Finally went to Gymboree!

This day started our much like every other day. James woke up at around 6:15, came to our bed and nursed then slept till 7:00ish. Then he went off to play as I got ready to get my health card renewed. I left after having a quick bite while James was playing. Luckily there was no lineup but I had the wrong paperwork. They wouldn't accept an email from home so I had to drive back and get it. That was annoying, but I got the paperwork, returned, and got my health card!

On my way home I was listening to the radio and I heard the LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem and was singing. Since the tune was still in my head I started singing it to James. He had a poopy diaper so I did a parody and sang 'poopy diapers in the house tonight, everybody wants a nice clean bum, it's enough to make you lose your mind, everybody it's poo poo time! James loved the song and was clapping and laughing! It's our new baby anthem!

So after that we fed him lunch around 11 to keep with daycare timing. He ate pretty well. Then I packed some food for him for after Gymboree class. He loves baked sweet potato so I made that, he also had grapes and Cheerios. On the drive to Gymboree he feel asleep as noon is his normal nap time. Once we removed him from the car seat he was awake and wondering where he was.

We checked into class then began exploring. Every two weeks they have a new theme. Today was slides! James loves the slide so he had fun. We even helped him to go down face first! The first time he was wondering what was happening, then the second time he tried to crawl down. What was awesome is that 2 of his friends were there: Sameera and Arianna! Sameera is a regular and was showing James around, she knew what to do! Arianna was tired so she participated toward the end of the class, then she didn't want to leave.

The class was good, the 45 minutes goes by really fast! The prices are paid monthly and it is expensive but I think it's a good outlet for the kids! I was just about to sign up when James had a mini-meltdown. He was tired and needed to sleep. Adit didn't think it was a good idea to break his schedule. At first I didn't agree with him and thought it was more important for him to go to the class, but now I'm wondering of he's right since James is still nursing to sleep an it's 9pm!

I think the only way it can work is if we get him to sleep immediately after Gymboree. That is easier said than done though! Well after the class the 3 families went for lunch! We had a Mongolian Grill buffet which was amazing. So you can basically choose what you'd like in the food an they cook it fresh. I really enjoyed the lamb and squid combo in my noodles and veggies! We even made a small portion for James, he liked the lamb and onions!

The kids were happy sitting in their highchairs, eating, and socializing. This was James' second lunch so I was happy he ate! He seems to like oranges so he ate some after his meal! The restaurant had a chocolate fountain so I had my full of strawberries and pineapples for my dessert!

After that we made a quick stop to get James a snack tray for his stroller and headed home. He feel asleep after about 10 minutes of nursing. Yes I do nurse in the car! It's a skill, but also very uncomfortable, but us moms will do anything for our babies!

James woke up as we brought him upstairs, so I decided to bring him to bed with me so we can both sleep! Best idea ever, we both slept for about 2 hours! Adit came to wake us up, but we were so comfy we both put up a fight! Eventually we got up and James started running from the living room to our bedroom. Boy has he gotten fast, he just darts around everywhere!

After some playing and dancing we gave him a bath and now I'm nursing him to sleep. Let's hope he let's me go soon!

So have you ever been to Gymboree or something similar? How'd you like it? Share your story on the blog!

Also don't forget you have until Tuesday to enter to win the Boogie Wipes! Enter here!

Happy reading!

Rachel

PS: Pics from Gymboree

And I'm Tired!

So everyone is asleep and I am still up, there is something wrong with that statement. I know I should be in bed, but I have some energy left in me. My mornings are hectic as usual, trying to make something for James to eat since he's no longer on cereal. I've made pancakes that he seems to like, so I'll make some with blueberries tomorrow morning.

James has been doing great, I was just taking a look at his daycare chart today. Adit picked him up so I wasn't there to get the "run-down" as I call it of what he ate, how long he slept, how many wet diapers/poops, or hear what he did that day. I am happy to say that James is now drinking from a bottle. He's been taking it for about 2 weeks now. He started drinking milk with his teachers now and again, but I think the turning point was when my mom was here and he drank milk with her. Luckily he has continued this practice, knock on wood! Lol! He seems to prefer the Calma nipple from Medela rather than the fast flow nipples from Evenflo. I try to give him the latter because it's a glass bottle and although the plastic ones are BPA free I'm still a glass kinda gal. My rational is that I wouldn't drink warm liquids from a plastic cup, so why should James. However, since he does have a preference, we do entertain the plastic ones for daycare from time to time.

Since James has been at daycare and settled in I am no longer nuts about, did he sleep today? did he drink milk? did he poop? I can enjoy reading that he's done all these things and look forward to the part about what he learned or did today. The teachers wrote that he enjoyed a song called "Open and Shut Them" and he tried to do the hand motions from the song. :) That brought such a big smile to my face. James loves music and he dances to it at home, claps his hands, walks around, and tries to sing too. It is so cute, I could just imagine how cute all the kids are when they are being sung too. James' teachers also try to teach them sign language and he's picking up the hand sign for "All Done" which is essentially Jazz Hands from that bad cheerleader movie "Bring It On" that we all have seen but don't want to admit it. Lol!

A couple teachers say that James feels a little heavier, I hope they are right since I know he lost some weight after HFM. Well we'll know tomorrow as we are going to the doctor to get his 12 month shots. I just hope the ear infection is completely gone. James is normally pretty good with shots in the sense that he cries, but stops as soon as I nurse him, so that's my game plan. Oh that reminds me I better walk with some Tempra, just in case he needs it.

Well I am getting sleepy now so I better go to bed. Hope you all had a nice day too!

Happy reading!

Rachel

PS: Don't forget to make your guesses on the Guess the Giveaway post! The reveal will be done tomorrow evening!

Girls Night Out!

As I was doing my hair yesterday I was trying to remember the longest amount of time I was away from James which was about 3 hours (excluding his time at daycare). Since he was born I have been faithfully at his side, being there for every moment. Once I spent a few hours at my sister in laws for dinner one evening with some other friends, but I wouldn't consider that a "going out" moment. The reason I say that is because she lives across the street and I can even see into our living room from her window! Lol!

Well this was my first official night out since James was born and who better to spend it with than my mommy friends. I know we were attempting the impossible, because how do you coordinate or make plans with moms! As you moms know, we are highly unpredictable as what we do depends on our little ones well being, sleep and eat schedule, etc. With that said I was so pleased that we had such great turnout considering the odds were not in our favor. :)

I have curly hair so whenever there is an occasion I straighten it, this time I wanted to try something different so I went with a curling iron curly look. My mom is in town, so she and Adit were looking after James which gave me time to get ready. :) First I had to find the curling iron that I hadn't seen in over a year so when I found it under the mess in my under sink cabinet it was covered in dust. Lol! Luckily it still worked so I adjusted the heat and began to section my hair. I grabbed a chunk of hair and attempted to wrap it around the iron then voila, it was a mediocre wave. How did I used to do this I thought? Well I tried again a few more times and finally got it along with a few burns on my fingers, but it was well worth it. I was very pleased with the outcome.

Once my hair was all done it was time to see James. Since he's walking now he kept banging on my bedroom door because he wanted in. Once I opened the door he started to run toward me with the biggest smile on his face! Then I told him it was bedtime! I think he knew because he tried to wiggle out of my arms to keep playing with Dada and Grandma! After reading a few stories and nursing he was asleep. I felt so relaxed, but then I remembered that I needed to get ready and go. I rocked him some more and gently placed him in the crib. After patting his back a few times I was ready to tip-toe out and get my night started.

My next dilemma was figuring out what to wear. I haven't dressed up in ages either. Since I'm nursing, my wardrobe consists of my uniform (my pajamas) then my daytime clothes which are either gym pants or jeans and my nursing tops. Lol! As I did used to go out before James I had some fancier clothes for the occasion. The best part about going out in the evening was that I didn't have to wear a nursing bra! After that I was able to do my makeup and head over the the restaurant with my friend.

Our reservation was for 8pm, but of course only a couple moms were punctual and the rest of us came late, myself included! Luckily the restaurant accommodated us and allowed us to keep the reservation. I am sure if they knew it was a table of moms they would have thought twice about accommodating us! Lol! Once there we were all relaxed and chatting. Some of us have started work others still home, so we had a lot to catch up on. Then we had a lovely dinner, the food was amazing I really enjoyed my lamb. It was cooked perfectly, but as a nursing mom I would prefer a larger portion. Sadly I think I can even out-eat Adit, lol!

It was great having an outing, but like everyone else on the table we kept our phones close. :) James is feeling much better, but he still has an ear infection in one ear. His sleeping is unstable now and he wakes up between 3-4 times at night. Adit and I have been taking turns putting him to sleep, but since I'm nursing I still have to get up each time if Adit can't put him back to sleep. For some reason I knew James would wake up early and at around 10:30 I got a text that he was awake. Adit said that he was screaming and that he was having difficulty falling asleep again. I told him that I was still having dinner and that he should walk with him and keep him in his bedroom. After about 20-30 minutes it still wasn't working. My mom tried too, but he still kept crying. This meant that he needed me. So I told my friends that I had to leave early to tend to James. We can't blame James because he wasn't feeling well and I was glad that I was able to enjoy the night thus far. So I skipped dessert and rushed home to James.

Once I entered the condo I heard silence, so I tip-toed in and grabbed the monitor to see if he was asleep. As I suspected he wasn't because I could see him moving around as Adit was rocking him. I quickly got back into my pj's and rushed into relieve Adit. Once James was in my arms I nursed him and he closed his eyes and feel asleep soon after. It felt so nice holding him in my arms. Now that I am working I don't get to spend much time with him, so I enjoy the late night nursing sessions, even though I feel the lack of sleep during the day.

All in all I had a great time! I still consider the night a success since I made it out and had fun. I look forward to the next outing and hopefully James will feel better so that Mama can go dancing with the girls!

So it only took me over a year to have my first night out after baby, when and where did you first go out, and how was it? Please share it with us on the blog!

Happy reading!

Rachel

Also here's a couple pics from last night at the restaurant!