Just now getting to blog (in the evening) – we’ve had a busy weekend thus far!!
Friday felt like a Saturday with our company here. It was so nice to have extra hands to play with M while I showered and made breakfast! I put together these plate for Cheryl and myself
Cville Crunch toast with Wild Squirrel Vanilla Espresso – yummy combo!!
MY OTHER RECIPES
Plus greek yogurt and some granola
Mug shot!
After breakfast was consumed, I fed the baby (which sort of takes an hour from prep to finish) and then we all headed downtown in the glorious fall weather for a stroller walk and lunch.
I feel bad for being hard on the Bugaboo at first because I am realizing that what it lacks in portability it makes up for in accessories. I pulled out the sun shade when I started to realize how hard it is to be a baby lying down with the sun at a 45* angle in your eyes and was so happy to have this! M doesn’t love his strollers – he prefers to be carried – but we do both when he’s willing to nap in them.
Mimi and Papa (their new names!) hung out in a bookstore for an hour while I strolled (literally!) up and down the downtown mall for about 45 minutes. Yay for exercise! Then we sat down to lunch at Eppies.
I got my favorite Santa Monica salad with chicken on top. It also has dates, corn, goat cheese and a delicious champagne dressing!
Oh, and that incredible cornbread!!
I made it home just in time for M to eat again – good timing!
In the afternoon, I went for my 6 week postpartum checkup, although I went at 5 weeks because my doctor is on vacation next week and I had the choice of 5 or 7 weeks. I chose 5 in hopes of being cleared as “healed and healthy” a week early. Turns out all looks (and feels) great and I can skip, hop or run if I feel like it! I’m hoping to get in my first real run sometime this week! I can hardly wait. Ask me again in the middle of it when I’m likely huffing and puffing : )
The boys came with me to the doctors for moral support because I also got a flu shot.
This was the best/worst thing ever.
Best because it meant I could remove “get a flu shot” from my to-do list weeks earlier than other years (I hate going to pharmacies because it always takes longer than you think so I always put it off!)
Worst because it HURT. Like worse than the stitches on my second-degree tear. I kid you not. I hate shots.
When we got home, Cheryl and I read home magazines, Mazen napped and Matt and Mark went out for dinner ingredients.
We cooked NY Strip steaks on the grill and served them with my mom’s macaroni and cheese and a green salad.
My mom made this mac for us to freeze when she came when Mazen was born. It was DELICIOUS and the recipe is actually coming to her blog in a week or so.
Simple local greens dressed in olive oil, salt, honey and chopped almonds
For dessert, we all shared slices out of this Pumpkin Oh – a pumpkin cake rolled up with a cream cheese frosting from our bakery!! First of the season <3
Mazen had a marathon nursing session in the evening that kept me up until 11pm, but then he slept for 4 hours straight! It was worth the hour it took him to fill up to get a stretch like that. Matt gave him his bottle at 3am and I got 1.5 more hours on top of that. Needless to say, the next morning I felt pretty refreshed!
Glad the check at the Drs went well 🙂 Love the idea of that salad with chicken, goat’s cheese and dates. Sounds like a great combo!
You always have the cutest little bowls and dishes at breakfast! Great way to start the days.
kath, i am quite confused! you just gave birth without drugs & you’re saying a flu shot was pretty bad?? well, i haven’t given birth yet, but i must say that this makes me feel a bit more confident about it!! i got my flu shot outta the way yesterday as well! glad your doc says you’re healed. i wish you the best with getting back into exercise!
🙂 Totally different kinds of pain. As intense as my labor was, I would say the IV and blood draws at the hospital were worse for me emotionally. I have a needle phobia! Pain for pain though, labor was much worse. But in a totally different way. But the stitches is comparable and the shot was worse!!
Looks like a busy but fun fall weekend! Your mom’s Mac n cheese looks heavenly!! And the pumpkin oh… My goodness, that sounds amazing!
I don’t think I’d bring my infant to the doctor’s office to offer moral support for a flu shot…too germy!
It was my OBGYN, not a general practice, and they said most moms bring the babies in so the staff and other doctors can see them on the outside – I actually called to ask if it was appropriate to bring them to a postpartum appt!
I think pretty much everyone brings baby to the follow up appt. I sure did! And good thing because we had to nurse there.
I had a c-section and had to bring my baby to both my OB and my primary within the first week of her birth. I wasn’t cleared to drive, so the husband and baby came along. At the OB, they said this is common practice. At my primary, they sat us in a special area away from everywhere else. No biggie.
Yup, it’s very typical to bring the baby to mom’s postpartum checkup, for all kinds of reasons. Usually the OB/midwife/staff/etc like to see the baby, and lots of moms of newborns, especially if they are breastfeeding, don’t want to be separated from their baby for long. (I’m not saying they can’t or shouldn’t leave the baby at home with someone else if that’s their preference, just that many don’t want to, and shouldn’t be expected to.)
I hate getting my flu shot. I am “strongly encouraged” by work to get one. My arm hurt worse the following day during a run since I was swinging the arm so much.
At least it’s all done and over with…unless we still get the flu.
Goat cheese & champagne dressing sounds like the perfect things on a salad!
Glad the Bug is working for you now, better than it was – and that the new features and options are coming in handy! And yes, preferring carrying over being in a stroller. Surprise, surprise. I found myself babywearing and pushing an empty stroller quite a bit 🙂
Why don’t you get the flu mist?! I did that this year and it was the easiest thing ever! (I’m not afraid of needles, I just hate the achy arm afterwards) I would definitely recommend you do that next year!
I totally should have! I always forget about it. It doesn’t seem to be advertised around that much.
The flu mist is a live virus! I wouldn’t get that while nursing. I think you did better getting the shot.
I heard that Flu Mist isn’t recommended for pregnant women (not enough testing) – wonder if that applies to lactating women as well? Last year I was told I had to get the flu shot when I was preggo.
I’m sorry the shot was so bad! I got really used to shots growing up, I had to get allergy shots for 7 years, one in each arm. The first year every week, the second year every 2 weeks and so on… Lots of shots. Granted, I don’t go in and get flu shots, especially since I’ve only had the flu once that I can ever remember.
that lunch at eppies looks SO GOOD! i would kill to try that cornbread!
There’s that beautiful street scene again…I might have to listen to you and have a mini vacation in CVille. So pretty!!
I looked at your mom’s blog – she is so cute! 🙂 cant wait for that Mac n cheese recipe …looks delicious. Sounds like you are having a great weekend. Enjoy!
Fun day! My parents are Mimi and Papa too! Love that the kids were able to say their names very early on. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 🙂
I can’t say I feel too sorry for you on the needle pain. It literally took hundreds of shots to get us pregnant with our baby boy. And, these were self-administered shots.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’m mostly just being melodramatic.
This seems like an unnecessary comment, June. I think Kath is allowed to voice her opinion on getting a flu shot on HER OWN blog and not get negative feedback from it.
All your meals look so good! Especially that salad with the cornbread and I am totally checking back for that Mac and Cheese recipe of your Mom’s!
I hear ya about itching to run! I ran my last 5K at 27 weeks and thought I could just get right back into it 6 weeks pp. Wrong! I really paid for it with achy joints and that “got hit by a truck” feeling every morning for a couple months until I realized I couldn’t power through the pain. My baby is four months old next week and I’ve been focusing on strength, walking and nursing. I’m feeling so much better and plan to ease back into running in the next couple months. Long story short: don’t do too much too soon and listen to your body! 🙂
It looks as though it was a gorgeous day in Cville!
Your mom’s mac & cheese looks great!
I had my flu shot this year along with a tetanus and whopping cough. I don’t remember ever having either and since I am always hurting myself gardening or renovating I figured I may as well get the tetanus. The whooping cough is recommended for anyone who is around kids. I am not but I am prone to coughing anyway because of asthma and allergies so I figured what the heck. Well, that shot hurt! I feel sorry for the babies now.
Matt just got it too and complained about his arm pain for days : ) that’s a bad one
My flu shot hurt so much too, and unfortunately day 2 was worse than day 1. 🙁
Yay for getting the okay to run again! I’m so happy for you – can you believe you’re already 5 weeks post partum? It goes by so fast – I’m right behind you @ 4 weeks and am in denial about having a one month old baby in my arms!
& I love the simplicity of your greens, olive oil, honey n almonds. I feel like I always avoid salads cause I tend to make the more time consuming fellas (massage kale for 20 minutes?! Dice up 3,000 different veggies and make a homemade dressing in the blender?!).
I know… You read all about “6 weeks this and 6 weeks that” and I can’t believe we are days away from that. Next thing he’ll be 3 months! 1 year!
I am excited for the Mac and cheese recipe, my little girl asked for box mac and cheese for her birthday! (LOL) I showed she the ingredient list and told her I would make her some instead. Now I have a recipe to follow!
Haha… Boxed Mac is good! There are some brands that have decent ingredient lists, but I think the homemade would make it all the better
Hey Kath,
Not sure why but some of your “eat more” links have a small “i” in the bottom right hand corner and when I click them it takes me to http://www.Shape.com article. Not sure why that is but I thought i would let you know.
Pumpkin cake looks delicious!
It’s another little way for me to be sponsored with some linked out posts. They should be labeled amd related to health/food though.
That lunch salad looks like the perfect combo of toppings!
That breakfast looks absolutely delicious!! 🙂
That Mac and Cheese is picture perfect! Looks incredible! Even when you create simple breakfast they’re so inviting looking! Hope you’re over the pain of the flu shot…does everyone get them in the US or is it just because you’re breast feeding?
I want that mac & cheese recipe badly!! Looks wonderful.
The mac n’ cheese and the pumpkin o look so delicious! Mac n’ cheese is my favorite!
Looks like an amazing dinner and that pumpkin roll looks awesome!!! Just got my flu shot on Friday!
Aaah, I get you on shots! I’m always terribly afraid of them – so much so that I can’t sleep the night before the actual process. Same with blood tests … Good you had your boys come with you for support!
How fun you have your third set of gparents in town! 🙂 love it! I’m sure you’ve answered this before, but where are they traveling from? Do you get to see them often? Also, has Matt’s brother met Mazen yet??
They live in Spartanburg, SC (~8 hours away) and both are in the medical field so they don’t have a lot of time off to travel at the same time, but we see them a few times a year. Another visit coming this Christmas! Andrew just started a new job and also doesn’t have travel time, but he will get to meet Mazen at Thanksgiving
Eeek, in those first two pictures it looks like your bowls are just sliiiiding off the table! I want to reach in and save them- actually looks like a pretty good breakfast!
The dessert pic is making me hungry!! I love pumpkin-anything 😛
I have morning sickness so boxed mac is about the only thing I can eat “meal-wise” lately. I get allergy shots so shots don’t bother me!
That little breakfast plate looks so good! Presentation really does make all the difference, and you are so good at it. 🙂
Do you know if your mom ever posted her mac and cheese recipe? 😉
She hasn’t yet – but it is coming in a post soon. I think November 1st?
She said this is it:
Here’s how to make it:
Cook one pound of macaroni. Drain.
Mix in two pounds shredded cheese (you can save some to sprinkle on the top), one tablespoon flour, 1/4 cup milk,and two cups of sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bake for forty minutes in 350 degree oven.
Freezes well.