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.