Delightfully Domestic

Eleven Months

 

 

At eleven months old, Sullivan is:

• wearing 12-18 month size clothing
• still waking 1-2 times a night
• napping once in the morning and once in the afternoon and I'm excited to phase out the morning nap
• STILL smiling through the same six tiny teeth
• really improving at baby led weaning, he's feeding himself a lot more these days
• crawling all over and so quickly
• pulling up on things to stand
• wanting to walk so badly, after he pulls up on something he turns away from it to step away but face plants every time because he obviously doesn't know how yet. he does walk around holding our fingers now though
• in the midst of the "screaming phase" which is loud and intense and blowing our eardrums so I'm praying it's short lived
• is another more challenging phase as well, the biting phase
• our little dinosaur with his shrieking, crawling and biting. he's our our Sullysaurus, our triSullytops, our TyrannoSul
• saying "Dad" or "Dada" when asked to 
• clapping
• enjoying playing in the sand and dirt and actually plays with it now, he doesn't just shovel it into his mouth!
• as obsessed with his sister as ever, as you can see in the last photo, he just lights up when she's around

 

xo.

Ten Months

 

At ten months old, Sullivan is:

• wearing 12-18 month size clothing
• waking 1-2 times a night usually so he's getting much closer to sleeping through! 
• sipping through straws now (so now this mama has to share her smoothies)
• still smiling through the same six tiny teeth, no new teeth this month
• CRAWLING, which is obviously the biggest new thing this month! I love having my new shadow following me around the house
• becoming a bit of a velcro baby. I can't slip away while he is distracted as easily anymore
• inspecting everything! he's curious and getting around quite quickly now so there's nothing he can't get into!
• a bossy boy, especially if I'm not getting his food to him fast enough
• loving being outside constantly now that it's warm! 

 

xo.

Olympic Tri Training *9 weeks to race day*

I skipped a week there as the stomach flu tore through our house. I had only been able to get one run and one bike in so it didn't seem worth keeping track of. This past week was a good one though! Good health, good weather, good quality workouts

Monday

• 45 min swim 2000m swim (80 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up  followed by 5x200m, 5x100m, followed by a couple of hours of swimming for fun with the kids

Tuesday

• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Wednesday

• 30 min strength upper body
• 55 min run 4 hill circuits

Thursday

• 60 min swim 3000m swim (120 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up, 5x 200m, 5x100m, 2x 250m mountain I.M.'s
• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Friday

• 80 min brick workout on the spin bikes and track at the multiplex, 2X: 30 min hard ride + 10 min run 

Saturday

• Rest day

Sunday

• 95 min run 16km trail run 

Weekly Total: 8 hours 35 minutes

Have a great week!

 

xo.

• 45 min swim 2000m swim (80 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up  followed by 5x200m, 5x100m, followed by a couple of hours of swimming for fun with the kids

Tuesday

• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Wednesday

• 30 min strength upper body
• 55 min run 4 hill circuits

Thursday

• 60 min swim 3000m swim (120 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up, 5x 200m, 5x100m, 2x 250m mountain I.M.'s
• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Friday

• 80 min brick workout on the spin bikes and track at the multiplex, 2X: 30 min hard ride + 10 min run 

Saturday

• Rest day

Sunday

• 95 min run 16km trail run 

Weekly Total: 8 hours 35 minutes

The one who made me a mama

 

I hope all the mamas out there have been feeling the love this week in whichever way their family is best at showing it. While I was out for my Sunday morning run yesterday my husband took our little ones to the store. Emery picked me out a huge bouquet of purple and pink flowers and I came home to those, a box of donuts and my favourite drink sitting on the table. I felt loved :)

Later on yesterday as Emery and I were washing our hands together in our small group leader's bathroom I thought we were having a rather sweet moment, especially when Emery said "we're friends". I replied "yah, we're best friends" and she snapped back "I wasn't talking about you I was talking about Natania!". She then ran back out into the backyard to continue playing with Natania. Motherhood, man. 

It's a roller coaster but my favourite ride.

Happy Mothers Day

- especially to my mama, who truly is the best mama and grandma. Emery knows this. Her and my mom have always had a special bond. In fact, recently she said to me "I wish Grandma Michelle were my mom" so I asked her who I would be then. She replied "you would be my sister and we would both be Grandma's kids and live with her!". I really have to try not to read into Emery's comments too much ;) Haha just know that you are so so loved Mom (although I hope you know that every other day of the year!) 

 

xo.

 

 

Olympic Tri Training *11 weeks to race day*

 

Training was going great this week until I woke up early Sunday morning with the stomach flu and was forced to take that day completely off. That's okay though because it had been a pretty solid week until that point and I went for my longest run in almost 2 years the day before!

Monday

• 30 min strength in the basement, lower body
• 60 min swim 2500m swim (100 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up (100m back, 100m front, 100m one arm fly, 100m breast arms/fly kick, 100m reverse IM)  followed by 5x200m, 5x100m, 2x250m mountain I.M. (1 lane fly, 2 back, 3 breast, 4 front)

Tuesday

• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Wednesday

• 55 min run 4 hill circuits

Thursday

• 65 min swim 3000m swim (120 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up, 10x 200m, 5x100m
• 55 min bike at home during naptime

Friday

• 30 min strength upper body
• 30 min bike on the spin bikes at the multiplex

Saturday

• 1 hour 38 min run, 18 km

Sunday

• forced rest day, sick with the stomach flu

Weekly Total: 8 hours 3ish minutes

Have a great week!

xo.

• 30 min strength in the basement, lower body
• 60 min swim 2500m swim (100 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up (100m back, 100m front, 100m one arm fly, 100m breast arms/fly kick, 100m reverse IM)  followed by 5x200m, 5x100m, 2x250m mountain I.M. (1 lane fly, 2 back, 3 breast, 4 front)

Tuesday

• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Wednesday

• 55 min run 4 hill circuits

Thursday

• 65 min swim 3000m swim (120 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up, 10x 200m, 5x100m
• 55 min bike at home during naptime

Friday

• 30 min strength upper body
• 30 min bike on the spin bikes at the multiplex

Saturday

• 1 hour 38 min run, 18 km

Sunday

• forced rest day, sick with the stomach flu

Weekly Total: 8 hours 3ish minutes

Olympic Tri Training *12 weeks to race day*

     I've signed up for my first triathlon post-baby (baby number 2 that is) and it's got me all kinds of motivated to train. I'm not someone that needs to feel motivated in order to workout, I'm quite dedicated and can usually get myself to do it even when I really don't feel like it, but a little extra motivation certainly doesn't hurt! haha. The race is another olympic distance tri located at the same lake as the last olympic I raced in the Summer of 2016. Leading up to that race I shared my weekly training log here (starting at 16 weeks to race day) and really enjoyed doing that. It kept me accountable (great for when both motivation AND dedication are failing) and I'm finding it very useful to look back on now.

    I'm not following any sort of official training plan, but I have viewed many online to get an idea. Mostly I'm just going with the flow, working both with and around my little ones and their schedules and it's going well! I use the childcare at the multiplex for an hour about 3 times a week so I don't have to fit in swims in the early morning before my husband goes to work anymore which has been amazing, and on weekend mornings I usually get to join a couple run groups while the kids are home with dad. I do almost all my strength training in the basement while the kids play around me down there, and I bike on my trainer which is set up in our living room in the afternoons when I can get Sully's nap time to line up with Emery's quiet time. Now that the snow has mostly melted I'm able to get more runs in with the kiddos in the stroller now too. This has been working well for our little family and I hope it continues to for the next three months (and then two more months after that because I hope this Summer holds another race or two!) 

  ^^ a sweaty mess after an hour ride in the living room. Emery's quiet time lasts an hour and her "treat" for having a good quiet time (meaning she stays in her room the full hour and is reasonably quiet) is an episode of TV and a candy, which I set up for her then jump straight into the shower before Sully awakes ^^ 

Monday

• 60 min strength in the basement, upper body

Tuesday

• 60 min swim 2500m swim (100 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up (100m back, 100m front, 100m one arm fly, 100m breast arms/fly kick, 100m reverse IM)  followed by 5x200m, 5x100m, 5x50m sprints, 250m mountain I.M. (1 lane fly, 2 back, 3 breast, 4 front)
• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Wednesday

• 45 min run hill circuits

Thursday

• 60 min swim 2500m swim, same workout as Tuesday
• 30 min bike at home during naptime, hard tempo

Friday

• 50 min bike on the spin bikes at the multiplex, followed by 600m shakeout run
• 10 min core, in the basement

Saturday

• 60 min run, slow 10.5 km pushing the double stroller

Sunday

• 50 min run, 10 km
• 10 min core, in the basement

Weekly Total: 8 hours 15 minutes

 

Have a great week!

xo.

 

• 60 min strength in the basement, upper body

Tuesday

• 60 min swim 2500m swim (100 lanes): 20 lane standard warm-up (100m back, 100m front, 100m one arm fly, 100m breast arms/fly kick, 100m reverse IM)  followed by 5x200m, 5x100m, 5x50m sprints, 250m mountain I.M. (1 lane fly, 2 back, 3 breast, 4 front)
• 60 min bike at home during naptime

Wednesday

• 45 min run hill circuits

Thursday

• 60 min swim 2500m swim, same workout as Tuesday
• 30 min bike at home during naptime, hard tempo

Friday

• 50 min bike on the spin bikes at the multiplex, followed by 600m shakeout run
• 10 min core, in the basement

Saturday

• 60 min run, slow 10.5 km pushing the double stroller

Sunday

• 50 min run, 10 km
• 10 min core, in the basement

Weekly Total: 8 hours 15 minutes

Nine Months

 

 

At nine months old, Sullivan is:

• wearing 12-18 month size clothing
• showing improvement in the sleep department! At the start of the month he was waking 2-3 times a night, then during our west coast trip he was waking 5-10 times a night, so basically nursing all night long. When we got home I worked on getting him back in his crib and night weaning again and things are improving slowly 
• very into food, mostly in pureed form which is interesting to me because Emery did well with baby led weaning. If food is on his tray he prefers to smash it instead of eating it. But on a spoon he gobbles everything up!
• smiling through six tiny teeth
• chattering to himself while he plays
• always has to have something in his hands. I've especially noticed this the past couple times we have been at the pool because before the water was interesting enough, but now he needs something to play with (if I can't find a baby toy around the pool deck I just grab an extra life jacket and he inspects the buckles- works like a charm)
• throwing back-arching mini-tantrums now, a definite sign he's beginning the transition to toddlerhood! haha
• especially opinionated about his car seat since our roadtrip, that's when most of his back-arching tantrum occur (that, and when a choking hazard or dangerous object is removed from his hands)
• getting around somehow, slowly, it's sort of like a butt-scoot but will rock forward to a crawling position too, and the occasional army crawl (but he can only go backwards that way)
• so easy to make smile. as he's getting bigger and more opinionated and especially as when he's teething and fussy it really shows what a happy little guy he is deep down because no matter what I can always make him smile

 

xo.

 

My current favourite lunch

Man I miss blogging. I've been making sure to post monthly baby updates at the very least because I absolutely love being able to refer back to Emery's and want to have those points of reference for Sully's first year too. It's just the frequency of writing that I miss, but I only like to sit at the computer while the kids are asleep and I just don't seem to be awake myself during those times very often haha. Now that Sully's sleeping has begun to improve (please Lord Jesus let it continue!) I might be able to write more often. The past two mornings I have found myself awake for a moment alone after getting Sully back asleep before Emery starts her day and it's been so nice. If that continues I will definitely be able to blog more frequently again. Emery doesn't nap anymore but she does have an hour long quiet time in her room each afternoon, so if I can get Sully to nap during that time then I'm also free then but I usually hop on my bike then. This afternoon however Sully's naptime has aligned perfectly with Emery's quiet time and I'm not biking today so- hi! I want to share my current favourite lunch because it's so tasty and I'm eating it every day and loving it and you just might love it too :)

 

It's just a quick egg scramble consisting of:

• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups of a raw spinach, baby kale and beet top mix
• 1/4 bell pupper, chopped
• 1 slice of jalapeno havarti cheese, torn up into small pieces

I fry it together for like minutes then scoop 1/4 cup of my favourite homemade salsa on top and it hits the spot. I'm really into the MyFitnessPal app so I even have the nutritional information for this quick lunch:

• 367 calories
• 21 grams of protein
• 12 grams of carbohydrates
• 15 grams of fat
• 3 grams of fibre

 

I never used to track my nutrition or "count calories" so to speak, but I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app a couple of months ago and am so glad that I did. I realized that with breastfeeding and daily physical activity I was at a serious deficit. Now I use the app to make sure I am consuming enough calories but my favourite part is checking the pie graph of macro nutrients and trying to maintain a balance of 50% carbs, 20-25% proteins and 25-30% fats as much as possible. I actually find it really fun! 

 

xo.

 

Spring Break West Coast Roadtrip

 

 

My family headed west in search of Spring last week (this Winter is breaking records across the board: record snowfall, days below zero degrees, no sign of Spring and it's mid-April- it's been insane) and we feasted on our eyes on the green forests and blue waters of Vancouver, Salt Spring Island, the Comox Valley and Nanaimo. My husband had ten days off for Spring Break so we divided up our trip into 2.5 days of driving and 2 days in each location. Although the first day was rather intense (a 14 hour drive through all kinds of weather) the kids were troopers it went quite smoothly overall! Then once we were on the coast all the travelling between locations consisted of short drives and ferry rides - which was good because after 14 hours strapped into his rear-facing carseat Sully developed quite an aversion to it and definitely did not want to spend any more time there (understandably, that's a long time to stare at nothing while the rest of the fam got to enjoy beautiful views). The weather was often overcast but we got some sun as well as a little rain and it was all considerably better than the -25 degrees and blizzarding back home! 

 

Emery was in her glory on this trip! The girl LOVES to hike. We packed our baby backpack for Sully and I always wore it because I figured Emery's little legs would need rest and my husband would have to carry her, but she surprised us every day with her stamina! I can think of one time she rode on his shoulders for a couple minutes to have a snack and other than that she hiked what we hiked. We explored a different trail every day and Emery forced us to notice new details all along the way. 

Although Sully wasn't a fan of the car seat this trip, he's a definite fan of the baby backpack so as long as we were outdoors he was happy! And usually sleeping. I referred to myself as Sully's mobile nap unit and it was nice to always have him close. 

Every adventure was different- the west coast is so diverse! We explored waterfalls, sandy beaches, rocky beaches and endless boardwalks and saw so many creatures. We got an amazing view of a bald eagle on Newcastle Island, saw many starfish and crabs at Ruckle Park and my favourite of all was watching three orcas breeching at Pipers Lagoon. There were also three sea lions swimming along the shore at Pipers and we got to see them for quite a while and hear them barking back and forth at each other. What we didn't see in the wild, we got to see at the Vancouver Aquarium. 

 

 

 Of course not every single moment of our trip was as carefree as these photos appear - like you know you’re a gong show in a cafe when the lady behind you pays for your family’s lunch - I just typically don’t pull out my camera and photograph the moments where my family is a hot mess (literally, my husband was wearing his latte by the time we left the cafe- thanks Sully!). You win some, you lose some haha, thanks for letting me share some of the wins! 

The last time we went to the coast Emery was eight months old so it felt special to have another eight month old baby along for the ride this time! I guess we feel like eight months old is the perfect age for long roadtrips? Are we crazy? Haha.  

xo.

 

Eight Months

  

 

At eight months old, Sullivan is:

• wearing 9-12 month size clothing
• still waking 2-3 times a night usually. I night weaned him early in the month (after the magic effect of ditching the night nap wore off- I had mentioned it in his 7 month post but the "voila- way better sleep!" didn't last long haha. After night weaning him he still wakes up frequently but after a while falls back asleep so that's some improvement! 
• eating everything! the most exciting food we added this month was peanut butter
• so distracted while nursing now that at home I usually have to ask Emery to play in another room while I do 
• getting a lot more talkative and making so many new sounds, the most exciting one being " da da da"
• still napping two times a day, but if we have a busy morning out and he can't get a morning nap in he seems fine to just have an extra long one in the afternoon 
• really enjoying Juno (our pup). he's mesmerized by her if she's near and he's always reaching out to grab her fur 
• bashful around other people, he'll bury his head into my shoulder. it's so sweet (and much nicer than getting upset or crying!). 
• getting more opinionated. Lets just say that Emery can no longer remove toys from his hands and replace them as she pleases, haha. And he will not tolerate me taking breaks while pushing the stroller any more- that thing has to be kept moving at all times! (of course the reason I always have to stop and take breaks is because his sister has gotten herself stuck in a snowbank or slipped on the ice or something like that haha) 
• still not crawling although he will spend more time on his tummy now before getting upset. he seems to be taking after his sister a lot in this department! 
• as in love with his sister as ever, and she with him. they're really enjoying these days together, especially now that the worst of Winter seems to be over and we're spending more time outside together again. The pool/indoor play places really saved us during the last two months but living outside is our jam so bring on the sunshine

 

xo.