Semblance of normalcy

We are slowly getting back into some of our routine and adopting new ones to accommodate our newest family member.
Before my mom left last month,  she made several dishes which we froze.  My mother in law also brought us a couple of dishes which we kept in the freezer.  As a result,  I haven't had to cook in a while. 
Last Sunday was the first time since JAE arrived that I cooked a lunch or dinner meal. 

J went back to work on Tuesday and since we often pack our lunch to take to work,  I figured it was time to start getting back in the habit of making the week's meals on Sundays. 
Since I pump 8 times every 24 hours to mimic JAE's eating habits and stabilize my milk supply,  I have very limited time. For the record,  I'll say it again...I hate pumping!!!

I decided to make some Nigerian fried rice and fried plantains. While my mom was here,  she gave me tips on how to make the rice in less than 30 minutes and have it still taste delicious.  Score! I'll be sure to share the recipe at some point in the future. In the meantime,  here are some pictures of the yummy goodness. 

In other news,  my rings finally fit again!  I haven't won them since I was 7 months pregnant. Last time, it took me 3 months to get here so I count this as progress.

Since it's been hot here,  we decided to go for Rita's again last weekend.  JOE was so excited.  We told her we'd go get some ice cream and then go to the airport park to watch planes land and take off.  All was good until we got the ice cream and started heading to the airport park.  JOE promptly fell asleep. We waited for a bit at the park and even tried to wake her up at one point but she would have none of it. Of course,  the minute we got home,  she woke up.  Go figure.

JAE is such a good sleeper,  I just love taking pictures of her beautiful face while she sleeps.

I love that if she's crying and I take her and put her in my chest,  she calms down. She doesn't do it for anyone but me  :-). I guess she knows my heart beat.  She was inside of me afterall.

I love that when she sleeps, she tucks one hand in my shirt or holds on to my shirt like she'll never let go.

I love that she is quickly getting used to her sister's toddler screams and habit of watching the ipad in our bed.  I love their sisterly bond that's already apparent.

I love that she is starting to get a hang of the whole selfie thing.  I mean her mom's a blogger afterall so taking pictures is a regular part of my blogging.

We decided to update our family wall to include pictures of JAE. Last weekend,  we got our pictures taken by a professional photographer.
Here are some pictures from the session.

This is an unprofessional picture of my makeup.  I did a flat twist in front and put the rest of my hair in a puff.

Our clothes for the session. 

Before we headed out,  I decided to take a quick picture of the girls in their outfit.
Here's one of JOE.

And one of JAE.

A professional sneak peak of the photo session. The pictures turned out great and I can't wait to share them with you.

We celebrated the end of J's paternity leave by going out to lunch. I got a salad so I could indulge in some yummy dessert :-). Oh did I mention my sweet tooth is back?  :-). Apparently,  pregnancy is the cure for my sweet tooth cause I have lost my desire for sweets while pregnant both times. 

The salad was delicious but I couldn't finish it.  I packed it to go and enjoyed it later.  Of course,  JAE decided to join in on the festivities and woke up after I was done eating.  Good girl!

The hubby...J

And here's an update of where I am with my weight loss. I am back in my old clothes and some of them are too big.  Yay!

I should have cleaned the mirror before taking the picture but why bother? JOE  has decided that she doesn't like a clean mirror.  She adorns it with her palm prints once it's cleaned.

One of the best things about having a baby when it's warm is the ability to go for long walks. JAE and I go for a 3 mile walk most days of the week.

Hope you had/are having a nice week. My maternity leave ends in 2 weeks.  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. 

Family update: 5 weeks

Why is time flying by?

I feel like I just had JAE and already,  she is 5 weeks old.
We are really loving being a family of 4. JOE has been a little more demanding but overall,  she is adjusting well.  The one indisputable fact though is that she really loves her sister.

I know people talk about kids regressing when they have a new sibling.  While we haven't really had that with JOE, she makes demands like asking to be fed,  wanting to be carried,  wanting to play with her sister's toys.  In the grand scheme of things,  I think she is doing just great. 

Since she often wants us to feed her,  when she ate by herself last night,  I insisted on snapping a picture of my big girl.

JOE decided to have some of her toys share a chair. We have been talking to her about sharing.  But this was not what we had in mind :-).

I love this picture of my girls. 

Last weekend,  it was very hot so J decided to treat his girls to some yummy cold treats from Ritas. 

Update on my post baby weight loss at 5 weeks postpartum.  We've been going for evening walks every evening and I am glad to say it's helping a little.  I am not one of those who lose weight while nursing/pumping.  Oh well.

Last weekend,  I decided to try my hands at making Caribbean jerk chicken.  I found a recipe on pinterest and tweaked it a little.  I marinated the chicken overnight and J grilled it the next day to perfection. 

We had the chicken with grilled corn.  Yum! 

I mentioned earlier we've been going for walks.  On Saturday,  we went for a walk and the neighborhood next to ours was having a garage sale. JOE saw this tool shed with toy power tools and immediately wanted it.  At $20 for the shed and tools,  it was a steal! Definitely a good distraction for her while I pump. The best part is the power drill that actually makes a sound and can be used on the screws. Even J has a good time playing with it. 

My girls again.  I can't get enough  of them. 

Although JAE is a good sleeper at night,  every now and then,  she has a screaming fit after she gets her bottle. We think it's because she doesn't know how to settle back down.  This picture was taken the morning after one such night. I get up twice each night to pump so I am somewhat used to it. J often gets up to feed JAE but she often goes back to sleep shortly after. 

Taking advantage of being home together,  J and I went to the cheesecake factory to celebrate our 4th anniversary which was 6 days after JAE arrived.  We certainly had a great time but dude,  why do I always get the smaller piece of cheesecake? 

Like I've said in the past,  JAE loves her sleep. I do love how she is often so relaxed while sleeping. "

And when she is awake,  she enjoys some cuddle time with her dad. 

To close out this post here is a picture of smiling JAE. 

J goes back to work next week.  I have truly enjoyed the last 3 weeks of his paternity leave. I go back to work in early June.  I'll be teleworking full time for a month before starting back up with my regular schedule. 

Have a fabulous weekend and be safe!

Life as a family of four

The last few weeks have been hectic but we're starting to get used to handling life as parents of two. 

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. 

Our baby girl is a month old already.  How did that happen?  Time is going by so fast! She is already showing us that like her sister, she has a strong personality. 

She's still a pretty good sleeper and we are very thankful for that. 

Both my babies like to sleep with their hands up what's up with that? 

JAE is on the left and JOE is on the right. 

Our weekly mommy/daughter selfie.  JAE isn't feeling it yet :-).

J has been at home with me the last week and half on paternity leave. 

As a result,  we decided to visit the new Indian restaurant that opened up not too far from us. We'd been meaning to go but could never find the time. Since JOE spends the day with her child care provider,  we figured it was a good opportunity to go there.

I took this picture because I got the new Samsung Galaxy S6 as a gift to myself. Plus my old galaxy s3 was on it's last leg. I decided to test out the camera.  So far,  I am loving it. 

I love Indian food :-).

Since we are now parents of two, we got a double stroller.  We got the britax B Agile double stroller and with the exception of the canopy that can't be used on the right side when a carseat is in there,  we love the stroller. It is lightweight,  moves very easily and fits through all standard doors. Plus we didn't have to get any new adaptors to use since we already have the britax carseat.  Score! 

J and his youngest gal.  I love the way he dots on her. So precious. Oh and check out the Doc McStuffins cast next to him. Courtesy of our resident doctor (JOE).

She also joined in the picture. 

To keep JOE in her regular routine,  we took her to her favorite jumping place last week.  We are thinking of hosting her birthday party there cause she really loves it there. 

Here is one of J and JAE. 

And if you're wondering what's been up with my hair,  well,  wonder no more. I haven't really done much.  It's been in braids like this or in 2 puffs since I had JAE. I need to change up my routine but just can't find the time between pumps. 

Hope you're having a good week so far.