. WHY? What was I thinking? On top I got a coconut named tan color which I love and would totally get again. 
As I mentioned earlier, we went to Alden and Harlow, a favorite restaurant in Harvard Square. It is really unique and has so many awesome veggie dishes. It’s such an easy place to eat well meat free. Since I was with Nick we did get a couple of meaty dishes but I highly recommend the brussels sprouts, charred broccoli which is served over butternut squash hummus, and this new pesto pasta that was so flavorful.
Tommy has not been sleeping the best lately. He is getting his molars. Two have come in and two are about to pop through. It’s so hard to know when to let babies/toddlers cry and when to go in and comfort them. It is painful for both of us I think. Since I’m a softy, I go in and get him. I know I’m not “supposed” to but it’s what I am comfortable with doing at this time.
Cry It Out and Teething!???
I get sleep training and the cry it out method, but when your baby is teething and in pain, how can I let them cry alone – in pain – in their crib!? I can’t! As a result, Tommy knows now when he wakes up, I’ll go in and get in, give him milk and cuddles. Not ideal.
We are leaving for San Fransisco on Saturday and I’m dreading that he is going to be waking up all night and then up at 4 am for good each day. Any tricks I should I learn to have an easier time change experience? I’m not even worried about the flight I’m so stressed about our sleep situation.
We will be back on Wednesday and then I leave again for a week long trip to the Caribbean! I’m going with a girlfriend without Tommy or Nick. I can’t wait. It’s for work but I think I’m going to have the time of my life.
So we’ve been busy, I’m a little stressed with our trips coming up which is why I haven’t blogged a ton. To be honest, I like having a lot going on. It keeps me focused and more productive when I have an actual minute to work.
Sleep is sooo tough! I got so many contradictory recommendations and tips from Google and friends, I was going out of my mind. I ended up hiring a sleep consultant and it was worth EVERY penny. We used Baby Sleep Site, but I’ve also heard great things about Child Sleep Science. I loved having a personalized plan based on my preferences AND my baby’s personality. We got a package that included follow-up emails, so I was able to ask questions later on about time changes, teething, etc.
I hope that you had a great birthday and that you and the family have a wonderful time in San Fran!! I am going soon with my family! if you have any recommendations on where to eat please let me know! have the best time and i hope Tommy sleeps for you!
We did a trip to a California from the east coast when my daughter was about 14 mos. I was also terrified of her waking up at 4 am everyday but it actually kind of naturally worked itself out. The key may have been that we ended up landing like at 7 or 8 west coast time (so 10 or 11 est) and so she was exhausted by the time we got to our air bnb so she pretty much crashed and ended up waking up at 6, which is when she would wake up anyway. From then on, we stuck with the normal wake hours routine but did put her to bed a little earlier than she would have at home (so like 6ish PST). Try not to freak out too much -- I think it helped that we were out and about a lot and she got plenty of sun and fresh air to help her naturally reset her schedule. Anyway enjoy the trip and don’t try to stress too much about sleep schedules while you are there!
Oh my gosh our son is cutting all four molars as well and it’s awful! I’ve been going in his room a lot for the same reason, I can’t leave him knowing he’s in pain!
I’ve flown to Cali from Boston 4 times now since my son was born. My mom lives in Sacramento and although the transition isn’t that easy our son actually adjusted better to Cali time then he did once we got back home! He was so exhausted by the time we got there he was in bed between 6-7 pm California time and up around 6 ish, maybe 530 here or there and it worked out well.
Coming home was a different story and he’d take a “nap” at bedtime then be awake an hour later for a few hours!! It was awful and has happened each time since but I never k ew how to correct it? Hopefully Tommy does well! I’m sure he’ll be fine!
My kids are now 14 & 17 so I’ve been out of the game for quite awhile but my best advice for your trip is to just roll with it. He’s teething, he’s not going to be in his own crib, the time change etc. You can’t control what he’s going to do but you can adjust your attitude to just let him be in charge and just roll with it. Figure out where the closest coffee place is to your hotel and what time they open, lay out your clothes, keep some snacks for yourself on hand, take a lot of deep breaths, sleep when you can and just let go of the urge to control and roll with it. Good luck and it won’t be like this for very long, I promise!
I am with you on the teething & crying it out conflict. We did sleep training with my son and it was the best decision ever! But now, especially when I know a big fat molar is coming in, I’m not about to let him sit up there in pain when a little tylenol and mommy cuddles with do the trick much faster. You are doing awesome!