Weekend in Review

Last Thursday, Adam left for his annual fly fishing vacation. It's a fun, manly expedition that his dad plans every year for several people. When his dad started planning this year's vacation, Adam wasn't 100% sure that he wanted to go since he knew Cora would be here. I told him it was up to him if he wanted to go since he has been going on this vacation since he was a little kid. I know it's important for him to have that bonding time with his dad. Plus his sister went this year too so I knew he'd want him to go even more. Luckily for me, I knew if he went it wouldn't mean that Cora and I would be all alone. Of course my family came down to get some bonding time themselves with Cora!

My parents and two older sisters came down for the extended weekend. It was so great to see Cora interacting with them since she has progressed so much from the last time she saw them. My sister, Kharmene, actually hadn't seen Cora since January! My family likes being out and about so we had four and a half days of being on the go. It was a big change for Cora since we pretty much only leave the house during the week to go grocery shopping. So instead of doing our feedings in the house and taking naps in the bedroom, Cora had to eat in the car and sleep in her car seat. She started being cranky a lot towards the end of our weekend, I think from a combination of lack of napping and lots of stimuli. It feels so quiet now with everyone gone! It was very sweet though to see my family loving on Cora. I love hearing the things they marvel at too. It's nice to hear what's surprising or exciting for them, especially since many of the things they are marveling at are things I'm used to already! For example, my mom absolutely loves how excited and happy Cora gets when it's time to change clothes. She always has a big smile on her face when she sees I'm getting ready to change her outfit and she never fusses when I'm pulling it over her head. We found out this weekend too that Cora loves to accessorize! I put her sunglasses and hat on her for the first time and she loved it!


Keeping it cool.
Another thing that was especially nice was to see how hands on my dad was with her! Not that he wasn't hands on with us, but since she's his grandchild I think it's a different experience for him. I loved seeing him not only push her stroller around, but actively volunteer to do it! He was also so eager to sit down and watch Sesame Street with her. It was so incredibly adorable watching him bond with her! It is safe to say that Cora loves her Apo! (For any non-Filipino readers, Apo is a Filipino term for grandparent!)


My dad watching Sesame Street with Cora, letting her experience the sights & sounds in the Disney store, and keeping her entertained while we shop!
One of the things my family noticed about Cora is that she has started to suck her thumb. I am torn on how I want to handle this. I know that sucking her thumb can cause dental and speech problems for Cora down the line. However, since she has started to suck her thumb she has been able to put herself to sleep! Normally Cora will only go down for a nap by nursing. She will nurse for her nap even if she ate just 30 minutes prior. Plus I know it is comforting for her to suck her thumb. Apparently when my siblings and I were babies, my mom patiently and persistently removed our fingers from our mouths every time we started to suck them so we wouldn't develop the habit. We all ended up having braces anyway, but I suppose it was nice having one less thing to wean us off of! I do try to remove her fingers from her mouth every now and then, but I will admit I am not persistent about it, obviously. Please let me know what you decided to do if you experienced this too!


Sucking her thumb in her sleep; Happily trying to do 3 fingers!
Our visits are always the same when my family comes to town: lots of eating out and shopping! Since Kharmene is vegan we have to be careful about where we choose to eat, but luckily there is always a plethora of restaurants to pick from. Our eating weekend went around the world in terms of cuisine: American, Indian, Italian, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Mexican! I feel like a lot of ethnic restaurants naturally have vegan options on their menu, but it can be hard finding an American restaurant that offers vegan food. We ate at Seasons 52 at North Park Center, which actually has a separate vegan menu! So not only was it delicious for us, it was delicious for Kharmene as well. I am always very happy when everyone can be pleased. However, with all that eating out I ended up gaining a pound! Now that I'm a stay at home mom, Adam and I have really reined in our restaurant budget and have been eating at home. Eating out for almost every meal quickly caught up with me! As for shopping, I didn't do any for myself, but my parents did buy Cora a jumper!


Figuring out how to play with the spinner
At least I was able to get my work outs in. I still highly recommend the Bikini Body Mommy Challenge for all mommies and non-mommies alike! Since I began the challenge, I have started to fit into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes! I can't fit into everything, but I'm getting close. If I had to guess, I am probably a size 8 right now, maybe a size 6 in some generous or stretchy brands. Pre-pregnancy I was a size 4. Hopefully I can get back there soon! My next Bikini Body workout is only 20 minutes long and I can tell it's going to be tough. The woman who created it lost 100 pounds doing her challenge. She also eats very clean, so that helped, but looking at her before and after photos are very inspirational! I am really hoping to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and size this summer. Until then, no shopping for me! Yes, that does mean I am still wearing my maternity jeans! It will be pretty funny once I'm back in regular pants and will have to worry about zipping my fly again. Again, let me know if anyone decides to start the challenge too! Here's the link again for anyone that's interested: Bikini Body Mommy Challenge

Anyway, my parents and sisters were all gone by Tuesday afternoon and Adam came home that night. It was a very happy reunion for us as well as for daddy and daughter! Now we can get back to our normal routine, but I definitely miss having the help and companionship from my family! Ah well, just a few more weeks before we are all reunited again!